Having tried my hand at agriculture coming from programming, I think there are a lot of people who want to do something similar to what I did, and I think my notes might help someone.
I think the biggest thing is understanding that you are simply not going to be able to be 100% self-sufficient. The skills my ancestors had where they were able to build their own home, feed their entire family through the year, and produce their own clothing -- one or two people can't do that realistically, and they couldn't even do that back in the 1800s or even before. So just accept the fact that you won't be able to do everything.
If you're new to agriculture, there are a few things you have to understand. One is that there are virtually limitless opportunities to make food and money on land. It doesn't matter how many businesses you get running, you can always get 10 more running. If you have a short attention span and don't know how to stick something through to the end, this is bad. You need to focus on one or two things. Once those are working, then add things a little at a time. Don't try everything at once.
You need plenty of runway. Keep your job in the town, or get one working remotely. Even a little bit of cashflow can make a big difference. A lot of agriculture is investing time and money and waiting a year before you get a payout. Sometimes many years. Sometimes you are doing something not because you are going to be successful at it, but because you want to learn, and so you won't make money at it any time soon. Just budget your time and your money and keep the cash flowing as much as possible. Don't quite your day job until it is the most reasonable thing.
You need to learn the difference between managing a problem and solving a problem. IE, fencing. I can fix the fence and make it perfect, but that will take time and money I don't have. Or, I can make the fence "good enough" and save all the money and time in the world. "Good enough is perfect" is the rule of thumb in agriculture. Know what is important and what is not, and don't waste your time or money on stuff that doesn't matter. Maybe have a category of stuff called "one day" -- things that you'd like to do but aren't urgent or important. Stick things in there and when you get really bored and everything else is fixed take a few tasks off that pile.
Everything is a business. EVERYTHING. Marketing matters. Sales matter. Management matters. Cash flow matters. Congratulations, you are now an accountant, a lawyer, a real estate agent, a marketing professional, a salesman, a CEO, etc... You get the idea. Don't be scared of doing things you aren't used to. Just do it, see what works, adjust and try again. Don't be afraid to meet new people and make new friends. More people means more opportunities. A good firm handshake and a business card can make you a lot of money in the right hands.
One of my friends explained about property values. "If you sell your property at a high price, then you have to buy something else at a high price. If you sell when prices are low, you buy something else at a low price. So prices don't matter and doesn't make you any money." The only time you make money on property is when you cash out and retire from agriculture altogether. Otherwise, you're just sinking your money into an asset that you're never going to realize. So just treat the entire mortgage check as an expense you're never going to see. Don't pretend your property value means anything.
Let me explain this a little more: Suppose you buy some property on a loan and you work it and pay off that loan now you own that property. Congratulations. What are you going to do? Sell it? Then you are out of the business. Maybe you decide you want more land? Now you need to get another loan to buy more property, albeit less than you would've needed at first. But that money isn't going into your pocket. The only time you get cash out of a property is when you quit, downsize or move further away from the city. Otherwise, you're going to do what every other farmer does and try to get as much land as possible so you can make as much money as possible doing as much farming as possible.
Tractors don't make baby tractors. Don't invest in machinery. Figure out how to borrow or rent. Unless you want to be in the equipment management business, in which case every day your machine sits idle you are losing money when you should be renting it out.
Don't make friends with your animal. If Bessie doesn't make a calf, she has to go to the sale barn. It doesn't matter if your daughter grew up with Bessie, she is eating grass that another cow could be eating that would make you another calf.
I think the biggest thing is understanding that you are simply not going to be able to be 100% self-sufficient. The skills my ancestors had where they were able to build their own home, feed their entire family through the year, and produce their own clothing -- one or two people can't do that realistically, and they couldn't even do that back in the 1800s or even before. So just accept the fact that you won't be able to do everything.
If you're new to agriculture, there are a few things you have to understand. One is that there are virtually limitless opportunities to make food and money on land. It doesn't matter how many businesses you get running, you can always get 10 more running. If you have a short attention span and don't know how to stick something through to the end, this is bad. You need to focus on one or two things. Once those are working, then add things a little at a time. Don't try everything at once.
You need plenty of runway. Keep your job in the town, or get one working remotely. Even a little bit of cashflow can make a big difference. A lot of agriculture is investing time and money and waiting a year before you get a payout. Sometimes many years. Sometimes you are doing something not because you are going to be successful at it, but because you want to learn, and so you won't make money at it any time soon. Just budget your time and your money and keep the cash flowing as much as possible. Don't quite your day job until it is the most reasonable thing.
You need to learn the difference between managing a problem and solving a problem. IE, fencing. I can fix the fence and make it perfect, but that will take time and money I don't have. Or, I can make the fence "good enough" and save all the money and time in the world. "Good enough is perfect" is the rule of thumb in agriculture. Know what is important and what is not, and don't waste your time or money on stuff that doesn't matter. Maybe have a category of stuff called "one day" -- things that you'd like to do but aren't urgent or important. Stick things in there and when you get really bored and everything else is fixed take a few tasks off that pile.
Everything is a business. EVERYTHING. Marketing matters. Sales matter. Management matters. Cash flow matters. Congratulations, you are now an accountant, a lawyer, a real estate agent, a marketing professional, a salesman, a CEO, etc... You get the idea. Don't be scared of doing things you aren't used to. Just do it, see what works, adjust and try again. Don't be afraid to meet new people and make new friends. More people means more opportunities. A good firm handshake and a business card can make you a lot of money in the right hands.
One of my friends explained about property values. "If you sell your property at a high price, then you have to buy something else at a high price. If you sell when prices are low, you buy something else at a low price. So prices don't matter and doesn't make you any money." The only time you make money on property is when you cash out and retire from agriculture altogether. Otherwise, you're just sinking your money into an asset that you're never going to realize. So just treat the entire mortgage check as an expense you're never going to see. Don't pretend your property value means anything.
Let me explain this a little more: Suppose you buy some property on a loan and you work it and pay off that loan now you own that property. Congratulations. What are you going to do? Sell it? Then you are out of the business. Maybe you decide you want more land? Now you need to get another loan to buy more property, albeit less than you would've needed at first. But that money isn't going into your pocket. The only time you get cash out of a property is when you quit, downsize or move further away from the city. Otherwise, you're going to do what every other farmer does and try to get as much land as possible so you can make as much money as possible doing as much farming as possible.
Tractors don't make baby tractors. Don't invest in machinery. Figure out how to borrow or rent. Unless you want to be in the equipment management business, in which case every day your machine sits idle you are losing money when you should be renting it out.
Don't make friends with your animal. If Bessie doesn't make a calf, she has to go to the sale barn. It doesn't matter if your daughter grew up with Bessie, she is eating grass that another cow could be eating that would make you another calf.