Starting Your Own Farm
Agriculture is the foundation of modern society, and farming can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling line of work. But no one ever said getting started with your own farm would be easy, so it’s important to carefully plan out the process before you begin. We here at Flieg’s Equipment want to help you get as smooth a start as possible, so we’ve put together some basic tips for starting your own farm, below. To learn more, or to see the farm equipment we have for sale, contact our stores in Ste. Genevieve and Leadington, Missouri, today!
Take Time Finding Your Tools
Your budget has limits, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to buy a bunch of advanced, shiny farm equipment right away. That’s fine! Take the time you need to buy the tools your operation requires, and stay open to buying pre-owned tools. To get started, you’ll likely need:
- A compact tractor or UTV with tilling attachments
- A handcart for moving loose material or heavy items
- A comprehensive set of hand tools like screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, a claw hammer, and pliers
- A comprehensive set of gardening tools like a hoe, a rake, trowels or spades, and a pitchfork
- A trailer to move crops, soil, fertilizer, seedlings, etc
One Step at a Time
It’s fine to have goals including massive fields of crops, hen houses, and cattle, but chances are that will take time. There’s nothing wrong with starting small, so clear a few acres of land and choose a single crop to get you started. Here in the Show-Me State, your best bets are soybeans, corn, cotton, and rice, with soybeans earning the most. Try to rotate your crops every year to avoid depleting the soil.
Once you have a steady setup, it’s easy to diversify and bring in more complicated operations to the fold. Even once you start expanding, remember to take small steps. A few chickens are a much easier place to start in terms of animals than whole herds of several different types of livestock.
Preparation
If you plan to have livestock or other animals, you’re going to need a good veterinarian to ensure they stay healthy and strong. You’ll also need to plan ahead for the waste animals generate to avoid getting overwhelmed in the worst of ways. Alongside that, you should have a plan for crop irrigation and where you’ll be pulling water from.
Farms have a number of potential resources in terms of water, and it’s important to pull from all of them to avoid depleting any one source.
We hope these tips help you get set up smoothly! For more information, or to see the farm equipment we have for sale, contact us at Flieg’s Equipment. We proudly serve the people of Farmington and Park Hills, Missouri—let us serve you today!