Five Keys to Starting a Successful Small Farm

Starting our farm in 2009

Many families who are looking to start a small farm/homestead come to us asking how we began farming and what advice we have to offer.  We are so grateful to have this privilege of mentoring others!  It is truly exciting to use the knowledge and experience that God has given us to help others reach their dream.  As we have worked closely with individuals and families, we have seen small farms succeed and fail.  Through this and our own ups and downs, we have gained much insight.  We want to share with you the five keys we have learned that are vital to starting a successful small farm!

1. Pray.  None of us had a background in farming.  Dad's family had gardened and raised chickens for a brief period of time during his childhood, and we have always had pets, but that was all.  When we began thinking about starting a small farm over ten years ago, the first thing we did was pray about it.  We knew that this venture would require time, finances, property, and commitment.  We wanted to make sure that the investment of these resources was God's Will for our lives.  It was nearly a year before our farm started becoming a reality, but we were patient, and God truly guided our steps.  We have seen many people jump right into farming without much or any prayer or forethought.  This only brings disaster and frustration, as their farms are short-lived.  Patiently waiting upon God's perfect timing and pondering the path before us prepares our hearts for His plan.  We have seen other people who seriously pray and think about their desire to begin farming.  These are the ones who are successful.  After all, gaining God's blessing is the greatest reward possible!

2. Make sure that your family is on board.  Before we made steps towards planning our farm, we made sure that each of us was wholeheartedly ready for this endeavor.  My parents confirmed that we children understood that there was going to be extra work involved and complaining would not be tolerated.  All of us have wonderful memories of building our first animal pens together!  We have worked with many families where a spouse or the children are not too keen on the whole farming idea.  We generally counsel the interested member(s) to be patient, wait to get started, and continue praying.  We have seen multiple families struggle through starting a farm, only for it to eventually fall apart because members weren't ready for the added responsibility and commitment.  However, when your whole family is on board, starting a small farm is a wonderful adventure and relationship-building project!

3. Research.  We realized that before we began farming, we had to know what we were getting into!  Since we had a general idea of the farm we wanted to have, we focused on learning about dairy goats, chickens, rabbits, honeybees, and gardening.  We took out books from the library, purchased farming magazines, browsed the internet, and talked with experienced small-scale farmers/breeders.  As we shared what we were learning with each other, we agreed that we definitely wanted to invest our time and resources in these assets.  The wonderful fruit that comes from research is being prepared!  We have experienced so many clients who wanted to purchase an animal from us, yet hadn't even looked into necessary housing or care.  For some families who we have worked with, research helped them to realize that farming was not for them.  The people who come to us having thoroughly researched are easy to work with because they know where they want to go and what questions to ask.  We have also provided informative blog posts/articles and excellent links here on our website to help you in your research.

4. Make sure that you have all the necessary resources.  Before we purchased any animals, we built the appropriate housing for them and bought the recommended supplies.  We wanted to be completely ready to take care of our animals before we brought them home.  This totally eliminated the stress of rushing to the pet store or farm supply while we had our newly acquired animal(s) in the back of the car!  We took our time and enjoyed the process!  We have worked with people who come to buy an animal, but haven't finished their goats' shelter or haven't purchased a rabbit cage yet.  We know that they have good intentions, but they are not providing the animal with a stable environment to flourish in.  It makes us feel confident in a client when they come to us prepared.  We can see that they are on the road to success because they are not putting necessities off.  Yes, it is hard to be patient and wait until all of your resources are together, but the end result is well worth it!

5. Accumulate assets slowly.  We recognized that it would be easy for us to become overwhelmed and discouraged with farming if we took on too much at once.  Therefore, we developed a pattern: purchase an animal or two, allow them and us to adjust, get into a care routine, become comfortable in that routine, then look into another purchase.  Sometimes, this process took a few months, but sometimes, it took a couple of years.  It depended on if we felt ready to take more on.  For years, we have seen the farms of friends and clients fail because they accumulated assets rapidly.  One week they would buy goats, the next week they would buy chickens, and so on, until they were worn out and fed up with farming.  On the other hand, we have observed families who have approached farm expansion similar to us, and they are nearly always successful.  You want your farm to be a dream come true, not drudgery!  Don't let your excitement get the best of you!

As we look back over our years of small-scale farming, our hearts are filled with thankfulness!  God has been so faithful, and He has taught us so much!  We feel humbled that He is now using us to help others start successful small farms.  If you are looking to start a small farm/homestead, we would like to encourage you to first pray and make sure that your family is unified.  Even though it is so easy to rush into this undertaking once everyone is on board, take the time to research and prepare.  Finally, add to your farm gradually, so farming remains a joy for all involved!  Always keep in mind that God calls us to be good stewards of His Creation, and our goal in farming is to be faithful with the resources that He blesses us with!

December 2015