Looking to potentially start a farm next year when I graduate college...

Schooling is actually important here. Farming ,at least at the owner and manager, level is a hands on stem field. There are a shit ton of idiots who are farm hands, drunks too and mexicans who just want to work but higher up they arent dummies. Theres easier money though new farms outside niche areas arent being made theyre being consolidated. Farms of 8k acres arent unheard of and are actually quite common even in say IL where I live. Interestingly lots of farmers with long memories are chompin waiting for industrial hemp of all things. Though those conversations are still 1/2 bullshit due to legal.

I'm confused when you say easier money though new farms ? What do you mean by easier money. Also are areas outside of the midwest with massive land dedicated to farming consolidating as well?

Look into the alternative farming grant. Big farms are very hard to manage, lots of work, and EXPENSIVE. Anything you grow on a large scale is going to have to be sold cheap, and Guatemala can always undercut you.

Alternative farming is things like mushrooms, honey, truffles, etc. You want to do a crop that's small, high value, and that you can sell locally to restaurants. The fine dining farm to table meme is great, as is becoming a Whole Foods supplier and going to farmer's markets.

get some land and then grow crypto on it. you can thank me later :^)

This guy is so correct. It's really not a great business to get into. If you're dead-set on farming, do this

crypto??

Never thought of this, will look into more though, that is a solid point with being undercut

Banker here. First question is going to be how much down money do you have? Margin requirements are going to be around 65%.

I farm 3 acres. Yes 3 acres. High intensity, dense farming. It's hard work. But it's my only job and has made me about 70k income after taxes a year.
Farming massive amounts of land is fucked. Mostly its land owned by original owners who have passed it down. And requires big machinery and stuff. Usually those land owners just rent the land out to someone who farms it. Land ownership is kind of a triggering subject for me. My family owns a lot of land. But they acquired it several generations ago for free. A lot of farmers are fucked in the head around here. Many I know have gone bankrupt despite having the chance of a lifetime.

what's your crop(s) if you don't mind me asking

I'll grow anything. But the climate here doesn't support a lot. Tomatoes, leafy stuff like lettuce and cabbage, herbs, cucumbers, celery, leeks. Whatever grows well it's going to vary a lot by your climate. I try to sell everything that the supermarket sells that fits my climate. Plus some variety. Fresh sells well. I can tell you everything I know and your life will drastically improve. This is 100% viable and I will do it until I can no longer physically do it.

and you just sell all of this at a vegetable stand of some sort?? and you make 70k?

I really want to do this. I was raised on my grandparent's hobby farm of 6 acres and never realized how much money they were making. My grandfather did it until he died recently. I loved working on the farm but I was relegated to mainly bitch labor and didn't learn much. Anything you can share would be great.

Growing beetroot is the most profitable vegetable, they taste pretty great too.

Farmers markets. Plus I've developed a customer base. People and businesses that regularly buy from me. Plus I have chickens and sell eggs. But yes. This nets me 70k a year after expenses

wow, that's sounds nice

american farmers are to be envied. here in europe farming is basically being on wellfare because without EU and gov subsidies most of the farms would go bankrupt within months. only very big farmers can get rich here.

I bought a 5 acre piece of land. And cultivated 3 acres at first and started. At first I lived in a shitty camper trailer and lived with my parents in the winter. I didn't much know what I was doing as my parents were just grain farmers.
Slowly I built greenhouses. And I read a book called the market gardener themarketgardener.com/

And now every year is basically an evolution of the farm. Finding customers was hard at first but as I was a regular at the farmers market, I slowly developed a base. And now that keeps me going. Not sure what else I can tell you. I do everything manually. Except for a rototiller I have. Read that website and or book and you'll learn everything I've learned

>commodity market
your fucked here
>high end market
run by cartels

Also getting into farming a lot of land is crippling. Look at land prices in your area. Then look at the cost of a tractor or two. A combine, or whatever else you need. It's fucking expensive. It's basically impossible to decide you want to become a farmer now. Like farming several hundred acres or more.
I have a friend who is desperately trying. He mortgaged 320 acres and put a mobile home on the land. And now he can't afford to do anything. So he works full time and rents the land out to cover a portion of his mortgage. Plus he needed 50% down for the land mortgage. Not sure what it is in America. The land alone was like 600,000 though this varies a lot by region of course. And he's already in his 40s so he's basically fucked. This problem is only going to get worse in the future. A lot of young people who are children to farmers are moving to cities. So probably selling their land. And it will all be owned by big corps one day. People aren't interested in farming and for good reasons. Hopefully you like the gardening idea as you will at least have food and an income with a small investment