Many folks have contacted us about wanting to start a farm. People are interested in assistance in business planning, finding land, becoming an apprentice, and working on other farms to obtain hands-on training. That was one of the reasons that Florida FarmLink was created!
Staring your own farm is an exciting task. You get to set up the operation, make the decisions and reap the rewards. However, as you are probably already experiencing, there are many overwhelming aspects that much be addressed before the first seed even hits the ground. You need to at least have a plan for your whole business of farming – not just the growing aspects!
The first stop for folks interested in starting a farm should be the University of Florida/IFAS Extension Small Farms site. This is a valuable clearinghouse of information on starting a farm business, from business planning, production, food safety, and much more. Once you have filled up on information through the Small Farms site, Florida FarmLink is the perfect place to find the tangibles to put your plan into action.
Ways Florida FarmLink can help you start your farm:
- Connect with resources to help you finish a business plan or obtain funding
- Find land to farm on that matches your business plan and marketing strategy
- Find workers or partners to launch your business
- Find local farms that are willing to have apprentices learn there
- Once you get a handle on the growing aspects, find a restaurant or store that would like to have someone grow for them under contract
- Find local consumers that want to be in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program
- Look for tractors, tools, and other machinery, supplies, and suppliers in your area
- Find dealers, resellers, or private sales and contractors that install greenhouses, steel buildings, or do basic construction for farm buildings
- Connect with others around the state that have similar business concepts to share ideas through the Florida FarmLink Google Group
- Keep posting your needs and offerings to help promote local food connections!
Florida FarmLink is a great way to put a well-planned strategy into action by reaching out to others that have what you need. Networking is common in the information age, but often what business people need is something specific, and they need it yesterday! We want this to be the place that those needs can be met to help local businesses thrive by putting ideas into action.