Wannabe Farmer

[Ochretis]

Hey everyone,

Start at the bolded below if you wish to skip the lengthy background for the portion where advice is needed:

I’ve been wanting to post for a while now, but I just felt embarrassed to do so because I’ve always been a firm believer in just researching on your own and self-teaching. However the deeper I dig, the more questions that pop up and the more I’ve come to realize how important asking for help is in any sort of farming endeavor. Ever since I was young I always dreamed of owning a farm, favoring friends who lived out on farms so I could learn more and always excited to visit my grandparents on theirs’. Unfortunately as I got older that dream became just that, a dream that would never happen.



I focused on my love for animals and pursued a degree in zoology even took some agriculture classes during my undergrad. When I first attended college I actually wanted to have a career in Primatology. I volunteered at a zoo, humane society, and even a vet for some time just gaining as much experience with animals as I could. I’ve always had trouble deciding on where to go in my career path, the only sure thing in my mind was I want to be able to afford raising a family and not have to worry about money as much as my parents did. That reason is a big part of why I am down the career path I am now.



I’m currently on my 4th year as a Microbiologist in a laboratory, and I’ve been a lab chemist for a year before that. Neither of these jobs is where I ever would have pictured myself, but with my degree and want to try and earn a decent wage it’s where I ended up. Unfortunately these last few years I’ve felt the strain of my decision to go this route. It’s all about the money and even that doesn’t seem to be enough in this day and age, as the responsibilities become larger and more expensive my seemingly decent paying job becomes a job I despise and still not enough to support a family on my own.



These feelings of spite towards my job has just built up over the years and I’ve found myself escaping to my dream. An ideal that I’m fully aware might be with rose-tinted glasses. I get excited to research and plan this farming business in my spare time. I’ve tweaked it multiple times, written up business proposals, and never stop thinking about it. I’ve read so many articles about “taking the leap” and successes and failures, fears and excitements. I want to believe in my dream and that it can become a reality, however I’m also a realist and know there is so many things that can go wrong in an agricultural business.



I have started to reach out to other farmer’s that pertain to aspects I want to gain hands on experience in, but most places seem to want full time volunteers or interns and with my full time job I can only offer weekends to try soak up their valuable knowledge. I think this is a must for me because as much as I *think* I want this I need to know that I can handle the hard work that goes with these aspects. Sure I took care of goats and chickens for a few months during my zoo volunteering, but that’s nothing like a real farm. Even though my logical side knows there is going to be really bad days on a farm, I still can’t stop from dreaming about it.



My fiancee on the other hand......she is not about that life. She doesn’t want to crush my dreams but she’s strongly voiced her concerns with a rural lifestyle. She doesn’t want to be so far from a hospital in case something really serious happens. She doesn’t want our kids to be so far away from other kids and get into poor schools because of a rural location. She’s afraid by being far away from other people like in a suburban neighborhood that we are more prone to robberies/ in her words “Axe murderers in the woods”. She hates how dark farm roads get with no streetlights. She definitely would not help me much on the farm aside from maybe the gardening aspects. Convincing her feels like it will be an impossible feat itself. She’s even tried convincing me to try and start a farm that’s not too far from a suburb and I just commute to it, but I plan on raising livestock and I know that’s impossible even if it’s only a 20 min drive, I realize how important it is that you be right there in case something happens to one of your animals.



The vice president of my lab actually owns a horse farm and she was telling me about how they only live 7 mins from a hospital and 8mins from the schools and it brought hope back to me that maybe if I find a place close enough that I still have a chance that my dream can become a reality.



Start here if you wish to skip the lengthy background:



Now the real reason I am reaching out to you guys here on this board. I want to ask more experienced individuals, how realistic is my plan really? Obviously I still have a lot of research to do and like I said need that hands on experience with those dealing in my interests but I just need some other opinions on if I’m living in a fantasy land or if with hardwork and a lot of planning can happen. Keep in mind I live in the midwest and now have a master’s in computer science.



This is a 20 year long plan and here are the highlights:

• Starting with a Shrimp Farm as the main source of income for the farm.
• Proving successful, expand the shrimp farm and quit main job, only taking contract programming work to supplement income when needed. At this point I would also be growing gourmet mushrooms.
• Expand to raising Camels and Yaks as livestock and for dairy/fiber.
• Add alpacas, sheep and goats in addition to the dairy and fiber business (yes I realize this means different species of sheep and goat if I plan to undertake both the fiber and dairy side of things)
• Open up a building for guest housing for farmhands/volunteers/agritourism stays as well as attach a workshop building for people to teach skills/crafts as well a storefront to sell goods made from the farm.
• The last part of my plan is the most unrealistic is to open a small “wildlife adventure” type area. I absolutely love going to see these types of places, though many do not treat their animals well as they try and host far to many animals for the space they have. I’m not talking a huge drive through area. I’m talking more about like a Zoo building with Indoor/outdoor enclosures, educating tourists about the importance of wildlife and the threat of extinction of many species. More like a primate sanctuary for primates that need homes from bad situations in the US, but also possibly incorporating some farm animals to bring that petting zoo feeling too.

I realize this is a lot and would definitely need hired help when the expansions start, but I want to believe that it’s not in the realm of impossible. I think tapping into so many different markets may be difficult but as my farm’s reputation would grow so too would my connections with the ag world. Any constructive criticism, advice, tips, or suggestions are extremely appreciated. Thank you for listening to my story and giving me time out of your busy day.



Cheers,



C.J.

 

[Baymule]

Grab your dream and don't let go. Buy the land, with or without a house, you can always build or buy a mobile home. Continue to work your job so you can pay for it. Research raising shrimp until you are cross eyed. Examine your market and where would you sell them? Would you need a freezer to freeze them after harvest? What about transport? Insurance? Would you have breeder stock or buy young to raise off?

You fiancee is against farm life.....that is an issue. Raising a big garden and canning the produce is part of farm life. Providing good food for the family is a source of pride. Being a part of whatever is going on, being your partner is vital. If she freaks out at dirt on her shoe, how is she going to react if she steps in manure? You have your work cut out for you.

What state do you live in? Some states make it VERY hard to open a dairy. It is expensive to set up a dairy. You would have to have a speciality product, yak cheese might fit that description. LOL

You are describing a lot of different things. That might lead to scattering yourself too thin and not enough time to do them all well. Better to concentrate on one or a few things, master it, make money to support the farm.

The guest housing in a good idea. Putting it on Air B&B is a good idea too.

A hobby farm is a fine start. Even if you never make enough to quit your job, your life will be much better and happier because you have your dream farm.

 

[Finnie]

Baymule has given you some good advice. I’m impressed with how well she has been able to combine encouragement with moderation.

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents about how your fiancée fits in these plans. The way you describe it, the two are incompatible. Now maybe there’s more to it than what you’ve said. But it sounds like she’s not on board with most of these ideas. To have a successful marriage and life together, you both have to be on the same page, working towards the same goal. Have each other’s backs. If you are purposely planning a future for yourself that you know she will hate, then you may need to re-evaluate whether you care about what’s best for her and for your relationship. It’s good that you are considering all these things in advance.

It is good to have dreams. Hopefully the two of you can find a common dream.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

Welcome I like all your ideas but I agree with Baymule and focus on a couple things first. Who knows what can happen; you could fall in love with what you're doing; you could decide to try something else; no matter what you do, it's only a reality if you take the steps to get there.

 

[Ochretis]

Thank you guys for your honest opinions, I truly appreciate it.

I definitely realize my ideal farm incorporates a lot of different areas which is why I was planning for it to take around 20 years for it all to fall into place, starting small with the shrimp farm and adding those other avenues as things get comfortable, and of course hiring farm hands when the work becomes too much. But as I feared and you guys said it is still a lot of different things to try, and I suppose there's no sense in planning for 20 years until I actually just get started and see how the first thing goes before planning the next. Can't fly before we walk~

As for my fiancee, that is my biggest hurdle honestly. I've read many stories about reluctant spouses and the like, but I hope that a compromise can be met between us. I know she has a lot of fears towards the lifestyle but if I can find a place like the vice president of my lab where things aren't so far, that she will hear me out. We're huge on communication and she listens to all my crazy plans as they progress and knows how excited and happy I get when I tell her, but I also respect her fears and would never just ignore them without first trying to assuage them.

I don't believe she has to be super into the farm life like me, but rather I just need her support. Once the work becomes too much for me to handle I intend to hire farm hands/try and get volunteers on hand when needed. I do not wish to build a future she will hate, but I also do not wish to live in a future I hate either. It hurts her to see me how I am now, she can tell how unhappy I am with my day-to-day, that my spark and love of life has dimmed out over the years. Which is why she enjoys seeing me research and plan about something that does bring that spark back.

I know it will be rough but I appreciate the encouragement and I will continue on my research and talking with her to try and make this dream a reality!

Cheers,

C.J.

 

[Mini Horses]

As for my fiancee, that is my biggest hurdle honestly.

Correct. As well as the hardest one to resolve. Divorce is costly. Emotionally & financially. Blunt but true.

I agree with the others -- and you. A lot of expansion, can't rush it but, need to start it. So, have you TAKEN her with you to visit and even participate in some of these ventures? Hands on reality may be a deciding factor in which way you both can grow. You can both assess the pro/con of location, work, methods, time, dirt -- yep, dirt! Then you can both make a decision as to the involvement each can and wants to tolerate &/or participate in. This is extremely critical and a big part of why you are here asking.

Research the shrimp. Look for a farm to visit. Research the market because you WILL need a market.

Personally, I see the relationship between you two being one that must be solidified before you can move forward. She's in or not. THAT will be a major factor for your life. Then you can decide if your dream life can be a reality, your own farm, or be a job for another in which you grow or partner strictly as a "job".... which you will enjoy more than the current one....but, from which you will be able to go home to wife, kids & maybe a few acres with animals. A compromise? We all have them.


By the way -- Welcome to the forum!

 

[Baymule]

Please stay in touch with us. I was a member here for 5 years before we moved to our 8 acres. During that time, I learned a LOT. I was able to study the forums, ask questions and had a better idea of what I wanted. You will be our first shrimp farmer! You might start an avalanche of fellow shrimp farmers here, LOL. Would you use ponds or cement tanks? I once considered it myself, but there was no internet to study, information was limited and I never acted on it. You could even start a thread and title it Shrimp Farming and post what you learn as you prepare. Sometimes it helps to put your ideas to print, thinking out loud, so to speak. Ideas change along the way as you learn more.