Farmlife: could it be for you? A lot of people approach it as a dream career, but is the reality quite the same? The hard work involved is endless, and you could provide for a lot of animals that take plenty of looking after and don’t make much profit.
So, let’s think about the possibility. Maybe you’ve just moved to the country and have a plan to make use of all the new space? Or perhaps you’re getting a little tired of city life and feel a change of pace could be good for your health? Running a farm is super busy, but it’s certainly a lot more hands-on and cardio pumping than anything you’ll do behind a desk!
How Much Space Do You Have?
This is the first worry to think about. How many fields can you put to work for plant production? And after you’ve planted, how much yield are you likely to get? After all, this number can be much lower than your initial input.
So even in a medium size space, your overall profit could still end up small. Plan to use the space you’ve got efficiently; would it be better to keep animals there, or to section out for small crop use for local stores?
The Hours Tend to Be Unforgiving
The farm life has a punishing schedule. No longer can you sleep in past dawn – you need to get up with the sun (and sometimes just before!) to make sure the animals are fed and watered, and the machines kick in on time to perform tasks like milk production or egg counting for you.
It’ll also be hard to sleep in if you try, even when you’ve got machinery like this chugging away on an automated schedule. Some animals are very noisy, and the low drone of working sheds is hard to snooze through!
You May Need More Tech Than You First Thought
A modern farm has a lot of tech power, from combine machines to comb and sew the fields to stockpile systems that count the amount of hay, seed, or other products you’ve got in storage.
But your tech considerations won’t end there. You may also need supplementary systems, like air cannons for use inside silos or drones that can water far side crops for you. These will all be a heavy investment, even when you buy second hand or at auction.
What Does the Industry Look Like Right Now?
The current farming industry looks quite different to how it did 20 years ago. If you’re working within the UK, trading issues in and outside of the EU can make it hard to shift farm products entirely. So this is the very first thing to research before you move into a farming career. Where will you be working? And from there, how hard will it be to transport what you’ve farmed?
With proper understanding, setting up a farm/smallholding could be the perfect start to a creative career.