In the text below we explain all the barriers for the new farmers and how much money do you need to start a farming business. You can read how much capital this kind of business requires.
When I say become a farmer I mean about all the people out there who wants to become a full-time farmer without the family farm or some kind of farming background. So if you want to grow something for example in Iowa continue reading this article.
First of all, you need to become a farmer on paper, in other words, you need on average $70,000 to pay scholarship, and get a degree in agriculture because you cannot learn from your family (presume they are not farmers, and you have not got the family farm).
The agriculture degree is very important for banks when you come to them to loan money for creating a farm. Even the landlords are asking for a degree when they leasing cropland.
Now we have arrived at the farm equipment, and what machines you need to become a decent farmer. You can choose from brand new and used equipment (from 5 to 10 years old).
The primary list of equipment must include:
• A combine with corn head and grain platform for $175,000
• A big tractor for plowing and planting at 125K
• A grain truck for 60K
• A planter that runs about 75K
• A grain drill for 40K
• A disk at around 30K
• A chisel-plow for 30K
• A field cultivator at 25K
• A pull-type sprayer costs 35K
• A grain dryer is 30K
• A utility tractor for brush-hogging/ditching/grading at 35K
• A grain cart for 15K
• A trailer at around 15K
• An ATV for 10K
• A full complement of tools costs 15K.
In total, we have $715,000 in farmer’s equipment.
You need the specific buildings for farming, for example, a few metal buildings ($200,000) and a few storage buildings, where you can save and hold your entire crop, are $75,000. And the most important and this every farmer will tell you, if you want to make a profit you will need at least 500 owned acres and 1,000 leased acres to make a profit.
In numbers it looks like this: if the land acre is $7,500, and you bought 500 acres as a base of operations, the total land cost would be $3,750,000.
So far, we arrived at $4,810,000 for starting a farming business. Now we need money for planting the first crop and all operations that follows first growing season. Depending which plant you are growing, for the first 6 months you will need at least $25,000.
In the end, we came with the number of $5,157,500 and this is a large sum of money you will agree with us. Even when you have your land and your equipment this business is very expensive.
You are wrong if you think that the start-up capital is the main worry for the farmers that are just the beginning because you need to survive and save the crop every season. And if you want to stay at the top of the farmer`s game you need to be an expert in finances.
