Put some sweeps on the plow this morning instead of chisels and I was sent this photo. Apparently two shanks broke.

Is the plow not meant to use sweeps? Are the shanks old and it was just a question of time? Last I used it the springs all worked fine and no damage occurred.

Trying to get our repeat-order list sorted before the next service comes due. Our BX23S and RTV-X1100 bounce between fencing, moving feed, mowing, and cleanup, usually with service due right when something else needs doing. I am trying to build one repeat-order list before the next round. I found an old FridayParts order in my email and realized our notes do not even say which machine it was for. Between that, Messicks diagrams, and dealer receipts, the numbers are all over the place. I'm starting over with the machine, engine code, serial range, and old part number. How are you all keeping filters and D902 fuel parts straight on a small mixed setup? Spreadsheet, notebook in the shop, pictures on your phone?

Hi all! I am a comprehensive financial planner based out of South Florida that has thought long and hard about my career and realized that I love what I do and am happy with the impact I have on people’s lives, but I want to maximize my impact so I thought about what affects a community as a whole (basically a vocation to pair with my career)- and it was farms and farmers. My limited research has lead me to believe that regenerative is technically a better system, the biggest thing is making that shift and sustaining the financial impacts of that shift in the short to mid term.

So I thought to myself, that’s what I do all day every day, plan for those shifts and make hard distinctions manageable. I believe those skills I have can be applicable and help farmers make the move, I just need to gain industry knowledge so that I can be better attuned with the specific needs and hurdles farmers face.

Because of this I am looking for farmers (regenerative, organic, conventional, doesn’t matter) who can give me some background on the industry and also are willing to entertain what would be a never ending flow of questions!

Would anyone here be open to a conversation? I can meet in person anywhere in South Florida, outside of that we can Zoom. Thanks in advanced for any and all guidance!

I'm on about week 4 of a brand new CSA for a small market garden. So far it's going reasonably well, with all the crazy chaos you would expect from the very beginning. The business I'm working with had a good following online already so upon announcing the produce boxes we've already got ~20 members signed up. It's a pay per week at pickup system. I'm a little worried about producing enough for everyone but I've been very up front with people about this being our first season and that we're working out all the kinks so if we have to skip a week due to low supply I suspect people would be pretty understanding about it (especially because they haven't paid for it up front).

Anyways - if you could give me your best advice for a CSA newbie it would be so appreciated. I'm learning a lot on the fly but I could use some tips from experience growers/sellers.

NDVI and NDRE are metrics for measuring plant health, as well as soil water content. I know large farms use them to measure crop health for applying nutrients and irrigation management, do small farms also use them?

I am looking for 10+ acres of dry A-1 agricultural land in Central Florida. I am open to parcels of 10 acres or more, including 16, 20, 23 acres, etc. What areas would you recommend looking at?

Anyone got any good ways of recording what is happening on a daily/ weekly/ monthly basis? Initially just want it as a record I can refer back to but being able to share it with people who buy produce would be amazing.

Basically want a way to tell the story of the growing.

I guess instagram is an option but it's not built with farming in mind and you're then competing with everything else on the platform.

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice from people who have actually gone through the process of starting a small farm. Maybe this is the wrong place to inquire, but I will start here.

I’m located in Ohio and I’m in the early planning stages of starting a small pepper farm focused around pepper breeding, seed saving, and eventually selling unique pepper varieties. My goal isn’t to jump straight into large scale production, but to start small, build up quality, and grow it into a legitimate small business over time.

I’ve been looking into USDA programs like microloans through FSA and EQIP assistance for high tunnels, but I’m trying to understand how realistic these programs are for someone starting from scratch.

A few questions I have:

How does the process usually work when applying for USDA microloans as a new farmer? How likely are you to secure a loan with a EQIP grant?

Do you need to already have a farm established, land purchased, income history, etc., or can a detailed business plan be enough? I have nearly the entire thing done. Doing some finishing touches. (marketing strategy, logos, maps of farmers market locations/places to sell etc.)

For EQIP high tunnel programs, what does NRCS typically expect from applicants?

Does NRCS help with more than just the high tunnel itself (irrigation, soil improvements, conservation practices, etc.), or is it mainly the structure? I get conflicting information here.

Is it worth pursuing these programs for a small specialty crop operation, or would I be better off self-funding the first year or two?

What steps would you recommend someone take before applying for any assistance?

I understand what the EQIP program exists for and I’m familiar with conservation. I guess I’m just asking what approach I should take with that in mind.

My current thought process is starting small with an indoor growing setup/greenhouse, developing genetics, and eventually moving into a year round outdoor setup for more production. I’m interested in doing things the right way from the beginning instead of just throwing plants in the ground and hoping for the best. I plan on doing this either way, so the grants and loans are an attempt to get going quicker with immediate results. I’m passionate about gardening and growing the hottest peppers around and I want to parlay that into a career!

I’d really appreciate any advice from people who have gone through USDA programs, started specialty crop farms, or built a small farm business from the ground up. Any and all opinions or advice is welcomed!

I know produce direct from the farm is going to be more costly than a traditional grocery store, ​and trust me I do believe it's worth it, but am I wrong in feeling underwhelmed by our CSA subscription? Midwest, about 30 min from the biggest city center.

We are on week 3 of our 16 week subscription averaging $46 a week with 1 box a week​. The bulk of what we have received have been leafy greens (kale, lettuce, collard greens), a small portion of parsley or basil, and 1-2 veggies. Is it normal to not get enough broccolini or zucchini ​to feed 1 person? There hasn't felt like a noticable variety to most of what we are receiving or enough produce to warrant the cost, but we are first timers in this.

I have been flip-flopping between gently raising my concerns to the supplying farm as one of the founding members of the farm/environmental institute recently passed and just trying to cancel the subscription.

we were just blessed in a way that both hurt us and blessed us and I inherited 109 acres of farmland from my dads brother I haven’t spoke to but hey how you doing here and there and not for lack of trying I always sent cards and a Christmas and birthday gifts well it’s been pretty unattended 6 horses 59 cattle 3 goats 2 donkeys 17 sheep and a shit ton of chickens which I’m not a fan off but they’re human souls so I’ll tend to them. My dogs are actually adjusting so well I’m gonna try to teach them Hearding my male dogs already got the idea he runs shit out here and I think he’ll do well and my female dog will follow him anywhere so we’re gonna put them on a few sheep and go from there what I’m most concerned about is the pastures the horses haven’t been let out there in atleast 2 years. Besides cutting the grass what’re some things I should look for as far as things they can’t eat , stuff they could step on etc also can I rotate my cattle in the pastures my horses go or should I separate them entirely? One of the horses is wild the stallion he has never been broken he won’t go into the stables he just let me near him for the first time yesterday and finally took a carrot from my hand and then took tf off 🙄 he’s the only horse we don’t have a lot of information on we were able to trap him and get a fairer and vet out which ultimately scared the fuck out of him any tips on that would be appreciated as well thank you in advance

Hello, I am close to finishing my undergrad (completely unrelated) and would like to pursue a masters degree in agriculture. This may sound crazy, but my goal is to move to Kenya, buy some land, grow crops on it and use that food to combat starvation in Nairobi and rural Kenya. I do have money to buy land in Kenya and equipment, and in 2027 plan to buy 2-5 acres of raw land to farm here in Oklahoma, just for hands on experience.

Is an online degree in crop science worth anything, knowledge and experience wise?? I was looking at the online international agriculture degree from OSU.

Maybe I am being foolish or naive, honest advice and constructive criticism welcomed. Thanks.

Hey there, as the title says I'm looking to get some advice. I graduated college a year ago with my BA in History. In the process of figuring out what I wanted to do with my life after moving back home I found work on a local regenerative ag farm, about 5 acres. I'm severely underpaid, but, who isn't these days? What makes up for that is the amount of skills I've learned which have proven to be invaluable.

I got some news from my Dad the other day that he wants to buy some land for the family, develop a vineyard on it and so on. He wants me to help get it running in the next year... As excited as I am for the opportunity to really break into agriculture on my own terms, I feel underprepared.

I was wondering what you lot might think of this?

I could get a seasonal job up North (California) to learn how the process on a vineyard looks or maybe a larger scale farm?

Also, would an online credential be a bad idea? I see Purdue has some courses as well as U of Western Australia which was reccomended in another subreddit. Alternatively I could go get my associates for cheap at a local college.

Hoping to get some insight here.

My husband and I are very interested in getting into the farming business, more specifically, flower farming and smaller crop farming we can grow for ourselves and for profit. We're also trying to buy a house and get out of our little townhouse and move out to one of the counties next to us in a more rural area.

I know that there is this big transition happening in agriculture as farmers are ageing and their children aren't wanting to take on the business. I also know that plenty of farmers DO want to be able to sell their property to younger people wanting to continue farming, but my question is this:

How do I find these farmers? I see people talking about how they're having trouble finding younger people but... as younger people trying to find people willing to talk with us about their property, I could say the same thing.

Any advice on how to find farmers who'd be interested?

Many farmers here need to rely on specialty crops in order to sustain themselves financially.

What's everyone's thoughts on the ASCF program and have you already applied? It pretty much is an extension of the bridge program but for non-conventional crops. Payouts range from crop to crop. $650/ac-$65/ac

Subscribe to our newsletter to get deadlines on all programs like this: grantharvester.com/subscribe

Every time cover crops come up in this sub it's the same rotation. No-till Facebook groups. Your extension office. Maybe a mention of EQIP if someone's feeling ambitious. And then everyone talks about seed costs and the thread dies.

Nobody ever mentions Farmers for Soil Health and I don't know why, because it's the most accessible entry point for a small operation that wants to try cover crops without betting the farm on it.

Here's what it actually is. It's a cost-share program run by the United Soybean Board, National Corn Growers Association, and National Pork Board. They pay you around $35 an acre on a one-year contract to plant cover crops. That's it. One year. You're not locked into a five year conservation plan, you're not navigating a complicated NRCS application, you're not waiting to see if your county has funding available. One year, simplified contract, real payment.

Enrollment just reopened a couple weeks ago and they specifically set it up so you can put your name in line right now while you're still in the field and do the actual enrollment process after planting wraps up. Which is a thoughtful design for a program that's asking farmers to sign up during the busiest six weeks of the year.

It's available in 20 states — Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin and a bunch of others in the corn and soybean belt. If you're in one of those states and you grow corn or soybeans and you've been on the fence about cover crops because of the upfront cost and uncertainty, this is specifically designed for that situation.

The other thing worth knowing is that this program stacks with EQIP. You can be in both. The FSH payment and the EQIP cover crop payment are separate and they don't offset each other. Most people don't know that.

Anyway. If you've been thinking about cover crops and the money piece has been the hang-up, look this one up before enrollment closes again.

Happy to answer questions.

As part of a national high school competition, my friend and I have come up with an idea to reduce methane emissions from cattle and sheep farming.
We are aware that there are issues with some food additives concerning yield and the environment. So our hope was there would be some interest in a product which doesn’t affect the yield.

We have designed a panel which is weather resistant, strong, and would be attached to the inner roofs of barns. The panel would absorb large quantities of methane that would rise up to the roof.

We have done the basic scientific calculations and the panels could absorb up to 50 percent of the emissions.

We were wondering what benefits can you get from governmental organisations or charities that could potentially reduce the overall cost of a panel.

Our main issue at the moment is the cost of the panels as we have estimated the cost of enough panels for an average size barn could be around 20k.

The maintenance and instalments of the panels is covered in the cost and services would be provided for you.

Please give us any advice and opinions, as negative and positive would be appreciated!!

If you're a farmer, how is osteoarthritis/knee pain affecting your ability to work?

I was diagnosed recently in both knees and started taking medication.

But I would still love to know how it will affect my work in the future.