Investing in Farmland

[Tierra Carter]

Hello, My husband and I both grew up on large farming/ranching operations and we have also spent 5 years managing large numbers of cattle on large, corporate owned operations in Florida and Texas. With land prices so high and agricultural operations being so capital intensive, we see a large shift towards more corporate farms and less family owned farms. We would like to move out on our own and give our kids the opportunities for this lifestyle that we had. We have a vision of entering the market place as a small, family owned operation focused on regenerative practices and a direct to consumer model. This would be centered around a model of offering quality products such as eggs, meat chickens, beef, and produce. We realize that bringing in an investor may be our best option to help us in our vision. I am curious if anyone on bigger pockets has invested in a similar farming structure and what strategies helped them achieve it? Thanks in advance. 

[Henry Clark]

@Tierra Carter

My mare is San Pepe Badger bloodline.  Trained her "sacking" her out, she has never bucked, even training her. I've only trained two horses in my life.  "Small"

130 yearling heifers/steers on grass during the summer and then sell or run through the feedlot.  "Small"

35 head of Mama cows year round.  "Small"

If my bull got pinkeye, I would walk out into the pasture with two ropes and tie him down on foot, to give him an LA 200 shot. "Stupid"

Paid my way thru two years of college raising peppers.  "Hard Work"

Truck farmed in high school selling green onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, peppers, you name it.  "Hard Work"

Have cursed God, when I had 1,000 bales of "perfect" hay bales that I picked up by myself with a pickup, till 3 am in the morning till I was all sweated out and could barely stand.  Told him to not let it rain, even though a huge rain storm was coming at me, and I had to work the next day. "He won"

Have pulled a calve in the middle of a pouring rain storm trying to save the mom. "Didn't happen"

Middle of a ice/snow storm, brought a newborn calf, not "licked" off into our mud room so it would not freeze to death. "Foot was frozen"

We have an all Brick house thus you can't hear much outside.  Heard something over in the barnyard and went to check.  My 2,200 pound bull had gotten his head stuck in  a car tire.  I always put our mineral blocks in tires so they don't push them around so much, or under the fence.  He had pushed the tire, licking the block until it popped over his head.  He is polled.  He was done bucking and had all four legs stretched out in a stance waiting for the boogey man to get off him.  Slobber running down his mouth.  Had to figure out how to get it off.  Should I get my chainsaw and cut it off?  Should I use a hacksaw? Should I walk in front of him and put my Knee on his head and try to pull it off?  "Stupid".

I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear.  Its worthless, unless you know the person who it is coming from.

Looked back through your posts.  Your searching for a solution.  Don't buy Farm Ground.  Stop looking for "Solutions", look for goals.  The solution will follow.  Sounds like a Grass Hopper saying.

 Action (Process Improvement Manager background):

1.  Set down with some sticky notes and write out all of your aspirations, one per each.  Both you and your husband.  Put together about 20 items.  Sort them into about 5 major categories.  And an "Other" bucket.

2.  Then weight the categories/aspirations.

3.  Put a timetable and definable goals together to achieve your top 1-3 goals. These are all goals, and not exclusive. Live on a farm. Become financially independent. Live in a big or small town. Save the World or a portion. Get into REI. Leave a family legacy., Etc.

After you have done that, let me know.  I'll suggest some avenues to go down.  Luckily there are already companies in your area to pattern after, just have a different product.

a. You want to get into REI, and be a stay at home Mom. Achieve Financial Independence. Your in a great location.

b.  Save the World or a portion.  Your in an unusual place with the right resources, take advantage of it.  Be a $500mm company in 20 years. Plus you want the Farm/Ranch life, that's tough. But we can try.

c.  Live the country life.  Tomorrow.

d.  Etc.

Just contact me when or if you get done.