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  • From: KAKerby AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Farming Advice
  • Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 09:23:48 -0400 (EDT)

Good morning Rebecca.  You've already gotten a number of very good replies.  I'll add or build on a few of them.  We started off much the way you are starting - a new land acquisition, general goals and no experience.  The two things that really made the biggest difference for us was 1) starting with only one project at a time, and 2) surrounding ourselves with mentors to guide our work.  The item we should have started with, and didn't, was to set well-educated, practical goals and then figure out how to meet them.
 
As an example of the above, given your posted interests, I would pick only one of those interests - the pigs, the garden or the laying flock, and focus on that your first year.  You'll have plenty to learn about with just one project.  Any of those can make you a nice profit if you start small, find a mentor doing work with that species that you admire and respect, and then learn as much as you can from them.  All of them have the potential to get much bigger and more involved than you originally realized, hence the need to start with just one and to start small.  Set yourself up with easy goals and then go meet them. 
 
Once you've met them and you feel you've got that operation well underway, THEN start adding additional projects. 
 
Also, even after you've found your mentors, read as much as you can about your chosen project, from as many different authors as you can find (old and new).  Everyone has different notions and experience for what works.  Becoming familiar with all those options can get you going faster than working with just one person, but that one person can help you sort out which of those options are most likely to succeed for your given circumstances.

Best wishes and keep us posted on what you decide!
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
Ruminations - essays on the farming life at frogchorusfarm.com/weblog.html
 
In a message dated 5/19/2011 11:28:54 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, Rebecca.McCormick AT genworth.com writes:
Hello –
 
I have 10 acres and I am very interested in using this land to generate extra income through farming. I have no farming experience what so ever and I would like to begin with a low investment, so I will need to start out with something easy to manage. I live in Central VA (Appomattox) and we have red clay soil . I was thinking about starting out with just a few pigs and maybe some chickens. My husband and I have built 3 raised beds to start with. I would appreciate any ideas, suggestion and good websites and resources that anyone may have found helpful in guiding them when they first started out.
 
Rebecca McCormick
Compliance Coordinator
Genworth Financial
700 Main Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504
Phone: 1-434-948-5775
Fax: 1-434-948-5772
Mailstop 3-037
 
 


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