Small Farmers Face Challenges & Seek Advice
Multiple posts highlight the difficulties faced by small-scale farmers, including bird damage, fire incidents, fertilizer costs, and land access. The community actively seeks advice, solutions, and support regarding these operational and financial hurdles.
SOURCES (16)
“I am moving my family from california to north carolina for a new job and my wife is looking to get into hobby farming since she won't need to work anymore. She wants to start with a few chickens to see if she like it.…”
“Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice/guidance here. I want to know if there’s any way to own/co-own an animal at a nearby farm. I’m interested in learning more about the husbandry and care of livestock, and while I have some experience, I don’t know if i have enough to confidently buy my own animal. I have 1 more year left in college before I’ll be moving out of state. I guess i’m looking for something like a 4H for adults. I do have a little money saved up so maybe I could buy an animal, sp”
“To anyone who commented on my last post here, thanks for the tips on predator protection. Electric wire was a bit out of budget, so I improvised with some tips in mind. Hoping the rubber flaps and a couple box traps will keep these safe from predators 🤞 submitted by /u/PicksburghStillers [link] [comments]”
“Drew up some plans for a chicken tractor while laying in bed this morning. Followed the initial plans 95% but had to make a couple changes due to unforeseen details. All that is left to do is to put on the metal roof portion, and to attach ropes for ease of movement. I am concerned that predators may be able to wiggle/dig under the sides if it isn’t sitting on a perfectly flat spot. Does anyone have any good tips to stop predators from being able to go under the sides? submitted by /”
“Hard to see, but looks like a lot are drones. During a dearth/weather, they may kick them out, could be it. Could be forergers getting into pesticide. Could be mite/virus load.”
“My chickens are messy and splatter their feed everywhere. I see the crows getting their snacks from the coop. I’ve also seen crows chase hawks away from my yard. They don’t want something messing with their snacks.”
“And if so, what are you doing to be sustainable? We use cover crops and reduced tillage. Waiting for electric tractors to be realistic options for us and our operation..”
“This was a point I was going to make about this particular grant. (Especially compared to something simpler like SARE). I just recently dealt with a couple of small farms looking at the VAPG, and I certainly had to call Rural Development to understand what was involved. I think someone who has a good idea for a value added product could benefit from this grant. But they pretty much have to start with the planning grant. For the larger grant, grant reviewers are expecting that the applicant has a”
“I’m a software engineer learning about drones! I’m looking on building my own drone to help farmers analyze their fields, not spray pesticides. I have no clue where to even start with getting in contact with farmers in NC and learning how I can help them. Could any farmers tell me what drone field analysis services would be useful for a small independent farm in the US? submitted by”
“I'm close friends with a local farmer who does strawberry farming on a small scale (like only sells at his little stand) and he's always had a problem with birds eating the seeds off of the strawberries he has. He runs a Upick and sells his own strawberries and he used to hire a guy to scare off birds but labor is super expensive now so like he just let the birds do their thing. But now it's a huge issue, and I'm pretty into engineering and thought it would be c”
“I asked this in the homesteading group but thought this group might be more helpful— How did you find and pay for your land if you are lower income ? We are trying to find 5-10 acres to build a home and start our farm back up and money is a huge obstacle for us, hoping to hear some advice and creative solutions.”
“I'm a robotics student in the US and I'm looking to partner with an organic farmer to build a weeding robot. Is this something organic farmers would be interested in? If you let me test it on your farm (I can come to you) you can keep it. submitted by /u/young-money4L [link] [comments]”
“r/farming wont let me post the question because i dont have "karma", or what have you, in that community. I'm looking for a crop farm in the south eastern states thats, at most, by a small town. Google is useless as far as i can figure, and i dont have the resources just yet, to head down from Pa just to scout it out. Desperately want to live in the south again, out of the rust belt, away from any cities, but not so far away from Pa that”
“Hi, I’m Russell and I have a small farm. I’m seriously questioning, Why on earth I decided to have a farm. I incubated a bunch of eggs this year and can’t sell a single chick. I bought a ton of goat milk at a really good price and I can’t turn it over. I’m a software engineer who got fed up with farm tools built by people who’ve never touched a goat. So I built my own while raising Nigerian Dwarfs, hatching chicks, and selling eggs from a farm stand. It’s called Mind the Farm. Still early but it”