If you want to start a hobby farm, you probably have a lot of questions about how and where to begin. What do you need to know before you take the next step of buying a hobby farm and beginning to farm? What things should you consider as you move forward?
What It Is and Is Not
Before you decide if you want to start a hobby farm, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Hobby farming means that you are not trying to run a small farm business where your farming products will be a main source of income. And it means that your goal is not total self-sufficiency like a homesteader. However, it is also, how you define it. For instance, you could sell some eggs, or broilers, or vegetables, and still, consider yourself a hobby farmer. But if your primary income is from running your farm, then that is different, you have got a business.
Also, many people who consider themselves hobby farmers have money to spend on livestock, equipment, and buildings. In contrast, homesteaders are often trying to work on a shoestring and spend as little money as possible on investing in their farm.
If you are a small business farmer, then you may invest in the same items as a hobby farmer, but the main difference is that you will expect that investment to come back as you generate income on the farm. A hobby farmer is usually not concerned with getting back their investment and being “in the black.”
