Most Farmers Try to Do This Alone. That's the Problem.
There's a version of farming where you figure everything out yourself.
No outside help. No programs. No community. Just you, your animals, and your stubbornness.
I know that version well. I lived it longer than I should have.
The problem is it's slow. It's expensive. And completely unnecessary.
When we were getting Longbottom Farm going, we had a neighbor who let us cut his 17 acres of grass in exchange for the hay. That one relationship saved us real money and real time in those early years (and still does today).
It didn't come from a program or a grant application. It came from showing up, being a decent neighbor, and paying attention to what people around us needed.
That's just one example. There's a whole layer of resources most farmers never touch. USDA cost-share programs, EQIP, soil and water conservation programs, and grants you've already paid into through your taxes. Most farmers don't apply because they don't know these things exist.
Module 3 of the Part-Time Farmer Playbook is live this week. It covers all of it - neighbor relationships, community, grants, the co-op model, and how we've used each of these at Longbottom Farm over the years.
It's about 15 minutes. Free with no upsell to other courses.
One honest note before you watch: some of this won't apply to your specific situation. Your area, your operation, your neighbors - it's all different. But most of it will. And knowing what's available is the first step to actually using it.
Module 4 drops next week. It's one I added to the series because I realized we were about to jump into revenue and pricing without covering something more important first which is protecting what you're building legally and financially. LLC, insurance, business banking.
The stuff nobody makes a YouTube video about because it's not exciting. But it matters more than most of what I'll cover in this series.
More on that next week.
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