Old McDonald Wants a Farm: How to Buy a Farm

For some people the dream of buying a farm is a lifelong one: they play with toy animals and talk crops as soon as they can speak. They join FFA or other clubs and dream of nothing but soil and fertilizers. The moment they can do it, they buy a farm and live all their lives happy as well, a pig in the mud.

Other people do not have the farming urge until after the retire from the button down, urban world. They dedicate their lives to mergers and buyouts and making money. Then they retire and suddenly they long for something more, something a little closer to the earth. They want to get their hands dirty, they want to sweat from real, honest, hard work. Buying a farm might seem strange to their high class friends, but that is what they want to do.

The first step to buying a farm is deciding on the type of farm you would like to have. Farming means different things to different people- do you want a gentleman's garden type farm or a real dyed in the wool farm? Will you plan to earn money from this farming venture, or will this be merely a hobby? What crops will you plant, or will you raise animals, possibly both? Once these questions have been answered, then you will have an idea of the area that you will need to look for your potential farm.

After these decisions have been made, then go to the area that would best suit the size and type of your farm and have an honest look around. You do not have to drive there- look at the area online to get a basic feel for the type of area. If you have children, what are the schools like? What is the shopping or other amenities like in the area? Will you relish the quiet or will you need to be within driving distance to more exciting climes every now and again?

If everything seems to be okay, make initial contact with a real estate agent that specializes in finding farms. Make the agent your best friend. If you are looking at several locations, try to have one agent for each area and keep all notes and information separate. When you get some prospective places, have the agent send you pictures, diagrams or whatever else might be helpful before making a trip to see the place. Make sure that you have jotted down every question that pops into your head and do not make an offer until all questions have been answered to your satisfaction. If the farm is currently in use, check out the conditions of the crops or animals that are there- do they seem healthy and thriving or are there problems? If the crops do not look good, then ask questions of the current owner. If you are truly a novice, do not assume that you can rehab a poorly producing farm- even a pro could fail at that. Soil goes bad, or climates change, and if you do not know your farming well enough you could spend countless hours and untold money at a losing proposition.

Buying a farm can be a daunting, thankless task, but it can also be for some people, a dream come true.