How to Become a Farmer? only In 3-Simple Steps

Farming is essential to human civilization and development. We have been able to prosper more in comparison to all the other organisms on earth 🌍 because we settled down and started farming to make our food.

Farmers are still prominently practicing their methods and skills to cultivate crops and earn up to $37,838 per year. 💰 This might not be a lot, but they get support from the government as well.

Farming is a task that requires plenty of hard work, and if you are dedicated to becoming a farmer, I hope this article will answer all of your questions. ❓

Question and Answer

If you are uncertain about becoming a farmer and feel like you have some doubts that need to be cleared for you to make a set decision, I am here to help.

Answer the questions given below as honestly as you can.

Do you have a specific goal as a farmer?
Do you know what type of farming you want to engage in?
Do you know enough about the techniques?
Are you willing to be disappointed by the results and then try again?
Do you know how you will market your products?
Will you be able to adapt to changing circumstances?

Step 1: Knowledge

Who is a Farmer?

I think everyone knows who a farmer is. We can confidently say that farming was one of the earliest professions in the past. Other than hunting and gathering, humanity settled down to cultivate their food. This gave way to human civilizations. 🧑‍🌾

So, simply speaking, a farmer is someone who owns a farm and grows crops and other forms of produce on it. 🥚 🐔 🌱They are people who are engaged in what we call agriculture, and what we eat comes from what farmers give us.

There are a lot of different types of farmers depending on what they manage as produce, and all of them have to work very hard to make food for us.

Types of Farmers

There are different types of farmers because of the different types of produce they make. Take your time to understand the types, as this will be important to understand for your career. ⏲️

Dairy Farmer

Who they are: Dairy farming, which is also known as dairying, is a type of farming in which the production of dairy products, breeding, and raising of dairy animals are done.

What they do: They either have goats using which the production of goat milk can be done. Sheep milk can be commonly used for cheese production.

Commercial Farmer

Who they are: In this type of farming, the farmers raise livestock and sell these as products in the market to make a profit.

What they do: In commercial farming, crops are in high demand; crops need to be exported to other countries or used as raw material in the industries that are mainly produced in this farming.

Plantation Farmer

Who they are: Plantation farming is a type of farming in which commercial crops or a single crop, like tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, etc., are grown.

What they do: The features of this farming are scientific methods of cultivation, large capital investment and cheap labor, and large-scale estates or plantations.

Small farming

Who they are: In this type of farming, less than 2 hectares of farmland are used for agriculture. It is also referred to as marginal farming.

What they do: Market gardening is an example of small farming; a market garden can include fruits, Vegetables, livestock, and even flowers.

Roles and Responsibility

Farming is a very noble job that has its own set of responsibilities.

Livestock management

What they do: They are responsible for taking care of their cattle properly. Their duties include feeding and sheltering the animals.
Why: Healthy livestock means the by-products are going to be of good quality.

Disease Control

What they do: They have to ensure that they follow all sorts of disease prevention methods for both livestock and crops.
Why: They do so to ensure no disease-carrying product is sold and spread in the consumer market.

Environmental conservation

What they do: Sustainable and environment-friendly practices are undertaken by farmers.
Why: Both of these processes are good for the environment. Farmers also have to look out for their responsibilities of environmental safeguarding.

Expert Skill Sets to be a Farmer

A farmer needs to have some very good skills in order to become more successful.

Long-term planning – You need to have good planning skills because farming is a job that takes time and effort and requires you to know what you want as a long-term goal.
Agricultural knowledge – You need to know enough about agriculture and various techniques related to it.
Mechanical skills – You need to be good with machines because you will be using a lot of different equipment while working.
Soil management – Soil management is important because soil is what will help your plants grow. So, you need to know enough about soil analysis and testing.

How much can a Farmer expert earn?

Farmers don’t run that much in comparison to the other jobs in the world right now. 😞 This is quite ironic, considering forming is the most important and oldest profession of them all.

We tried asking about 1500 farmers about their salaries, and according to our statistics, the average farmer in the United States earns about $37,838 per year. These statistics are up to date and contain records collected in August 2023. 💰

The hourly rates for a farmer are $17.43 per hour. ⌛ If you want to earn more profit, you should try considering working in Tucson, New York, and Carolton, where farmers earn up to $57,000 per year.

Some companies provide support as well as permanent jobs to farmers, such as the Acacia Network, which offers $48,104 per year.

Scope of Farmer

The beginning of the 21st century saw a decrease in the number of farmers in the US only because the previous sanctuary was more labor- and farming-intensive.

This decrease does not mean that there are fewer farms in the US right now. According to stats published by the US Department of Agriculture, there has only been a marginal decrease between the years 2000 and 2022.

Stats published by another source tell us that there are about 2 million farms in the US right now, and 98% of these are operated by families. The industry is worth $140 billion, and 1 US farm feeds around 166 people annually in the US.

Step 2: Skill

Top Global Programs

There are a lot of farming schools or programs dedicated especially to this career. But the ones that are there and are operating are amongst the best.

The quality of education at this place is commendable, and students learn theory with practice.

University of California

What it provides: This university offers a wide range of courses, including majors in various fields of agriculture sciences, viticulture, plant sciences, and environmental education. 🌏

What you will learn: It has state-of-the-art research facilities, which include various stations and research centers where agricultural experiments take place, which further helps to contribute to advancements in agriculture technology and the production of crops. 🧑‍🌾

Cornell University

What it provides: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a part of Cornell University which offers various courses for those who are interested in crop production and farming sciences.

What you will learn: This university is renowned for its contribution to the research of genetics, plant breeding techniques, and innovation in new ways of farming practices. 🌱

It also has an International Agriculture and Development (IARD) Program which helps address and help solve global agricultural and food challenges among students.

Iowa State University

What it provides: The courses offered here have majors on the topics of agronomy, horticulture, viticulture, and animal and food science.

What you will learn: Many research projects can be joined at this university in the fields of crop genetics, animal health, and various farming techniques. Its outreach program provides educational resources to help farmers keep up with the modern trends of farming.

Texas A&M University

What it provides: Its undergraduate program has 15 departments from where the students can select their majors and minors according to their own needs, such as entomology, horticulture, nutrition, poultry science, agribusiness, fisheries,

What you will learn: It is a research-based university where the students are allowed to research and write a thesis if they want to.

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)

What it provides: It has an undergraduate course named B.Sc. (Hons) Agriculture, where the student can learn various farming techniques via practical training.

What you will learn: They teach by visiting different farms and research stations related to crop production, soil science, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, horticulture, and agricultural engineering. 🌵

Free Resources

Challenges of Agribusiness Management (Using Audit)

What it offers: This course, provided by Coursera, can be learned for free using the audit option, in which you will get access to all of the course material. It has been divided into 5 modules, which are going to help you understand more about agri-business management.

What you will learn: You will learn all about global agribusinesses, innovation in agribusinesses, challenges of the global agro system, and sustainability in agro-businesses.

Climate Change and Resilience in Food Systems

What it offers: This course is provided by another online educational program called Future Learn. The course has a duration of two weeks.

What you will learn: You will be learning about topics such as the effects of climate change on agriculture and food systems and changing food consumption patterns in Zambia. The course also aims to teach students using modeling and scenario building.

Transformation of the Global Food System (Using audit)

What it offers: The course has been divided into six modules, which cover topics related to the transformation of the global food system. You will be able to finish this course in about three weeks if you follow the schedule properly.

What you will learn: This course will help you learn more about the global food system and more topics such as sustainable trajectories, sustainable transformations of the global food system, reduced food loss and waste, and better access to food in general.

Step 3: Job

You will have a lot of offline resources to sort out when you start looking for jobs as a Farmer. As for online resources, you have three️⃣ main options.

AGCareers

Overview – You will be able to find more jobs in the agricultural sector using more specific filters.
Highlight – This site was made with agricultural jobs in mind. It is made specifically for farmers and other people employed in this sector, which will make your job easier.
Website – AGCareers

FarmingWork

Overview – This site is also made especially for people who want to pursue a career in farming.
Highlight – As soon as you finish making an account on this site, you will be able to find the right job according to your preferences.
Website – FarmingWork

USA Farm Labour

Overview – This is another site that can help you find helping jobs in the farming business. It will also help if you are a farmer looking for more labor help.
Highlight – You will have to check your eligibility on the platform first, after which you will get access to all of the resources on the site.
Website – USA Farm Labour

In conclusion

Farming is a noble profession simply because of the fact that it has always fed and helped others. We won’t have food if, one day, all farmers decide to stop working. 🥔

This is why it is important that you realize the value of this profession and work long and hard to become a good farmer. 😁

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me in the comments section below. 😀