Industrial farmers can make great profits, but farming has its challenges. You won’t be able to earn money if you don’t know how to get rid of problems like pests and weeds.
Your farming business can become easier to manage if you have the right knowledge. Are you starting out as a farmer and don’t know how to get the proper information about farming? Don’t worry. Keep reading this blog to get twelve actionable tips on how to get success as a farmer.
1. Start with a plan
Farming without planning can never help you make profits. As a farmer, you need the “feasibility report” of what crop you plan to grow and how it can be profitable for you. Try to create a simple yet detailed plan on how you want to grow a specific crop.
It’s necessary to list all the challenges you will face and what is the potential of making profits in your farming plan. If possible, try to link up with a crop expert in your area so you can develop an actionable plan without spending a ton of time.
2. Use tech tools
Farmers used to rely on “pen and paper” in the past. But it’s not necessary to rely on traditional record-keeping practices in this age. You can use tech tools to ensure that you gather data properly and can use it to draw valuable insights.
Scouting the fields, checking the weather, and communicating with team members have also become easier with tech tools. For example, if you are a corn farmer, you can use a corn yield calculator free to help you estimate how much profit you can make if you grow a corn crop.
3. Connect with other farmers
It can get hard for you to gather all the information about the farming industry as a beginner. Spending all your time gathering information won’t help you execute the tips and knowledge you gather. Therefore, you should easily connect with other skilled farmers to enter the farming industry.
There are several ways you can make friends with other farmers. For example, you can participate in local events aimed at farmers to link up with people who can help you in the farming industry. You can also join online forums created for farmers if there are no networking events for farmers in your area.
4. Choose the right land
The choice of land directly impacts the yield of your crop. No matter how amazing the seed quality is and how carefully you irrigate your crops, you won’t be able to achieve your farming goals.
Try to choose the best farming land you can choose for farming. Explore different agricultural lands near your area and get help from an expert to pick the right type of land.
Here are some tips to help you choose the best farming land:
- Learn about what crops were grown there in the past.
- Check the quality of soil in the farming land.
- Analyze the topology of the farming land properly.
5. The land about soil preparation
Improper soil can limit the yield of your crop. For example, if the soil is not prepared properly, the plant’s roots won’t be able to penetrate the land properly. Plants won’t grow to their full potential if the soil lacks nutrients and doesn’t have the ideal pH required for healthy plants.
Soil preparation will help you rectify the problems in the farming soil. Try to add organic matter to the soil as it can balance the nutrients in the soil and make it more appropriate for plants.
6. Check the weather conditions
Improper weather conditions can destroy a crop and result in a waste of your time and investment. Therefore, it is important to check the weather forecast before you start sowing the seeds.
You can easily check online portals to check detailed weather forecasts. If you don’t know how to check the weather conditions properly, it’s better to link up with a crop expert in your area to learn about weather forecasting.
Tracking all the weather reports and using them for your crops can get difficult. You can rely on advanced tech methods that combine satellite weather data and trends of crop growth to identify if the weather is favorable for your crops.
7. Pick the right fertilizers
A lack of nutrients can slow down the growth of your plant. Over some time, weeds and pests can lower nutrients in your farming land. It’s therefore important for you to check if your farming soil requires fertilizers.
Choosing the right fertilizers can get hard for you. Application of improper fertilizers can even shun the growth of your plants, which is why you should never pick fertilizers randomly.
Check the levels of nutrients in the soil and read the specific requirement of nutrients of your crop. It’s better to ask a local crop expert to decide which fertilizers will be best suited to accelerate your crop’s growth.
8. Fight pests and weeds
Pests and weeds are “unwanted guests” that can make their way to any crop. Weeds and pests can easily multiply if not dealt with at the right time. Weeds and pests can rob your crop of nutrients and cannot help you achieve the right yield.
It can get difficult to handle pests and weeds as a beginner. You should try recommended pesticides and herbicides to ensure that your crop doesn’t fail even after making all the efforts.
9. Learn about your customers
Identifying your customers’ needs is important to help you maximize your crop yield. The more you know about your target audience, the easier it will be to fight issues you face when growing your crop.
Start by studying the buyer persona of your target audience. Check their buying habits to identify how much your customers are willing to spend. You can also check how other farmers deal with their customers to help you create your customer management strategy.
10. Focus on crop rotation
Growing the same crops again and again will lead to “infertility” of the soil. One of the best things you can do to accelerate the growth of your crop is to focus on crop rotation.
Trying different crops from time to time helps you retain the fertility of the soil. Another benefit of crop rotation is that it allows you to learn how to grow different types of crops.
11. Handle your financial matters
No matter how skilled you are when it comes to farming, you won’t be able to achieve your crop yield goals if you don’t manage your finances properly.
Try to learn how you can handle your financial matters. Read financial management resources so you can be “self-sufficient” when it comes to handling your farm’s finances.
12. Choose the right equipment
Not using the right equipment won’t help you achieve your crop yield goals. As a new farmer, you might find it hard to get affordable crop management equipment that helps you manage your crop properly.
Therefore, it is important to get help from online forums to help you buy the right equipment. Linking up with a local crop expert is even better if you don’t have time to find and sort information about crop management gear.
