Many people dream of owning a farm and many who have managed to turn their dreams into reality know that it’s not that easy and requires a lot of work.
Before you look for land, you must define a clear strategy and “keep it real”.
The key questions you need to ask and answer are:
* What will you be doing with the land?
* Do you want to focus on growing crops and vegetables, and if so, what kind?
This is a vital step as it can save you a lot of time and money.
No matter how big your farm is, you are likely to need to invest in farm equipment.
Unsurprisingly, these are not cheap and require careful consideration.
As farming has advanced considerably over the past two decades, with technology having an increasing impact on equipment and techniques, a number of new machines have hit the market, giving farmers a much wider range of options to choose from – the risk of “shiny object syndrome” is real.
To ensure you don’t waste money, it’s imperative that you do your research before buying your equipment.
Having said that, there are a few essential pieces of equipment that you should acquire, regardless of what type of farm.
Utility Vehicle
These days you get luxury pickup trucks, which go for big dollars and combine luxury with practicality.
Though what you need for your farm is a vehicle equivalent to a workhorse.
This will likely be the most used mode of transport on your farm.
With a flat wide bed at the back, you can load it with all types of tools, machinery, materials and, in some cases, even livestock.
It’s even highly effective when hooking a trailer onto the back of it and transporting large amounts of cattle, horses, crops etc.
Purpose-built pickup trucks are highly durable and are great for dirt roads and off-roading.
Their longevity adds to their value, and as far as value for money is concerned, you can’t get a much better deal than investing in a solid utility vehicle.
Garden Tractor
When owning a farm, looking out onto grassland adds to the charm of the lifestyle.
However, we’ve all seen our back gardens become overgrown due to laziness or quick growth, and we know how messy and unkempt they can look.
When you have acres of grass, you can’t spend hours upon hours pushing a manual lawn mower around trying to trim the grass, as that is a full-time job in itself.
A garden tractor is much easier on the body and far more efficient.
The necessity to keep the grass trimmed is not just for its aesthetics, but also overgrown grass can invite a number of unwanted animals.
Compact Utility Tractor
A happy in-between which has more uses than a utility vehicle and is smaller in size and more agile than a normal tractor.
It’s not a necessity for farms under 150 acres, however, anything larger is worth its weight in gold.
Fast and powerful, it comes with a number of tools and heads, such as box scrapers, box blades, mulch finisher, aerator, buckets and rear and front blades.
It’s also a great option for towing and transporting and can be a substitute for a good mower.
Quad Bikes
Utility vehicles (UTV) and all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are probably the most fun and price-friendly equipment to own for a small farm.
A quad bike is a multi-purpose wonder and can be used for any number of farm practices, from hauling harvest and spraying pesticides to simply travelling a length at a time.
With low centres of gravity, lighter bodies and sturdy tires, ATVs and UTVs are a durable, budget investment that can traverse places that even bulky trucks can’t reach.
Best Tools
While manual labor in farming can help to lower stress and regulate your health, equipment today far surpasses the need for hand tools and manpower.
Taking into account the size and style of one’s hobby farm, any of these tools are a must-have in your equipment lineup:
Fencing Pliers
Sets of good fencing pliers can elevate your farming experience considerably. With options that have a range of functions, a lightweight set of pliers with good grip holds can help in any number of farming tasks, such as; cabling, fencing, hammering, cutting, and bending. source: pixabay user: drumuph Pixabay License
Chainsaw
Made famous by villains in horror movies, the chainsaw is one of the most useful tools any farmer can carry.
Lightweight and highly effective, the chainsaw can save you a lot of time and a ton of energy.
Whether simply pruning hedges and bushes or falling huge trees in a matter of minutes, the chainsaw is a must-have. However, be careful, as mistakes can be unforgiving, get some advice on how to safely use your chainsaw before starting it up.
Tiller
Rotary tillers are important for small-scale vegetable farmers – they help in loosening and preparing the soil for planting seeds and for covering crops in fields.
They are also particularly helpful for farms with grain or cotton crops.
Post Hole Digger
Keeping a boundary for your lot or acreage is essential to keeping any number of threats and pests from your farm.
A good investment to maximise efficient farming is one that can help automate your building projects and reduce the time spent on manual labor. Post-hole diggers can help with building decks, sheds, digging holes for trees and fences.
