Where Can I Get The Education?

[progressive hunter]

I'm not the one pushing anything, you are. I offered an option, you attacked it not the other way around. If you can't or won't see that then there's no need to continue this "discussion".

please go away all butthurt while I continue to provide him with all that he needs without spending a dime,,

 

[progressive hunter]

Okay...it's been awhile since I was in school and learned anything...

But if I wanted to learn how to do farming...
Where do I go?

Tractors aren't cheap and are extremely complicated anymore. They got GPS and computerized steering...more hydraulic connections and data connections than I ever thought possible.

Then there's the economics and business models...how in the world do you make money? So much of the produce just doesn't make any money... between the cost of fertilizers and pesticides and farm diesel...

Then there's the harvesting...
That's going to take some serious amounts of labor...and low skilled labor is evaporating in America...so harvesting a crop is going to be problematic too.

How do you do all of this stuff?
Where do you go to learn how?

Is it ok to mix varieties of peaches in a Grove? How about strawberries? Can grapes grow in Georgia? How about cherries? Fertilizer costs and water pumping costs are over the top lately...

if you are interested in low scale high profits doing basic table vegetables this guy has all you need to know,,
you will need top go back to his earlier videos since he has moved on to homesteading,,

https://www.youtube.com/c/UrbanFarmerCurtisStone

 

[Ringel05]

please go away all butthurt while I continue to provide him with all that he needs without spending a dime,,

Talk about pathetic........

 

[progressive hunter]

Talk about pathetic........

yes you are,,

your plan will have him paying college debts for yrs while mine will have him making profits for those same yrs,,

 

[JohnDB]

The most successful small farmers are 'botique' farmers, growing foods and herbs for upscale markets, or even fish farming.It's getting tougher and tougher to find niches to exploit, though, and a lot of 2nd and 3rd World competition

I actually had a thought about something along those lines...
Specialty fruit jams, jellies and spreads.
And instead of the tired same old, same old more of a home style taste but excellent flavor of unique fruit...

Everyone knows about "Bartlett pears" but there are many other varieties that have better flavor. Same thing with peaches...the best peaches are white and ugly...they even have Indian peaches which are multi colored with purple stripes. Those taste better than anything commercially available. Especially if tree ripened unlike those in the grocery store.
Same goes for strawberries that are actually ripe before being picked and shipped.

Good fruit makes good jam.

But again around here a decent sized farm starts at 30 acres...but water can be an issue...there are droughts often. So a high volume well is needed and permits for the well. (Apparently those are tough to come by).

But basically the idea is it would be reduced cost better fruit funnelling into better jams and preserves... diversifying into various labels of quality like Jack Daniels or Johnny Walker scotch...

But it's a lot of work, set up, and equipment and buildings to make it happen. FDA approved buildings don't exactly grow on trees and I have built several... including yogurt factories and etc.

 

[rightwinger]

I actually had a thought about something along those lines...
Specialty fruit jams, jellies and spreads.
And instead of the tired same old, same old more of a home style taste but excellent flavor of unique fruit...

Everyone knows about "Bartlett pears" but there are many other varieties that have better flavor. Same thing with peaches...the best peaches are white and ugly...they even have Indian peaches which are multi colored with purple stripes. Those taste better than anything commercially available. Especially if tree ripened unlike those in the grocery store.
Same goes for strawberries that are actually ripe before being picked and shipped.

Good fruit makes good jam.

But again around here a decent sized farm starts at 30 acres...but water can be an issue...there are droughts often. So a high volume well is needed and permits for the well. (Apparently those are tough to come by).

But basically the idea is it would be reduced cost better fruit funnelling into better jams and preserves... diversifying into various labels of quality like Jack Daniels or Johnny Walker scotch...

But it's a lot of work, set up, and equipment and buildings to make it happen. FDA approved buildings don't exactly grow on trees and I have built several... including yogurt factories and etc.

You don’t need your own farm to buy fruits and make preserves. You should start by doing one or the other.

 

[progressive hunter]

I actually had a thought about something along those lines...
Specialty fruit jams, jellies and spreads.
And instead of the tired same old, same old more of a home style taste but excellent flavor of unique fruit...

Everyone knows about "Bartlett pears" but there are many other varieties that have better flavor. Same thing with peaches...the best peaches are white and ugly...they even have Indian peaches which are multi colored with purple stripes. Those taste better than anything commercially available. Especially if tree ripened unlike those in the grocery store.
Same goes for strawberries that are actually ripe before being picked and shipped.

Good fruit makes good jam.

But again around here a decent sized farm starts at 30 acres...but water can be an issue...there are droughts often. So a high volume well is needed and permits for the well. (Apparently those are tough to come by).

But basically the idea is it would be reduced cost better fruit funnelling into better jams and preserves... diversifying into various labels of quality like Jack Daniels or Johnny Walker scotch...

But it's a lot of work, set up, and equipment and buildings to make it happen. FDA approved buildings don't exactly grow on trees and I have built several... including yogurt factories and etc.

one of the secrets to getting past expensive FDA approved buildings is to do it in a trailer where the requirements are much less,, mainly the handicapped accessible requirements,,

joel salitin is a great source for this,,

 

[JohnDB]

You don’t need your own farm to buy fruits and make preserves. You should start by doing one or the other.

To grow the specialty fruits...no farmer is going to touch it with a ten foot pole especially for an untested request that may not work out...a lot of pieces and parts have to work.
The glass is actually the most difficult part. Glass jars actually make up over half of the cost of a jar of jelly on the grocery store shelf. A $3 jar (one of the cheapest) is difficult to overcome...that doesn't include a printed lid or even the two labels....then there's the UPC codes... federal ones aren't cheap either.

So a farmer is going to want a five year commitment for specialized crop. Something that I can't provide.

 

[progressive hunter]

To grow the specialty fruits...no farmer is going to touch it with a ten foot pole especially for an untested request that may not work out...a lot of pieces and parts have to work.
The glass is actually the most difficult part. Glass jars actually make up over half of the cost of a jar of jelly on the grocery store shelf. A $3 jar (one of the cheapest) is difficult to overcome...that doesn't include a printed lid or even the two labels....then there's the UPC codes... federal ones aren't cheap either.

So a farmer is going to want a five year commitment for specialized crop. Something that I can't provide.

you need 5 yrs just to get your first harvest if fruits are your goal,, so youre looking at a 10-15 yr commitment,,

 

[JohnDB]

one of the secrets to getting past expensive FDA approved buildings is to do it in a trailer where the requirements are much less,, mainly the handicapped accessible requirements,,

joel salitin is a great source for this,,

Trailers cannot have the power requirements needed to pasteurize and cook the jam....much less process the fruit or sterilize the jars.

It's going to have to be a regular building complete with grease trap (code requirements) and video logs of production and ongoing tests of bacterial contaminants. (ALL food has some but there are guidelines)

 

[JohnDB]

you need 5 yrs just to get your first harvest if fruits are your goal,, so youre looking at a 10-15 yr commitment,,

Probably...

 

[ClaireH]

its not like I am holding him back and not letting him do it,,

that fact is farming has been around long before any higher education and is one of those things that is best learned in the field not in some class room,,

but sure go ahead and spend money and take an 18 month course on it,, but then he will have to go and learn it first hand by doing it,,

There is a wealth of info online for specified methods of the agricultural industry, including current farming techniques and operating the new equipment. Farm equipment is big money within the agricultural realm, John Deere still maintains a good portion of it and they want to make sales over anything. Educating the user on new products is a good way to go about that.

It always amazes me when informed posters indicate that nobody can learn anything on their own if they use the Internet. As a teacher, I recognize the value of sharing legitimate, global information daily as it occurs. An amazing gift that’s sadly often abused or underutilized.

 

[progressive hunter]

Trailers cannot have the power requirements needed to pasteurize and cook the jam....much less process the fruit or sterilize the jars.

It's going to have to be a regular building complete with grease trap (code requirements) and video logs of production and ongoing tests of bacterial contaminants. (ALL food has some but there are guidelines)

you plug them into a power source from your house,,,

point is you save a lot from the requirements of having a brick and mortar building,,

a lot of small farmers are doing this with meat processing,,

this guy is in europe but the same can be done here

 

[progressive hunter]

Probably...

only one I can think of that takes less than 3-5 yrs is strawberries

 

[ClaireH]

My wife is from farm country in Wisconsin. Even small farms 40 acres or less require enormous capital investments and you will work harder than you ever have in your life. Most of the small farmers around there have sold out to larger farm conglomerates.

My extended family still holds onto a bit of acreage. There have been various attempts to widen the highway adjacent to their land, but no offers yet that have satisfied the seller. As time goes by the value continues to rise due to the area and plans for road development. It’s all about buying low and selling high!

 

[JohnDB]

you plug them into a power source from your house,,,

point is you save a lot from the requirements of having a brick and mortar building,,

a lot of small farmers are doing this with meat processing,,

this guy is in europe but the same can be done here

Meat processing is easy and cheaper in some ways...canning fruit is the problem...and that means a lot more requirements...there's no way to accomplish the needed volume in a trailer.

 

[progressive hunter]

Meat processing is easy and cheaper in some ways...canning fruit is the problem...and that means a lot more requirements...there's no way to accomplish the needed volume in a trailer.

sure there is,, I do it in a small kitchen right now and my guess is a 30 ft trailer should give more than ample room and save tens of thousand in cost and thats not even considering property taxs and code requirements,,
that ends up being about 40-50 ft of counter work space with storage at the end,,

 

[JohnDB]

sure there is,, I do it in a small kitchen right now and my guess is a 30 ft trailer should give more than ample room and save tens of thousand in cost and thats not even considering property taxs and code requirements,,
that ends up being about 40-50 ft of counter work space with storage at the end,,

Steam jacketed kettle and hood alone are going to eat up 40 amps of the 60 max for a trailer. No AC yet or sterilization of glass or Sally port for the produce or even a grease trap...and those things are also needed. Then there's the permits for the wastewater and freshwater usage. All needed for a canning operation...
Then there's the USDA parking spot because he takes his own samples while I am in scheduled production...i schedule it with his office. Cant produce without the schedule.

This isn't a simple process...its multifaceted and complicated to sell across state lines to wholesale distributors.

 

[westwall]

Check if your local colleges and universities offer a degree in agriculture, there are even online schools that offer those degrees.

Those who can do, those who can't, teach.

Wise words.

Talk to a farmer.

 

[JohnDB]

Those who can do, those who can't, teach.

Wise words.

Talk to a farmer.

Yeah...that's also going to be problematic as they are family...LOL.
Its going to cause a lot of fussing..."cause I just ain't going to be doing right" no matter what I do....
When I explained the business model they were lost as last year's Easter eggs...saying it wouldn't work...I was just looking for consistency of fruit production by staggering the tree planting by a few years for each plot...(trying to maximize production and consistency of production)

And there has to be a way to get it done...I just don't know how.