Ideals, Convictions and Goals

I read a very good cautionary tale, written by Mark Lichtenstein on the newfarm.com website (here, at www.newfarm.com). It reminded me that ideals are just that... Ideals. Mark attempted to create and operate a new organic dairy in rural Pennsylvania. After two years he closed up shop. He was introspective and objective enough to document his errors. I personally thank him for this article, and I think many others should as well.

I have a friend who is a vegetarian. That is her conviction, and has been since her teens. It is unwavering, but further, it is attainable. Her diet, lifestyle, goals and ideals are all in harmony.

Be careful to not let convictions and ideals and goals grow in vacuum. They might look nice there but once exposed to the real world, they will likely unravel.

One's ideals must be tempered with the attainable goals within that ideal. Want to operate an organic farm? Break it down.

1. Land, rented or purchased
2. Labor
3. Marketing
4. Housing
5. Financing
6. Emergency plan
7. Equipment

You must have good productive and preferably inexpensive land available to you. Purchased land may be best, but if you can't buy, would you rather rent a nice ten acre plot? Hey, even that sounds better than going back to a windowless cubicle.

You must include labor in the calculations. Will you grow organic watermelon? If so, plan on hiring some help or being very ingenious. Take into account your own labor as well. There is nothing wrong with working your life's dream with no income... so long as someone else is paying!

As distasteful as marketing is to me, this is a key to what is feasible to raise.. This is the keystone of any specialty or organic farming venture. Your ideal may be to raise organic radishes and garlic. Without a market that can support your produce, you will be eating a lot of healthy, albeit odoriferous, produce that you will not be able to sell. Research, research, research...

You really do need to live somewhere. Are you comfortable in a small camper trailer? Do you need a house? Maybe an apartment in a nearby town or village would suffice. Tent maybe? Just remember that winter can get mighty cold.

Financing wraps all of these items into one final answer; the bottom line. If the bottom line is too close or below that red line, try again.

All farming operations, as within all lives, an emergency plan should exist. What will you do if your lucrative organic edamame crop is completely flooded out? What will you do if a drought threatens your celery crop? Think about it. If you don't, you may be caught with your pants down.

All farms need equipment. It is a necessity. Some require nothing more complex than baskets and a spade while others require huge megaton tractors. Weight it all in with your financing. And if one of your proposed crops require a piece of machinery, be sure you know how to operate it.

And in all of your planning, remember your ideals, convictions and goals. Let them guide you, not control you.