Here is the conclusion to the Should I become an organic farmer? story:
Brian Otten did decide to learn to farm. He started the first year by working side-by-side with Donny, the farm renter, driving tractor and fixing machinery. The two really hit it off and spent a lot of time talking about farming and life while riding inside the tractor cab. Donny and Brian attended the MOSES Organic Farming Conference (this conference is now called Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference) together the next spring, where they learned and talked about organic production methods and collected additional resources.
In the second year Brian took over full management of 76 acres. He chose to lease most of his equipment and has found a lot of support from local equipment dealers. He is using savings and took out a loan to buy a few pieces of equipment that he uses regularly, such as a rotary hoe. He plans to buy more equipment as he sells more crops. He is renting a shed to keep the equipment in, but hopes to put a shed up on the farm in the next year or two.
In the third year Brian joined the MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program (now called Marbleseed Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program) and worked with a nearby organic farmer to get tips on specific organic production practices. He has found this especially useful when selecting organic varieties and learning about timing of cultivation for weed management. He applied for organic certification of the land at the end of this year. He would like to start using cover crops in the next few years.
Brian broke even on the farm this last year, and thinks he will make a small profit in the coming crop year. However, he still has lots of equipment to invest in, and so sees that the profits will just go back into the operation for some time yet. Brian is still living in Minneapolis, but hopes to find a house to rent near the farm this next year.
While the financial sustainability of the operation is still a question, Brian is very happy with his choice. He loves learning about the crops and the equipment, and enjoys the day-to-day work. He feels proud that he’s had fair success with crop yields. He’s looking forward to the farm becoming financially sustainable so he can continue. He is very appreciative of everyone that has helped him to get as far as he has in reaching his dream.
Acknowledgments
This project was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Organic Transitions Program under award number 2013-51106-21005.
This project was also supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic Program under the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) in the Midwest region.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.