How to become a farmer without experience

While it is difficult to become a successful farmer without experience, there are ways you can make up for a lack of experience. So, you want to become a farmer, but you’ve never grown a crop or raised livestock? Here’s how to break into agriculture and compensate for your lack of farming experience.
Steps
1. Decide why you’re interested in farming. It’s hard work, and the industry is, for the most part, steeped in tradition (i.e. newcomers aren’t exactly welcomed with open arms). If you’ve never farmed a day in your life, you’re going to get a lot of raised eyebrows from farmers and non-farmers alike. Be ready to answer the question “Why do you want to farm?” with confidence.
2. Choose what kind of farming you’d like to do. There are many sub-fields in agriculture such as: dairy (milk and cheese); grains (wheat, corn, oats, etc.); meat (beef, pork, lamb, poultry, eggs); vegetables & greens; fruit orchards; vineyards; herbs; organic; Plan-tation agricul-ture.
Do you want to specialise in one of the above, or do a little bit of everything? The trend in agricul-ture is towards commercialisation and specialisation. Generally, the larger the farm, the less diversified it is.
3. Find farms that you like. There might be some in your area, there might not. Ask around. Search the Web, and find out about county fairs and visit them. It’s there that you’ll find serious farmers. Talk to them. Ask them what they do, how their farms have changed over time, what direction they think the field is going in, and if you could stop by their farm and visit some time. Farmers are generally friendly, humbl, and welcoming people, though some are more guarded than others.
4.  Dress the part. This may sound superficial, but if you walked into a law firm interview dressed in a pair of jeans and boots, it’s the same as walking onto a farm wearing a pair of dockers and loafers. If you’re just starting out in farming, you’re probably going to be doing a lot of physical labor. Wear a clean t-shirt, jeans, and work boots. Invest in a good pair of work gloves because your hands will be sore and full of blisters in a very short time. If you have long hair, tie it back (consider a braid) so it doesn’t get caught in anything.
5.    Become an apprentice. Offer your services as a laborer. This is the most critical step in becoming a farmer—working in exchange for an opportunity to learn. Since you’re just starting out, you’ll be entering at the bottom of the totem pole (as is the case in most careers). If you want to earn respect, you must:
a. Be physically fit. If you think you can farm without crouching, bending, lifting, or pulling, you’re being unrealistic. Only farm managers who’ve paid their dues can skip some physical labor, but even they often must push their bodies close to the limit for the job.
b. Be flexible. You must be willing to do any-thing and every-thing that needs to get done on a working farm. This may include: cleaning feces and urine, climbing ladders, driving a tractor on steep hillsides (which is very dangerous), killing pests like rats and rabbits, handling unruly animals (that may want to bite or trample you), weeding or harvesting for 12 hours or more, applying pesticides, slaughtering, butchering, euthanising, etc. Farming isn’t just rainbows and butterflies, you know. If there’s something you’re not willing to do, state it up-front, and understand that your options may be limited as such.
c.    Express your desire to learn. Watch people do what they do and ask them to teach you how. Whether it’s fixing the tractor, or deciding on what to feed the cows, or understanding the plant cycle, you’ll never become a farmer until you understand the hands-on “how” behind everything that makes a farm work.
d.    Have a good sense of humor. Laughter makes the day go by faster, especially when your muscles are aching and you feel like your fingers are going to fall off and the weather has ruined your plans once again. A positive attitude is an asset to any farm!
(Courtesy wikiHOW)

Experience farm life before you make a decision to become a farmer

Whether you are a new graduate or are thinking about a career change, if you have a hankering to get involved in the agriculture sector, read the following advice from people who have already made the change before you make a final decision, as that could help you become a successful farmer.
Advantage of graduating from agriculture school: Strong professional background and theoretical foundation. Disadvantage of graduating from agriculture school: Lack of cross-industry integration experience.
"Whether or not you are a new graduate from an agriculture school, secure an internship at a farm before you go into the business. Not until you have accumulated enough experience should you gradually start your own career, "says Mr. Cheng-yu Hsu, a rice farmer born in the eighties.
According to Hsu, the low ratio of graduates from agriculture school entering the sector is attributable to misunderstanding about the future of agriculture. With the rise of the technology sector and the country's top 100 firms having become favorite employers among new graduates, the labor-intensive agricultural industry has become less and less attractive to them. In Hsu's case, his decision to get involved in agriculture was also opposed by his family. Against all odds, however, he insists that agriculture still has a bright future.
He has adopted a variety of measures, including using machines to reduce manpower, proper me of fertilizers and effective pesticide management, to help reduce costs and increase revenue, but estimates that the net income of his six hectares of paddy in a six-month period is only about NT$180,000 -- a little higher than the average starting salary for a new college graduate. Compared to the total working time over the six-month period, however, Hsu argues that he has more flexibility than people engaged in other industries, given that he spends a total of only one month of the six actually working on the land.
With their technical and theoretical background, students who graduate from agriculture school can compete strongly in the agricultural sector, with their success relying on how well they apply what they have learned in school to actual practical farming.

Advantage of people switching careers into agriculture: Full of enthusiasm and interested in cross-industry integration. Disadvantage of people switching careers into agriculture: Lack of farming knowledge.
Mr. Yu-ling Liu has been involved in organic farming for over 10 years and recalls that many people made an impetuous decision to go organic only because it was one of the hottest areas for farmers. However, once they found out the size of the gap between their dreams and reality, they were forced to quit, losing their investment in land and equipment. "It is worth working on someone else's farm before you begin on your own, "Liu says.
"I took advantage of my previous work experience," he added. "The accounting classes I took and experience of selling insurance helped me deal with the problems of inventory management, marketing strategy and sales channels."
"Agriculture is more than just production, " he points out. "Diversification, innovation and combination are the key factors to raising your competitiveness and finding your niche."