#Hobby farm loans how to
#Hobby farm loans free

This program helps people who are new to farming and have less than 10 years of experience. This program is funded through the USDA and is a subcategory of the next loan we’ll talk about - the Beginning Farms USDA Loan.

#Hobby farm loans free

Start2Farm is a great place to start if you are looking for some free money. It will also help break the monumental task of applying for grants down into bite-sized chunks - meaning you’re more likely to actually get something done. Staying on top of deadlines will help you avoid the “oh crap!” moment when you realize you just missed the deadline for the perfect grant (believe me - I’ve been there a time or two). I researched deadlines and wrote them in my daily planner (I recommend this one because it breaks your time down into multiple formats- but any old notebook will work!) Then, I narrowed it down to the ones that seemed the most economically feasible.

I started by compiling a massive list of all the grant programs for which we were eligible. But remember - you don’t have to apply for every single grant and loan you are eligible for in one day. When you’re searching for resources to fund your homestead, the entire process can be overwhelming.

#Hobby farm loans how to

How to Avoid Overwhelm in Homestead Financingįirst of all, start small, and stay organized. Take advantage of every potential funding opportunity you can find - you won’t regret it. We got sheep, and we still don’t lump ourselves in that category. We always told ourselves that we wouldn't be “real” farmers until we had herbivores.

Trust us, you’ll never get over the “we aren’t real farmers” mindset. To be a so-called homesteader, you don't have to own a certain amount of acreage or even own certain types of animals.ĭon’t let a lack of confidence in your holdings keep you back. Technically, a homestead is just a lifestyle of self-sufficiency characterized by home preservation, subsistence agriculture, and overall self-reliance. It’s just a matter of knowing where to lok. Just don’t limit yourself by thinking you are too small to matter - there will always be someone out there looking to give away some free funding. And if you operate your homestead solely for yourself and your family, you might not be eligible for those specific programs, either.īut there are tons of other opportunities out there, from research grants to small loans, that can help make your dream of owning a small farm a reality. We are in the process of applying for grants that don’t have sales caps - some require you to gross at least $10,000 or more in sales per year, which we just aren’t at yet because we are just getting started. Now, you won’t be eligible for everything. I don’t really like calling it a homestead, either, but you have to call it something, right? I’ll tell you all the reasons why I have such a hesitation in a later post, but for now, know that you are eligible for funding no matter what size or capacity you are at. I’m one of those people -I still hate calling our property a farm. A lot of people believe that they cannot apply for farm funding because they don’t like calling their small homesteads “farms.”

What Is a Homestead - and Will I Even Qualify for Funding?īefore you can start applying for funding, you need to first get a clear idea of what it is you are doing. This list includes some of the best sources you can turn to when you are looking for grants for your farm -regardless of whether your farm is a postage stamp or ten thousand acres. I’ve scoured all the best resources to find the best sources of government funding, farm loans, and online grants. But homesteading today requires a great deal of creativity and ingenuity, and that’s where the beauty of the Internet can really help you out. Whether you have a small backyard farm or you are planning on homesteading off the grid, finding farm grants can be tough. Strapped for cash, looking for a way to finance the homestead you already have - or to find sources of funds for the homestead you’ve always wanted to have. It costs you nothing extra, and all recommended products are ones that I personally vouch for. I often link to Amazon when recommending certain products, and if you choose to purchase, I may earn a small percentage of the sale. **J&R Pierce Family Farm is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to allow sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon.