Education · 1 of 5
The path
There is no exam and no license. There is land, skill and credit.
- 1
High school
Grade 12
Biology, chemistry, math and shop. Join the school's agriculture club and run a project of your own, even if it is six pigs.
- 2
Learn the work on someone else's farm
2 to 4 years, often alongside school
Summers and weekends driving, feeding, fixing and watching how decisions get made. This is the part you cannot skip.
- 3
Two or four years of agriculture school
2 to 4 years
A community college associate degree in agriculture, or a bachelor's degree in agronomy, animal science or agricultural business at a land-grant university.
- 4
Manage before you own
3 to 10 years
Run a herd, a crew or a few hundred acres for a wage. Lenders want to see that you have done it before they hand you money.
- 5
Rent ground, then buy
Ongoing
Almost nobody buys a farm outright at the start. You rent acres, build a yield record, and borrow against that.