Regenerative farming: If you’re an aspiring farmer, there’s no doubt that you’ve seen this buzzword during your research — and it might sound like a great opportunity to jump on an emerging trend.
But with specific farming methods to learn, equipment to invest in, and marketing strategies to adopt, diving headfirst into the world of regenerative farming can be intimidating.
That’s why we’ve created this quick guide on how to start a regenerative farm. Keep reading to learn what regenerative farming is, why you should embrace the regenerative farming movement, and the four essential steps to sustainable success.
Regenerative farming has exploded in popularity in recent years — and it’s easy to see why.
Starting a regenerative farm has significant benefits for the planet, your community, and your wallet. Let’s take a look at some specific reasons why you should consider becoming a regenerative farmer:
In short, starting a regenerative farm is good for you, your customers, and the environment.
Now that you’re sold on the movement, let’s dive into how to start a regenerative farm.
Before making your farm dreams a reality, you need to understand the farming industry, regenerative practices, and what it takes to succeed.
Let’s explore three of the best ways to educate yourself before starting your regenerative farm.
First, research the regenerative farming industry and the practices you’ll follow when planting crops and raising livestock. Here are a few key regenerative farming methods to look into:
We recommend resources like the American Farmland Trust and the Rodale Institute to learn about the industry and get expert tips on how to start a regenerative farm.
Next, it’s time to get some real-world experience. Before starting a regenerative farm of your own, we recommend getting a job as a farmhand to see these farming practices in action.
This work experience will give you a firsthand look at the day-to-day operations of a successful farm and help you learn valuable lessons once you start your own, so don’t skip this step.
Getting hands-on experience at a regenerative farm will also give you a valuable opportunity to connect with a mentor.
If you’re working with an experienced regenerative farmer, let them know about your aspirations, and keep in touch with them throughout the startup process. They’ll be able to tell you the lessons they’ve learned along the way, share insider tips, and support you as you start your farming journey.
Starting a farm is one thing, but running a profitable farm is another.
That’s why we recommend outlining a full business plan before planting your first crop. Here are some of the key topics your business plan should cover.
One of the biggest mistakes aspiring farmers make is failing to make a solid financial plan.
Before taking any steps toward purchasing land or farming equipment, set aside some time to research and add up the initial and ongoing costs of running a farm, including:
Once you have a rough estimate of your costs, try projecting your farm’s revenue. How much meat or produce will you harvest each month? How many sales will you aim to make? How much will you charge for your products?
After calculating your potential expenses and revenue, you can identify your breakeven point, which is when your farm will be profitable.
Securing a steady flow of revenue depends on your ability to cultivate a dedicated customer base — which is why your regenerative farm business plan should outline exactly who you’re growing for.
Here are a few types of customers who are motivated to seek out and purchase regeneratively farmed meats and produce:
Everything about your operations — from the products you sell to your website’s design — should cater to your ideal customer.
Your regenerative farming business plan should also cover how you plan to sell your harvests.
E-commerce is one of the best options for up-and-coming regenerative farmers. Instead of relying on customers to visit your farm shop in person, you can sell products online.
This approach widens your potential customer base, gives you more opportunities to make sales, and makes it easy for thoughtful customers to find, learn about, and support your regenerative farm.
Here are the three simple steps to launch your online farm store:
Creating a logistics plan will help you start making sales as soon as you harvest your first crop.
Now that you have a plan, you can take your first concrete steps to start your regenerative farm.
Since healthy soil is the most important ingredient for a successful regenerative farm, choosing the right place to plant your roots is critical.
For crops, look for land that has been minimally tilled. This will ensure that your soil is fertile, packed with nutrients, and ready for planting.
If you’re also planning to invest in livestock, our number-one tip is to look for a large plot of land. While traditionally raised animals are often kept in close quarters and fed grain, regeneratively and ethically raised animals require adequate space to roam outdoors and graze on grass.
One of the best things about using regenerative practices instead of traditional, till-heavy methods is that you’ll need less equipment.
However, you still need to invest in reliable hand tools like rakes, pitchforks, hoes, and seeders to help you with the planting and harvesting process. As your farm grows, you may need to invest in heavier-duty equipment like a small tractor or build a greenhouse for cold-weather planting.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can opt for used equipment instead of buying new. Simply ask around at your local farmers’ market or search online to find pre-owned farming equipment for sale.
Starting a regenerative farm is a tough job — and you probably won’t be able to tackle it alone.
That’s why you need a reliable team to help you get your farm off the ground.
Especially if you’re new to regenerative farming, consider hiring a few farmhands with previous experience. They can make recommendations and collaborate with you as you establish sustainable, profitable farming practices.
Soon enough, you’ll get to harvest your first crops and meats — which means you need a place to store them.
Invest in coolers and freezers to keep inventory as fresh as possible and get it ready for shipping.
Just like farming equipment, you might be able to find a good deal on used refrigerators and freezers; just make sure they’re reliable enough to keep your harvests safe from temperature fluctuations.
Once you’re on your way to your first harvest, it’s time to build and launch a marketing plan.
Starting a successful regenerative farm means connecting with your community and building relationships with customers who care about their food’s farm-to-fork journey. Here are three steps to make your first sale and beyond.
The best place to connect with customers passionate about supporting regenerative farms like yours is online.
Creating a website lets farm-to-fork aficionados discover, learn about, and buy from your farm.
While creating a website from scratch might sound intimidating, all you need is a farm e-commerce platform with a website builder. This tool should make it a breeze to share information about your farm and sell your farm-fresh goods online.
Now that you’ve set up a basic website, you can start making online sales.
Your farm e-commerce platform should handle the process from start to finish, making it easy to create product listings, organize online orders, and fulfill them quickly and accurately.
Since selling meats and produce online can be tricky, we recommend using a farm-specific tool to manage your e-commerce operation. Look for one that includes features like perishable inventory management and weight-based sales.
While making your first sale is certainly worth celebrating, the next goal as you start your regenerative farm is to generate repeat business.
Here are four essential strategies to build lasting customer relationships:
Including these methods in your long-term marketing plan will help you achieve sustainable growth when it comes to your customer base.
Congratulations! Now that you’ve learned how to start a regenerative farm, you’re ready to take the first steps on your journey.
Turning your farming dreams into a reality is a huge undertaking — but you don’t have to handle it alone.
GrazeCart is a unique tool designed to help you launch and manage your regenerative farming business. Our powerful software has everything you need to track farm inventory, build a website, fulfill online orders, build customer relationships, and grow.
Discover how GrazeCart fits into your regenerative farming plan by starting your free, two-week trial today.