How Much Money Does It Cost to Start a Farm? 

To carry those push-in fence posts, go to a bunch of yard sales until you find an old, lightweight golf bag for ten bucks. Over your shoulder, you can pluck them out of the bag and stick 'em where you need to. Same thing pulling them

In Texas, the PROPERTY TAX difference between raw land and raw land with an "Ag" - agricultural exemption is THOUSANDS of dollars. Several of my cronies find folks paying high land taxes and approach them with keeping livestock on the land for free, in exchange for the property owner being able to retitle their land as "agricultural" and avoid the taxes. I pay $218 a year in property taxes. My neighbor with a smaller amount of land than I have, pays over $3,000 property tax! Worth looking into, if you want to "farm" on a budget.

THANK YOU for being honest about costs! So many other youtubers want to be so private about money, I understand that but it makes their whole channel look like fantasy.

A few things I got from family members: 1) If you buy land try to buy a place you like to spend a vacation. For a few years, it can be more a vacation spot than farm. 2) If your farm has things of inherent value like sugar maple trees, blueberries, etc try to think of ways to use those. 3) The market garden model brings in more money than the farm model. See what you can grow and get to market the week before everyone else.

Maybe now is not the time with grass dying but would love to see a timelapse of the cows mowing down a new spot of grass

You've hit a VERY important topic and that is multiple income streams. I think people think of it narrowly because most people have been trained to do a job and they are used to doing that one thing. This is why talking about money and sharing your resources is so important. And on top of this, mono cropping has also given us this view that you pick 1 thing and mass produce instead of getting creative and making the most out of your land. Like aren't most large mono crop farms still subsidized by the guv in the usa ? lol So the math doesn't even work there.

Morgan, Have you thought about using an old golf bag to carry the temp fence posts around in?

Thank you for your candor and transparency about your costs and overhead! A lot of farming/homesteading channels present a rosy and unrealistic view of farming. There's a sad reason why so many U.S. families have moved away from farming over the last century; nowadays, it's damn hard to break even, let alone turn a profit. Both sides of my family farmed for generations (some as owners, some as tenants), but none of the living adults are doing it today.

What a great video. A very honest dialogue about the costs of starting a small farm or even a homestead or hobby farm. As someone who has been looking at doing the same thing; it is nice to see someone being honest about the costs to do it. I’m in the same career as Morgan Gold. I’m in the insurance business. I can work remote now that COVID created the opportunity for companies to offer that as an alternative which makes my dream a reality. Because the honest truth is; if I couldn’t keep working my insurance job, I could never even dream of buying a farm or some land in the country due to travel constraints. I mean if you want to buy land cheap; don’t expect there to be a Whole Foods down the street . There’s probably a Walmart 45 mins away from your property and that’s where you will get everything for the week . Anything closer to a larger metropolitan area or suburb is going to have land at commercial real estate prices. I’ve been finding that out through my research over the last 2 years.

Where's Toby? 0:10 - Good morning Mr Toby Dog! 5:37 - food time!! 15:08 - STARTLE 15:53 - aerial of Toby Dog and Morgan herding 16:39 - speaking of tall grass, he gotta step high 18:06 - always time for a little play

I feel like Jamima's tagline would be "I meant to do that!"

Both you and Allison are doing good work there. Rural medicine and ethical farming are both very much needed in our country.

I’m from Australia and it’s literally filled with farms and open country fields but I never thought of running a farm UNTIL I started watching this channel. I don’t know if you just show all the goods about running a farm but man this inspires me to start a farm, even a little chicken farm selling eggs would be so good!!! Only time will tell if I ever run a farm

This is so important. Thank you. Every single time I watch a Homestead or a farm video, which is several times a day to be honest, I often find myself wondering how much it cost them to do the thing their demonstrating. And I would say about half of the channels I watch have off farm or off homestead income streams. Which will likely be what happens with me and my future. But knowing that things are different now then perhaps 100 years ago is very helpful in deciphering reality from fantasy, at least from my perspective and for planning my future. Keep learning, keep saving, and yes keep dreaming. These are my takeaways from your video today. Thank you! I do wish more RU-vid contact providers in this industry were more transparent and truthful about actual hard costs of doing things.

I can remember after getting out of the army spending almost a year setting up my property. Getting nut trees going, bushes and a few other perennial things. with working on the weekends 20 years later it pays the taxes and insurance for the property. Then costs with allowing me to pocket a few thousand a year. How much work do I put into it, just harvesting. That is only working 30 acres of the property. Since I have Hickory and chestnuts on the property, this year I put decided to put a bunch of nuts into buckets and see what happens in the spring. Maybe donate a bunch of them to parks in the area next fall. Then more people can get nuts for free and plant more in a few decades.

The inevitable question.... In retrospect, what are the errors you think you made? What would you do differently?

My husband and I are moving from Sam Diego to southern New Hampshirite to start a homestead.. I KNOW big change eh lol. It is definitely not a cheap endeavor, we’re just lucky the housing prices in California are ridiculous right now and we got way too much for our home here. We’ll also be starting from scratch, our new property has no fencing or shelters for animals. Videos like this and the others have been so helpful understanding the realities tho ofc I won’t fully get it till we’re doing it but the homesteading community on RU-vid has been so great! Btw I’ll be living about 25 mins from Jack at the mindful homestead, maybe I’ll get to meet you sometime.. I definitely want some hatching eggs. :)

I'm trying to build my farm/homestead debt free too. I make upgrades and improvements as I have money and time while working another job from home. Definitely agree to buy or build tools and infrastructure as you need it rather than getting what you think you need.

1 thing you have to decide: do you want to get into a new life style or you want a prosperous business that replaces your current job? The difference in scale and capitol required is vastly different.

this was inspirational! i'm not thinking about going into farming but i think some of the things you talked about could definitely be applied to other things in life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! Since you started this channel 4 yrs ago, I've been wondering how rich you have to be to buy a 160+ acre farm. Now I know - $350k for the land & the house. Which is what a decent house on a lousy 1/4 acre sells for here! But at least now I have a ballpark figure. And I'd be looking to head south rather than north where you are, so hopefully, land would be cheaper.

Sponsors sound like a good idea, especially since you have a quite respectable following.

There are cheaper alternatives, like Homesteading, but you have to know HOW to build a home or buy a mobile home, dig a well, use generators and solar for electricity. It takes a lot of hard work.

I always really appreciate and enjoy the transparency about the financials of the farm, thank you!

Jemima struggling to walk down the ramp every morning never fails to crack me up 😂

Before I watch the video. I'm gonna react to the thumbnail. Wow!!! That's expensive and now I understand how much you guys love this work. That's some real money right there

It's great to see this amount of transparency and honesty around what you do! We have found your videos inspirational and helpful as we work towards building our own homestead. And, definitely agree...the best bet is to start small. We started with just half a dozen chickens, and some vegetables, added a great Pyrenees, and three goats. This year, we're adding in bees, planting fruit trees, and scaling up our chickens and goats. Maybe we'll take the plunge into full-out farming, but for now we appreciate all your content.

A man, no clickbait. Answered in first 10 sec. Respect.

Thank you for being transparent about cost! It's different for everyone but it's always great to start the conversation.

The duck that thinks she's a goose now thinks it's a chicken???🤣🤣🤣

A Farm is the real American Dream

Really cool of you to do this. Not many are as open about sharing these things. Thanks!

0:25 I love those couple of chickens just chilling with the duck flock.

Thank you so much for being so open!! My family and I love your videos!!! You rock Morgan!!

I love how you give a complex answer to a complex question and provide details of what needs thinking about. This is helpful to anyone who wants to dive in, if only to make them pause and think about what they really want.

This video is my favorite! I've always wanted to own a farm and rause livestock but no one has yet been able to explain to me in a simple manner about going about getting one and how to start. Thank you so much!

Thank you for generously being transparent and sharing your knowledge.

Morgan, you left out some huge things… People should look at what state and where they want to be, some states actually incentivize homesteading and there are also different state grants for people wanting to start a farm or smaller homesteading setup. These are huge things especially when a state encourages these people looking to live more rural and starting their own homestead. All of the other things you said were spot on and are things everyone needs to think about regardless if they buy land or just a home, but a lot of it is common sense and planning for the future is always something people need to do, especially if you have a family with small children. Great video Morgan, keep up the amazing work!

There's another channel I love called Simple Living Alaska, and they (a young married couple) moved from Oregon to Alaska a few years ago. They remind me a bit of you and Alison, particularly their work ethic and how well they manage money and resources.

Thanks for the clarification!

Thank you Morgan for your channel and sharing your journey with us! I remember as a little girl I wished I had a farm and you have totally re awoken that dream for me :). I don't know if I'll ever go as big as you have so far, but I like the idea of progressively building up different farm products to sell as you have!

Outstanding advise to those who are thinking about starting a homestead. You provided sound principles that are neatly woven with realistic goals. Nice job Morgan!

Great video! Thank you for sharing Morgan!

These videos have been awesome to watch it’s always so cool to see what you do around the farm

I think it is wonderful of you to do this video because there are so, so many things that go into starting a farm, even excluding the very hard work & money, all the questions include the where, what, how & when!! It makes me rethink about my grandfather"s cattle farm, he owned the house but rented the land for about 45 yrs. Thank you for all your videos, Morgan.🤗❤🙏

Loved the drone footage, there is something calming about a flock or herd of animals in motion. Eager to see what happens in 2022!

I just asked this exact same question on a previous video. I'm glad that you're willing to discuss this topic and give actual numbers. So many "get started farming now!" videos completely skip over the costs portion and use vague statements like "do whatever you can handle or afford!" As if that helps explain HOW to determine those numbers and what to expect.

Loved the shot from the drone from above the cloud layer!

One of the biggest points that keep me watching and anticipating the videos you post, is the candid nature of your talks. Good and bad, you lay it all out and that is worth it's weight in Gold 😏. I started with a Pekin white duckling was dropped on my lap for a birthday gift..I eventually learned that he needed a friend or two..then realized as he matured that there was a. Drake to duck ratio..so I got 3 more ..then realized that the workload for 3or 9 wasn't much different..needless to say, I'm up to 24 birds now, big and small, and looking to expand the genetic lines once again... It is addictive, and funny, I was looking into highlanders as well, also Merino sheep..but as you stated Morgan, the best way is to start with a few Pet projects, (pun intended😏) and grow with your abilities until the needs are met...it'll help establish efficient routines and methods that can be expanded on as well...you'll grow with the farm as opposed to trying to catch up

I like when you get into the nuts and bolts of your operation. I think so many gloss over the money aspect and it's super important to talk about that.

I watch your show because I like it and not to be inspired to farm. You said something that hit home with me. Not about farming but woodworking.. I have just about everything a woodworker needs and don't have a building to put it in. Everything is stored in my garage. I'm am however waiting (patiently) ? for my building to be built. Each step has been delayed for one reason or another. I am glad to say that my endeavor is not a livelyhood. I'm retired and just want to realize a lifelong passion. Yes it's expensive when you add all the expenditures but done over time it doesn't hurt much. I admire what and how you have done. I look forward to visiting you on RU-vid.

Watched one of your videos, I had never seen anything like this before, just randomly in my recommended. I am hooked, very interesting content with a very like able cast of “characters”. Been binge watching your channel for two weeks now 💯💯💯

This was an amazing video. I love the fact that you are honest. I understand for most finances are a big hush hush business. You are one of the few who are willing to just put the $ amount out there for potential new home owners/farmers of America. Thank you Morgan, you are awesome!

So helpful 👊🏾 Thank you!

thank you morgan! this was super helpful! i think my husband wants to have a sort of airbnb type farm (haha, full of tiny houses for people to have glamping in the woods) while hubs prints t-shirts (he's a 30+ year screen printer) and i...probably work in whichever local grocery store is closest to where we end up. I want to crochet more, maybe for profit? as well as maybe sell a few veggies, or eggs, or goats milk, at a farm market, possibly

It's so great to see you hanging with the bulls!!!

Great video. We are about 5 years into our farm. Still taking baby steps. I was handed 80 Acres of land passed down from family. 110% correct about off farm income. My wife is A RN, and I'm a Water Utility Employee. We depend on those for our future retirement with hopes we can give our kids a stable working farm for them to decide what works best for them.

It’s very interesting to learn how you got started, how you expand kind of conservatively. In the US at least, what’s presented as normal is just to go into debt and spend decades making payments. Seems to me this is a much healthier, less stressful mindset, to work and save and learn and plan, and build your dream over time. Seems like it would be a better quality of life too.

your best video so far. thx morgan.

A large/long stiff canvas bag with a hook on the side for the reel might be a good idea for carrying that stuff, maybe have part of it cut away so it is easier to place or remove the stakes?

Amazing video, love it production is great

Thanks for the breakdown on the farm business....Morgan...!

Looking at those drone shots... you have some good board footage out there. You could always allow 20 acres or so of your trees to be harvested for some supplemental income one of these years.

Excellent 'words of wisdom', Morgan!

Morgan, easily your best video ever. Really selfless advice, and some great ideas. Great video editing, too. You're accidently going to push many Canadians to think about doing this, because of our universal health care and excellent education system, as well as strong property rights, it's so much easier than the States.

I was never interested in farming until I started watching your videos, I find it really relaxing. UK

May you and yours have a good Thanksgiving.

Starting small is outstanding advice.

You are one very smart guy! Love your videos! Thank you for sharing..

I love how he gives the answer right at the start

Good advice

Brilliant video Morgan, well done 👍

I'm also in the same boat of, I like a mix of things to do throughout the day. That's why I moved my office home. Eventually Donald would like to be home, but for now we're happy about his new job

This was more than just farm advice.. this was really good life advice.

Maybe something like a golf club bag would help with carrying the fence stakes. A long, tough, not huge bag that you can sling over a shoulder

I'm glad you made a video about this. I'd been curious about savings and how much you paid for that much land. The housing market is beyond insane at the moment. I found this channel before it got wild, and started looking, then all of a sudden things were bought up with cash over asking price by companies.

That answered a lot of burning questions!

Good topic. As a single person no kids with a small ag zoned homestead I had to consider what my choices on debt were pretty seriously because it can really easily get out of hand quickly. The other thing was the big topic of time. Labor is huge in maintaining a normal house but in maintaining a homestead while maintaining a home and working full time it's easy to get overwhelmed unless you're careful about what you choose to take on and when.

Straight up ANSWERS

This is so helpful I want to do a horse and goat farm when I graduated from college and move to south Dakota.

The perfect size farm. My family goes to Vermont every year for vacation

Wise answer

Great advice Morgan!

Happy Monday Morgan

Good advice!!!😊

I hope you get sponsored by Lucas sawmills. Complete the barn renovation with logs from fencelines and future pastures.

love your videos! It is wonderful to see you promote sustainability and general good human beingness!

you need a small cart, with tubes for fence stakes, holder for fence reels, space for a couple buckets of feed, and a camera mount

Another inspiring video, going to start growing my micro greens!

In County Cork, Ireland, quite a few small farms also run a bed & breakfast. I suspect that would work great in any remotely touristy area, such as New England where you are. In someplace like Kansas or Nebraska, it would probably only work if you were located within a few miles of a major Interstate highway.

Just wanted to let you know that out of my hundreds of subs, you are one of the VERY few I have notifications turned ON on for... I'm have maybe 5 or 6 bells turned on, if that. And you're the latest! Love everything about you guys and your farm. My 5 year old loves Toby dog and my favorite is definitely Ron Swanson!

Love your farm 🚜

keep inspiring the aspirants... peace from 🇵🇭 here

Awesome job

It's like the question, how big a tractor do I need? It depends...what are you trying to do? With hydroponics you can do a lot with very little acreage compared to cattle that need more space. Throw in the YT wildcard income stream and now farming/homesteading can be self supporting with a successful channel. Good stuff...appreciate your transparency.

Get the trough out of a 4ft feed trough. Take it off the frame and put a rope as the handle and drag it behind you. Easy to just pull post and throw them in the trough and both your hands are free to reel up the wire.

Very interesting video, thank you. While I'm not one of your viewers who ever wants to own a farm - small or large - I think your words hold wisdom for any new venture. I also think of your first paddock move and the smoothly efficient job I saw today, and that underlines how much we learn from the first time we do a task onwards - it's so easy to forget. So start small, don't expect you'll know it all and be able to do anything perfectly the first time! I have kept an example of the first time I took a call for a new job to the later examples and the incoherent all over the place mess of the first attempt doesn't dishearten me at all - but strengthens my spine and gives me so much motivation to undertake new tasks and learn - but I always have to remind myself there will be a stage of learning - that I will make mistakes the first time and that I will get better. Thank you again!

Excellent video! We plan to buy property in TN in the next year or so to start our own homestead. Step one - we visited the state to see which area would work best for what we had in mind. Step two - we found jobs back home (south-central PA) where we could transfer to our chosen area/s in TN. Step three - we are working on eliminating our debt. We just paid off our cars with proceeds from my inheritance after my father passed. Step four - I am working on 4 other revenue streams (insurance sales, real estate wholesaling, an Etsy store to sell seeds/plants, etc, Homesteading/gardening videos for a RU-vid channel that I will be creating) that I can do to eventually stop the daily grind of going to work away from home. Step five - I'm working on fixing up and splitting the duplex I own in Western MD to sell. The proceeds from that, as well as my other revenue streams, will be used to buy our property in TN. Step six - start honing my gardening skills. I'm in the process of installing a no-dig garden so it is ready for planting in the spring. LOTS of work! LOTS of moving parts! But I am DETERMINED to get there!! I want to be homesteading and debt free!!

Love this video. Even if I'm not interested in having a barn, you're advice can help in my daily life. Also, kinda bummed Kurt will turn into Jerky, he seems like he can be an OG member of the barn. Bit business is business. Keep up the videos Morgan, not sure how I stumbled upon this channel but it's my favorite on YT!!!

Nope, land is gold ❤️ you have been doing an amazing job at taking care of the things on your land, not just the farm. You may have bought more land than you need, but you have been making amazing progress. I would love to live in that much land even with out the farm. Possibly just self sustaining, but saving land is important. Thank you 🙏