Got Extra Land And You Want To Plant Crops To Help Farmers? Here Is How
Farmers face a difficult situation in this country. There is plenty of land, but "small" farms and the farmers who own them cannot address the expense of keeping up the land and making enough money to keep the farms going. Sometimes, farmers have to parcel off pieces of their land, sell it, and then use that money to keep the farms going. If you would like to help these farmers, and if you have an extra acre or more of land, here are some ways in which you can help.
Plant Supplemental Crops for a Farmer in Need
Meet with all of your nearest farmers. Find out which ones are in most need of assistance. Offer to partner with one of those farmers, and promise to plant a crop he or she can use. This may be a supplemental crop that the farmer will sell to create extra money to support the farm, or it may be an animal crop to feed the animals that he/she cares for on the farm.
Plant a Crop to Help Feed Livestock
If you plant grain, hay, or corn on your extra land, you can then offer that to a farmer who needs extra food for his/her cows, pigs, sheep, etc. The extra food for the livestock helps the farmer make it through the winter when he/she is most likely to be short on food for the animals.
If you plan to help your local farmers this way, be sure to invest in your own planting equipment, which includes the following:
- A tractor for plowing
- A rock picker accessory to clear the planting field of rocks
- A planter for planting seeds
- A manure spreader, which fertilizes the ground and spreads other types of fertilizer on your field
- A harvester, which will help you cut down crops when the time is right
A combine is an all-in-one piece of planting equipment. If you have the money, and you would rather use a combine, the combine can be substituted for all of the above machines, excepting the planter. You would still have to purchase a planter accessory to pull behind the combine.
To learn more about planting equipment, check out websites like http://www.bane-welker.com/.
Lend Farmers Farm Equipment
Finally, consider constructing a machine shed on your property and filling it with common, second-hand planting and harvesting equipment. Tell all of the farmers in your area that you have this equipment so that they will always have access to equipment they need without having to buy it. Any time their own equipment breaks down, and the farmers cannot fix it due to financial reasons, you can lend them the same equipment with the simple caveat that they return it in good working order.