Can The Average Person Succeed At Farming?
Here’s the answer from an average person who became the poster boy for urban farming
Wally Satzewich gets asked the question all the time by those seeking a role model. A former cab driver turned pioneering urban farmer and the creator of SPIN-Farming, he’s a good candidate. He’s been selling at the farmers market in Saskatoon, SK Canada for 30+ years. He’s farmed in urban, peri-urban and rural contexts, sometimes all at the same time, and has been through many business and operating models. He says he sees farmers come and go all the time. Typically they last one or two years, then move on to something else. Why? They can’t seem to figure things out, or make things go their way.
Can the average person succeed at farming? Here’s what he says: “By an “average” person I will take it to mean if you haven’t come from a farm background, and may have just known only a regular 9 to 5 job. My background pretty much reflects this, so I am living proof that you don’t need to come from any special type of background or situation to carve out a career in farming.”
Wally points out that he developed the SPIN-Farming system for others to follow so that they don’t need to be out in the country to farm, and to give a farm business a structure. “SPIN defines work flows, much like regular 9 to 5 work schedules so you don’t have to feel you need to leave behind a normal existence if you want to farm.”
SPIN-Farming is all about creating a life and work habits that are much like any other regular job, he says. “Sometimes you have to work overtime, and sometimes you don’t get a day off. But that is nothing new to regular people who want to get a little ahead in life. So people who have had regular- type jobs are a good fit for SPIN-Farming. Putting in regular type work days, with overtime during certain parts of the season, is certainly within the reach of your average individual.”
He doesn’t find standardized skill assessment sheets or formulaic self-evaluation checklists all that relevant. If you are drawn to farming and are trying to figure out how to go about it, one of the best ways is to connect locally and virtually with other farmers. Wally runs a private online support group for those following his system where SPIN farmers at varying levels of experience talk about what their farms are like, how they’re businesses are going and how much money they are making.
While there really is no typical SPIN farmer, what has emerged from those discussions are these 10 common characteristics:
1. They are production-driven
2. They grow high quality and niche crops that they can sell at strong prices
3. They turn the stories of their farms into economic worth in the marketplace
4. They set goals, plan, and identify measurable revenue targets
5. They set yield and revenue benchmarks, and track them
6. They do not take on much, if any, debt
7. They use change as an opportunity to improve
8. They try new approaches to business arrangements, such as networking, partnerships, and diversification
9. They keep up-to-date on food trends
10. They know how to assess, take on and manage reasonable risk
There is one make or break question that anyone contemplating farming for a living needs to answer, and it is one few realize to ask themselves. See what it is in the article below.
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Can You Cut It As A Farmer?
SPIN stands for s-mall p-lot in-tensive.
SPIN Farming is a commercial production system designed specifically for growing spaces under an acre in size. It was developed in the mid-90’s by Canadian farmer Wally Satzewich. Those who practice it use gardens, community plots and vacant land to start and operate moneymaking farm businesses that serve the needs of local communities.
