What agricultural classes do you need to take to become a farmer?

Answer 1

Most farmers receive their training on the job, often by being raised on a farm. However, the completion of a 2-year associate degree or a 4-year bachelor's degree at a college of agriculture or a university that offers agricultural degrees is becoming increasingly important for farm managers and for farmers and ranchers who expect to make a living at farming. The type of degree that you choose depends on what part of agriculture you are interested in, be it cropping or animal agriculture. A degree in farm management, animal science or crop science or in business (either from a business faculty or in agri-business) with a concentration or minor in agriculture is important. If you cannot or have chosen not to get a degree in business at a college or university, there's always the choice of taking business or accounting courses from a separate college or university. However, a lot of agriculture courses have agri-business courses that must be taken as part of the curriculum for your degree, diploma or certificate.

Students should select the college most appropriate to their interests and location. All state university systems have at least one land-grant college or university with a school of agriculture. Common programs of study include agronomy, dairy science, agricultural economics and business, horticulture, crop and fruit science, and animal science. For students interested in aquaculture, formal programs are available and include coursework in fisheries Biology, fish culture, hatchery management and maintenance, and hydrology.

Agricultural colleges teach technical knowledge of crops, growing conditions, and plant diseases. They also teach prospective ranchers and dairy farmers the basics of veterinary science and animal husbandry. Students also study how the environment is affected by farm operations, for example, how the various pesticides affect local animals.

New farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers often spend time working under an experienced farmer to learn how to apply the skills learned through academic training. Those without academic training often take many years to learn how weather, fertilizers, seed, feeding or breeding affect the growth of crops or the raising of animals in addition to other aspects of farming. A small number of farms offer formal apprenticeships to help young people learn the practical skills of farming and ranching. For example, in Alberta, Canada, the provincial government offers a Green Certificate program for aspiring young farmers and ranchers to work in and gain experience in the field of agriculture. They have to work with an experienced farmer or rancher for at least a year before they are able to earn such a certificate.

Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers need managerial skills to organize and operate a business. A basic knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping is essential in keeping financial records, and knowledge of credit sources is vital for buying seed, fertilizer, and other needed inputs. Workers must also be familiar with complex safety regulations and requirements of governmental agricultural support programs. Computer skills are becoming increasingly important, especially on large farms, where computers are widely used for recordkeeping and business analysis. In addition, skills in personnel management, communication, and conflict resolution are important in the operation of a farm or ranch business.

Mechanical aptitude and the ability to work with tools of all kinds also are valuable skills for a small- or large-farm operator, who often maintains and repairs machinery or farm structures and buildings. These skills can be obtained at a technological college, as an apprentice for a mechanical or welding business, or by self-teachings.

All in all, in order to be a farmer you have to own land and raise crops and/or livestock to be sold to the markets. In the past it was easy to make a living off of farming, since the only job you needed to have was the one you have on your farm. However, in today's world, just because you own land and raise crops and/or livestock doesn't mean you can make an efficient living off of it. A lot of people who are farmers are getting off-farm jobs to help pay the expenses incurred in the farming practice.

Answer 2

There are all sorts of colleges or programs that you can enroll to become a farmer, and these vary depending on where you live. In the U.S., your local ag college is a good place to start, where you can enroll in an agricultural certificate or degree in different sectors that you are most interested in and wish to carry through as a future farmer. You can also contact your local county extension office for other information pertaining to your area or the area where you are interested in farming, to get things like soil quality or soil type maps, types of vegetation for grazing livestock, best types of crops to grow on your land, stocking rates and carrying capacity for grazing livestock, the list goes on. In Canada, at least in Alberta, there's a Green Certificate program put out by the Alberta government to assist in future farmers on getting a hands-on learning experience with different sectors of the agricultural industry, from crop farming to chicken farming to even learning how to look after horses. There are also colleges that have agricultural certification or degree courses, for instance Lakeland College here in Alberta in Vermillion has courses on cow-calf, sheep and dairy operations, as well as cropping practices, among other things. You just have to look around to find what you are interested in and do some research.

Now, if you are born and raised a farm kid and have goals to take over your parent's farm, you don't really need an education to start since you would have your folks to help you along the way, however it is nice to have a college or university degree under your belt, as well as personal farming experience. Experience takes you a lot further than an educational certificate or degree in farming. See, the things that they teach you in school basically can be applied to your farm, but other things can be thrown at you that you don't even expect and that your instructors haven't taught you to deal with; these things include financial troubles and mechanical troubles, as well as the curve-balls that Mother Nature likes to throw at farmers from time to time. Sitting at a desk and reading about farming isn't the same as actually doing it. That's where hands-on experience can be so valuable its difficult to describe! For instance, its easy to read about the flight-zone of cattle and how to work them into an alleyway to get them into the chute, but it's totally different when you've got some dumb son of a guns that won't go in no matter how impatient you get or how many tricks you try that your trusty book has told you to do. That book tells it like every cow is the same, with the same personality and behaviour and yaddi-yadda. But in the real world, every cow has a different personality and different ways of handling stimuli such as you herding them into the alleyway. You see what I mean? Same goes with horses, pigs, sheep, etc. Even every piece of machinery has their own glitches and "personalities".

Answer 3

You can become a farmer without any training at all, because generally farmers are self-employed. However, to become a good farmer, some agricultural classes may be in order. These will really depend on what you want to farm, because there's no point learning how to raise pigs if you want to grow potatoes. If you're going to work on somebody else's farm, as in farm manager or farmhand, what training you'll need will depend on the employer. The employees we hire for our farm are virtually all unskilled, because they all get on-the-job training on how to use the mango machinery.

Answer 4

A farmer needs to know how best to use the available facilities on the land. He needs to be able to get the best produce to market to raise income. He needs to be able to make money to invest in the future of his resources. Farmers need to be diverse in their outlook to cope with the imponderables which will occur in the process of agriculture.

Answer 5

none what so ever

However, if one wishes to become a successfulfarmer, all of the following are helpful:

• some agricultural education, both in the classroom and on a farm
• access to some farmland
• startup capital (money) to purchase equipment and crop inputs
• a ready market for the crops produced

Answer 6

well first you have to cook the beans. make sure they are garbanzo otherwise the whole thing will be laughed at. then, you must place them in a straw hat and let them sit. ship them to California, and you will start your career farming. unless, of course, you would like to be a corn farmer. this is very difficult, and can only be achieved if you are a certified genius. precisely.

Answer 7

There is no educational requrement for farming.

However many modern farmers will get a Degree in Agriculture.

Answer 8

what skill do you need to become a farmer will you need to now how to sher sheep and milk a cow andbring in sheep to