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sheffy4 · 10-11-2009, 07:16 AM

Hello Forum-ites,

I'm hoping there are some farmers out there who could drop a few pearls of wisdom in my path. Recently I've felt a strong interest in farming/ranching. I know a lot of you are probably vegetarian/vegan, but I just want to make it known that I am interested in raising both plants and animals.
My grandparents are cattle ranchers about 400 miles away, and the few friends I've told about my farming interest have suggested I try to live and work with them for a few months, but for a few reasons I've resisted it. I think the main reason is I want to feel like I am doing something without the help of family, instead, venturing out and seeing how I do among strangers and things that aren't familiar to me. Still, asking the grandparents if I could work with them might still be the best idea I have.
I've looked online, and it seems that lots of farms actually have internships, which is pretty much what I was looking for. I want to work and learn on a farm for a few months (maybe longer) to see if I actually enjoy it, and if I do, see if I can somehow make a living at it. However, a lot of the internships require the applicants to have farming/ranching experience, which I don't have. I emailed one farm that sounded great, and didn't require experience, but after a couple weeks I have not heard anything back. I know they must be busy, but still I was hoping to get a response from them.
Anyway, do any of you work a farm or ranch? How might I get some experience in this area to see if it's something I would want to do?

10-11-2009, 07:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
sheffy4 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 337	How do I get real farming experience? Hello Forum-ites, I'm hoping there are some farmers out there who could drop a few pearls of wisdom in my path. Recently I've felt a strong interest in farming/ranching. I know a lot of you are probably vegetarian/vegan, but I just want to make it known that I am interested in raising both plants and animals. My grandparents are cattle ranchers about 400 miles away, and the few friends I've told about my farming interest have suggested I try to live and work with them for a few months, but for a few reasons I've resisted it. I think the main reason is I want to feel like I am doing something without the help of family, instead, venturing out and seeing how I do among strangers and things that aren't familiar to me. Still, asking the grandparents if I could work with them might still be the best idea I have. I've looked online, and it seems that lots of farms actually have internships, which is pretty much what I was looking for. I want to work and learn on a farm for a few months (maybe longer) to see if I actually enjoy it, and if I do, see if I can somehow make a living at it. However, a lot of the internships require the applicants to have farming/ranching experience, which I don't have. I emailed one farm that sounded great, and didn't require experience, but after a couple weeks I have not heard anything back. I know they must be busy, but still I was hoping to get a response from them. Anyway, do any of you work a farm or ranch? How might I get some experience in this area to see if it's something I would want to do?