Episodes
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Change your mindset and get on track with your farm
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
We have had a few people get back to us recently why they think the time isn’t right to really dig in and make their farm ownership dreams happen. Given we are kicking off our farm pitching program (www.cultivatefarms.com/cultivator), I thought now was another great time to smash through any excuses you have which are stopping you getting on your pathway to own your farm.
1. You need to be ready to jump onto opportunities The Cultivate Farms team continually get asked to comment on next gen farm ownership issues and this is helping us to uncover farm ownership opportunities. This means that farms could pop up anywhere, anytime, and they could meet your needs perfectly. But unless you have a plan and are ready, we are going to struggle to recommend you to these retiring farmers. Our need is to have high quality farmers, with a plan and proven record, to put in front of farmers that are always coming to us. That means you need to be ready, mentally and also with a plan and track record. That is why we started Cultivator - our farm pitching program. It is the very best way for you to work through everything you need to make sure you are ready. The program works and you just need to take the leap to do it. You have to have a plan, you need confidence and you need to practice your pitch; everything you get in the program.
2. Farms are expensive People have been saying this for decades and it is probably more true than ever now. But no matter the price of farms, you need to be the best farmer that can make money off the farm or farming area you want to farm. Even if you had the money to buy a farm, you wouldn’t be farming somewhere you couldn’t make money. So make sure you know how to farm well and make money, then pick the locations where you think the land prices will work and focus your efforts there. Maybe you are looking at areas, which don’t make sense for the farming you do.
3. I’m too busy Life will never get quieter and you always make time for your priorities We tell our farmers to sit back and think about what they want out of life and if farm ownership is up the top, then we know and have seen, farmers make time. Once you do the heavy lifting on the why, how, what and finances, you will be able to hunt for farms and ownership opportunities like breathing. It is getting things going and having the plan clear at the start which takes time. But you need to find it, and you can if your driver is to own your farm.
4. I’m not ready If you don’t know how to run a farm and make money off it, then you probably aren’t ready.
But if you are working for someone else or doing farming on your own through leasing or a small block, then you are probably ready.
This is about you being confident in your own skills. Don’t worry about what others will think. If you know you are a great farmer, then you are ready. Cultivator 6 The next farm investment program starts in early May and places are filling. So please do jump on the website and check it out.
If you want to own your farm, you need a plan and this is the best way to get you to get that plan and the confidence to realise it. Get more information here: www.cultivatefarms.com/cultivator
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Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Cultivate Farms matching farmers with investors and retiring farmers
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
If you can't afford to buy a farm yourself, are there ways that you might be able to team up with people who have the capital to invest in you?
There are so many people who would love to own their farm and farm ownership is so deep. They wanted to own their farm but if you start from scratch and aren't going to inherit, a five million ticket is a pretty big price.
It's not gonna be a smooth pathway or an easy pathway to get there, but it's possible.
Wednesday Mar 10, 2021
Matching Farmers in the Mildura and Mallee regions (Ft.Rebecca from ABC Wimmera)
Wednesday Mar 10, 2021
Wednesday Mar 10, 2021
Cultivate Farms have a focus on the Mildura and Mallee regions with our efforts to match farmers. We want to get at least three farm ownership matches in the next 12 months. Sam chats with Rebecca from ABC Wimmera about how anyone can be a farm matchmaker and help keep/bring the next generation into farm ownership.
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Federal AgriStarter Loans are now available
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
The Federal Government have just announced the AgriStarter Loan is now available. They say they are 'loans to assist first-time farmers and loans to support farm succession arrangements'.
https://www.ric.gov.au/agristarter#guidelines
I have had a quick skim and it looks pretty good. Good rate and terms and it is excellent support next gen farmers and retiring farmers. But you still need to have a farm business plan, have some equity and have an arrangement with a bank. We will be working through the loan with our Cultivators in the current program to see how they can leverage this. It emphasises the need for you to have your farm business plan and/or investment proposal ready. There are so many opportunities to get onto your farm - the limitation is you having words on paper and financial model to convince someone to back you. This is why we run Cultivator - farm pitching program - a few times a year. So that we get you ready to jump onto opportunities like the AgriStarter Loan. Check out details here and we kick off on Feb 18. Applications close soon.
www.cultivatefarms.com/cultivator
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Persistence in your farm ownership pathway pays off
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Sam interviews Sheia from Lifeforce Farms (https://lifeforcefarm.com/) who has been on the farm ownership journey for many years. We have been working to help Sheia uncover opportunities and she just recently secured another long term partnership with a landholder. Sheia talks about the amount of effort required in finding opportunities, about the persistence needed to uncover opportunities and how powerful (and sometimes daunting) sharing her story is (via blogs and social media), but now without that constant storytelling, opportunities would not have opened up for her.
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Why every aspiring farmer (and business) should also be a media company?
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Monday Jul 06, 2020
Sam shares ideas and his experiences building Cultivate Farms through content creation on social media. He believes that we have never been in a better time to share your ideas, get attention and subsequently uncover opportunities for you to own your farm (or build your business). Sam was speaking at a Bendigo startup meetup event.
Thursday Apr 30, 2020
Cultivate Farms TV Episode 81: Momentum Builds
Thursday Apr 30, 2020
Thursday Apr 30, 2020
In this update Sam Marwood provides an update on how we are continuing to find farm ownership opportunities for you all.
Cultivate Farms TV Episode 81:
- Cultivator Program Update - our 10 farmers are pulling together their farm pitches for the investor
- We are launching a project in Queensland on Vendor Finance - watch this space
- We are pulling together a book - ’The first farm owners guide’. Super excited for this
- Ageing on Farm program is gaining momentum. This will result in a practical guide for farmers on how they can decide if they age on farm and back a next gen farmer
- Many from the agricultural industry are reaching out to us - lots of plans underway to find more farm opportunities for you
- More farms being loaded on the system - www.cultivatefarms.com/farms
Let's get you farming!
Monday Apr 20, 2020
Ageing on farms. How the concept was developed and the intent?
Monday Apr 20, 2020
Monday Apr 20, 2020
Cultivate Farms are developing a guide for Ageing on Farm with Maria Berry who is a champion for older Australians.
Maria and Sam unpack how important this concept will be for retiring farmers across Australia
Ageing on Farm is the process of farmers realising their potential for physical, social and mental wellbeing on their farm.
A cornerstone concept is that ageing farmers heading towards retirement are best able to achieve their goals with partnership opportunities with younger farmers.
We want to help farmers identify pathways to stay on their farm for as long as they want.
Reach out if you would like to be part of the program - sam@cultivatefarms.com
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Dalby Investing in Ag Workshop
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Sam's delivers another ‘1-hour farm ownership pathway plan’ workshop. This time in Dalby Qld as part of the Investing in Ag series.
Sam works through super practical steps on how you can find your own pathway to farm ownership
Get inspired and let’s get you farming
Friday Apr 03, 2020
10 farm ownership pathway activities while stuck inside
Friday Apr 03, 2020
Friday Apr 03, 2020
You may be in your home more, but this doesn’t mean your farm ownership dreams should be stuck as well. Here are 10 ideas to keep you moving on your path.
1. Write your farm investment pitch
You can’t convince someone to invest into a farm if you don’t have a plan and you don’t have a plan unless you have written it down.
So spend your Corona time writing. We have a template you can download - http://www.cultivatefarms.com/aspiringfarmers?fbclid=IwAR3OSwf-mFiabFtstHYlVlWiuEhZL_D8yWigqiY7TFXkOX-Bg-L7ZekV6rQ
Write 10 dot points a day. Just get writing. Pick the farm you want, go to farmbuy.com and pick a farm and just write about it
Write about a farm a retirement aged farmer you know owns and write about that. Get their advice on what you have written and say you are learning how to pitch. What a great conversation starter with them.
Build a financial model. Show you know your stuff.
Or use it to show you don’t know your stuff, but you are learning
2. Read
We have hundreds of blog posts and videos and podcasts of practical tips on how to own your farm
3. Vision board
Create a vision board for what you really want out of life and for your farm. If you don’t know what you are aiming for, how you know if you get there
4. Little black book
Get your list of people you need to be part of your journey - retiring farmers, potential investors, people who know people. Get your list sorted and figure out how you will engage with all of the ongoing, so they help find you farm opportunities.
5. Keep farming or get farming
You need to be good enough for someone to back you, so keep farming.
If you want to farm and haven’t even been farming, what are you doing?! Get out there and work on a farm.
6. Document your farm ownership journey
Finally, setup a Facebook Page and start telling people that you are on a journey to own your farm. Then create one piece of content each day talking about your desire to own a farm.
7. Write letters to retiring farmers
Get out a piece of nice paper and your best pen and write a heartfelt and true letter to one or a few retirement-aged farmers that you know and whose farm you’d love to be involved in.
8. Keep your farmer profile up to date
Investors and retiring farmers do check our profiles and they aren’t impressed when you don’t have much information about yourself in there. So, do yourself a favour and ensure your details are up to date and also present the best story about yourself you can.
https://cultivatefarms.com/blog/Keepyourfarmerdetailsuptodate?fbclid=IwAR3AZuP3CXl4dpO9klEa2e6sRBA3keU5ZPKstOqV6q_SZSvI7KNSz0lz00I
9. Farm ownership pathway plan
Watch this video which works through ways for you to write your own farm ownership pathway plan.
10. Reflect
Use this time to think about what you really want out of life
Is owning a farm really a burning passion? You need to know this or else you aren’t going to follow your passion