The Progressing Farmer Buys a Farm Part 3: How to Pick the Right Farm

In Part 1 of this series, Jenn Colby described her drive to farm, how hard she worked to make a go of it on a tight budget, the business plan that told her, don’t quit your day job and maybe get a better paying job so you can afford your farming dream, and how that led her to grad school AND 4 foundation ewes for the farm she dreamed of. In Part 2 she described how thinking about things in a new way helped her and her husband get together on the farm dream to move forward and how selling their old place and renting for a short time gave them flexibility and experiences they could use when looking for farm funding. Now she's back with tips you can use to make sure you're picking the farm that's right for you. Eighteen months went by in our little rental house, and as spring approached we knew it was time to put that energy and attention into finding the farm.  We were healed and rested from the stresses of our old house, we were motivated; it was time to kick the momentum train in gear.  Slow Money Vermont was planning an entrepreneur presentation showcase for potential donors and lenders.  It felt like jumping off a cliff (the first of many, we would find), but we signed up. The presentation forced us to condense many ideas, and we assembled a hando