How to Know if Livestock Farming is for You

Not everyone is fit for livestock farming. You need to possess certain characteristics to successfully manage a stable of farm animals. Also, you have to be ready to meet the demands of this challenging activity. Is raising farm animals a worthwhile hobby, or perhaps a money making venture, for you? To help you make a wise decision, here is a list of considerations you must think about.

• Your financial resources – Raising farm animals can be costly, especially when the markets go awry or when your animals suffer from diseases. Make sure you have enough money to spare should unexpected expenses show up. 

• Your time – Being an owner of farm animals means devoting much of your time feeding your lambs, treating sick horses, and cleaning the barn, among many other tasks. You have to be committed, even if that means missing your favorite TV shows or foregoing your dates. As an owner of farm animals, expect that you will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Your ability to market the farm animals – This is obviously important if you are planning to raise animals for profit. Consider your willingness to sell the sheep you have grown to love or to bring your favorite cattle for slaughtering. The job also entails regularly keeping track of the trends in the market to guarantee sales and profits out of your animals. Consider also your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to promoting your produce and maintaining a steady stream of income from selling the animals you have bred.

• Availability of help – Do you have family members or friends who can lend you a helping hand when you need it? Remember, raising farm animals involves a lot of tasks that can eat up your entire day. So if you have someone who is willing to help, that will make life a lot easier for you. It would be better if you consider hiring a person or two to assist you in your daily routines in managing your farm animals.

• Your ability to handle problems and to stay resilient despite challenges – More often than not, things will definitely turn out against your will when you run a farm animal business. For example, some of your animals may get injured or die. Are you ready to handle such unpleasant events properly? When things go wrong, you must know how to keep your stress level at a minimum to prevent bigger disasters.

• The climate in your area – Can your chosen breed of animals survive in your climate? Of course, you cannot afford to waste money if your animals cannot adapt to the conditions of your area.

• Sufficiency of your facilities – Before you buy farm animals, be sure that you have enough facilities for them. You also need to secure all the permits and licenses required in your state regarding livestock ownership. If your facilities are not enough, you must have the money to spend for the necessary improvements.
