Beginning Farmers

[MrsMadHatter]

Well, from the title of this thread you can gather what I'm going to be doing SOON, well in SEP 2009! Yea, transition from Army life to farm life! A little background info, my husband and I met on a horse farm in KY as I was commissioning into the Army. He has a wealth of knowledge about farming from cattle to crops and everything in between. Me I LOVE to work and I MISS my HORSES! I've decided I'm not very happy at a desk all day, I'm sure a lot of you can relate. Anyways, my mom and brother with his family live in ND and that's where we plan on hanging our hats! The land is inexpensive because not many want to deal with the harsh temperatures that great state is known for. So I'm asking you all for suggestions of things that should not be overlooked for beginning farmers as far as cost and other issues that may arise. Any suggestions, other than "DON'T DO IT!" will be greatly appreciated.

[Rhodie]

Welcome Mrs Hatter, will you also be keepin cattle or just the horses?
A good start when beginning a new farm is to contact local people involved in similar enterprises and gain some valuable local knowledge, to aquire a mentor is priceless (assuming they know what they are doing). If you are fortunate to have a large animal vet in your area,make him/her your best friend, they are like hens teeth there days, and having expert advise on vaccination programs etc not to mention having a vet who will actually come out on call in an emergency can save your best horse or bull ( the best ones are always the ones that catch the strangest diseases).
Outline your plans, and see what suggestions come back through the forum.