One of the most frequent questions I receive as a commercial horticulture agent is: What can I grow in Alachua County that is easy to grow and will be profitable? There are no simple answers to this question. The real question should be, what enterprise is the most suitable for me? The profitability of the enterprise will depend on your planning and management skills independently of the agricultural commodity you chose to work with.

Often, this question comes from citizens that have had little or no involvement with agriculture or are considering a small farm as a retirement activity that will (hopefully) generate some revenue. Prospective farmers are commonly very excited about farming and eager to put some plants in the ground and get their project going.

But before getting your hands dirty, there are multiple considerations that you need to contemplate if you are considering starting a small farm. To make it easy for you to focus on those aspects that apply the most to you, I have broken these considerations into short sections that touch on some of the main things to have in mind when you want to start farming. To review one or more of these sections visit the links below:

• Plan
• Land
• Finances
• Choosing and growing your crop successfully
• General resources for new farmers
• Education opportunities

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