Would you ever hire an Agricultural Consultant?

[Todd 02]

As a precursor to this post, I am not trying to advertise or gain publicity for a business; I am simply gauging interest in a business model that interests me. If the moderators do not agree with this post, please remove it and email me saying as much. That said, here we go:

I have always had a strong entrepreneurial urge and find it practically oozing out of me lately. To say that I'm not happy with my current position would be a huge understatement, but I am very interested in owning my own business and working for myself. My current position is a sustainable one, but is honestly "just a job" to me. A little about me: I grew up in the Texas cotton country and have always had an inexplicable yearning to work in agriculture. I showed cattle in high school and began raising a small herd in 2005. I am a graduate of Texas A&M and hold two degrees in agricultural sciences, one in Ag Systems Management and one in Ag Engineering. I am a registered professional engineer in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

While realizing that many business ventures fail, some often before they ever get off the ground, I find myself enamored with one, in particular, that I feel has some value. It is service oriented, so I do not feel as though any of the ideas I put forth here could be compromised by another individual. My current business model idea is to form an agricultural consulting firm. Having worked for the Texas Ag Experiment Station in college and studied the Ag industry in Texas, I am well aware that there is little disposable income in farming and ranching and that many of the programs farmers and ranchers seek to assist them are often free from the state agriculture agencies. However, I think that there might be a small niche in assisting hobby farmers and ranchers in areas such as:

• Farm and Ranch Planning and Layout
• Animal Housing and Handling Facility Design
• Agricultural Waste Handling and Disposal Operations
• Animal Record Keeping and Monitoring
• Agricultural / Environmental Permitting and Compliance
• & General Agricultural Engineering.

My questions to y'all, since many of you, I believe, would fit into the group I would market to, are: have you ever found yourself needing a business such as this and would you hire one?

Please be frank when replying as this is something I would like to have a real feel for before investing much into it.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

one you should add ,,,,,and be at the very top """cattle consultant""

 

[Isomade]

1. Would I be interested? No
2. Do I think it could work? Yes

With the current cost of getting started in the agriculture industry most people getting in have money from another source and use cattle in particular as a tax write off. Contrary to popular opinion their interest is to do things correctly and profitably, that is just their nature. But, they tend to invest more into infrastructure like fencing, nice barns, equipment ect... To offset taxes.
It would take time to get off the ground, and would have to be marketed to the right group but I think it could work.

The toughest obstacle you will have in your current location is The Noble Foundation in Ardmore Ok.

 

[TexasBred]

Todd there might be a market for your services..I really don't know but I'd want to see something in your background to show me that you yourself had been successful in these agricultural ventures as well before you start being a consultant for me. Some real world background rather than just the shingle. ok? ;-)

 

[Dave]

Would I hire one. No, mainly because I am one. Not with the same qualifications you listed but there are people within the organization who do have those qualification. I pretty much specialize in the animal waste end of things.

Do other people hire them? Yes, they certainly do.

 

[dun]

Jack of all trades master of none. When I look to hire someone I want someone that is specialized in the specific field I'm needing help with.

 

[CottageFarm]

I can see the possibilities for the just starting out hobby farmer, but i think it's a pretty small market in most parts of the country right now. While you have a "movement" to capitalize on, you are also hampered by a sluggish economy.
Speaking for myself, I can't even afford to do all of the infrastucture improvements that I want, so my consultants are right here on this board, and there is a plethora of research info on the internet, which is how I found this board. Again, I can only speak for myself, but I won't finance any part of my operation, and all revenue goes back into seeds, equipment, facilities, more animals, feed....and IF lol someday, there happens to be anything left over, my hubby gets to buy another tractor.

Bottom line, it has enough possibilities to be viable, so I woouldn't give up on the idea...But I wouldn't recommend you quit you day job to do it either. It's the sort of thing that you could certainly start as a sideline business & see if it's something you could build on from there.

 

[cross_7]

if you can show me how to turn a profit on cattle, i'll be your first customer.
everything else i just wing it then look back and say i should have...

 

[Howdyjabo]

shingles are pretty useless on their own.
I want someone that has been there, done that- and made money.
They are usually too busy making more money to do any consulting

That being said- the people you are targeting would LOVE your shingles and look down on me.
Absentee rich owners are a growing segment right now- so your timing would be good.
You SEEM a Little short on land/pasture management, health and nutrition- might need a partner to round out your consulting .
California might be a good place to start- the regulations out there are killing farmers. They NEED shingles to help them navigate.
Good Luck

 

[dun]

Thinking this over, what you're talking about is pretty much a mentor only paying for it.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think it would work but I think you would starve to death if you kept your business only with the small landowners. Small landowners are very hard to deal with because they will wear you down earning their trust. They will constantly question your actions and recommendations and your returns will be modest at best - assuming they even pay you and the check don't bounce. Of course you've got to start somewhere and the hind teet is usually the best place to start but if you are good at what you do and treat people fairly then word of mouth will open doors you wouldn't even know are there. Good luck.

 

[Jim62]

I really can't see PAYING for a farm consultation. There's waaay too much competent info out there free for nothing. Like the internet, state and federal farm agencies, farm and ranch product and service companies, and yes, even neighbors.

Might be a fit for someone just trying to piddle away some money for tax purposes, though...........

 

[1wlimo]

I have been looking at doing agronomy work for people. Do they need it, Yes they do, but they do not see the need let alone be willing to pay. Lots of people growing canolla in the area soil test every year, or two years but then totally disregard the fertiliser reconmendations!!!

Having come from a back ground where most people would have an agronomist walk their crops several times, and use other consultants on an as need basis is a big differance to here.

There is only so much advice the best consultants or information sources can provide unless they are on site.

Personally I may have to prove my self by giving advice for free for a start. A big issue is that here in Alberta, it is easy if the farm does not pay to get extra income form working in the oilpatch.

There is a need for your idea Todd, but getting it to pay may take a while.

 

[Dave]

If you decide to do it one of the first things to do would be to sign up with NRCS as a technical service provider (TSP). NRCS has more money for EQIP than they have people to design projects so they have gone to farming some things out to the private sector. You wont get rich doing TSP but it will keep the doors open while you develop other clients. Being a registered PE in three states opens a lot oppurtunity to pick and choose which NRCS office you want to work with and which you want to avoid. This is important because some of those feds are good to work with but some will drive a person crazy. Doing this also puts you in touch with a lot of ranchers and farmers while someone else is paying the bill. They have the oppurtunity to see what you can provide to them.

 

[1982vett]

With the "new and improved" "hedge fund farming" on the horizon...it's probably going to be valuable service....someone is going to have to do the foot work for them....

 

[Dixieangus]

Isnt this what the county extension is for?

 

[Dixieangus]

But todd i am curious on how you would charge? like face to face 15 bucks an hour, etc.

 

[Todd 02]

After reading some of your responses, I definitely need to reconsider how I describe my services. To elaborate, I was thinking less "how-to raise cattle" and more infrastructure planning and design; agricultural waste handling and disposal; animal record keeping; and environmental permitting and compliance. More specifically, things like:

• Designing working pens
• Designing barns and sheds
• Designing ponds
• Pasture fencing plans
• Ranch entrance design
• Composting
• Brush removal
• Air and Water quality
• Remote animal surveillance systems
• Management of infrastructure construction
• Drainage and erosion control.

My marketing effort would be tailored towards the individuals who have virgin land and want to get their setup going or those who encounter problems that require professional engineering work, but tailored to the rural lifestyle instead of being a big city civil engineering firm.

At first, the firm would be heavily weighted to Agricultural engineering and less weighted towards agronomy and animal nutrition. If there is enough of a demand, perhaps a partnership with a specialist in agronomy and/or animal nutrition would be in my future. Or even better, employing a specialist.

As far as cost, it would be determined by the type of work. Engineering fees are usually worth $60-200 per hour in the civil sector, depending on the level of experience of the engineer performing the work and they type of work they are performing. I prefer doing work on a value basis instead of a cost basis. Because it is service oriented and I can start on the side, I envision overhead costs being relatively low, which will give me the opportunity to experiment with the business without too much financial risk.

Thanks for letting me bounce my ideas off of y'all. Keep the feedback coming if you don't mind.

 

[Howdyjabo]

So basically you are just offering to be a building contractor so the owner doesn't have to spend time organizing whats already easily available.
Around here I can hire local guys that know how to do all that. And they don't charge $60/hr(till they start running equipment ).
As was said plans and regulation advice are already easily accessible.

As I already said--- in California you might do real well- their regulations are so complicated that there is a real need for someone like you to take away the headaches. And unless the economy crumbles(bigger things to worry about)overwhelming Regulations are going to keep spreading - so the market may get bigger over time. The guys around here (that I can hire to do the work) might even want to hire you so they don't have to deal with regulation nightmares, but right now the regulations we have are easily managed(for the most part).

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Starting ANY TYPE of consulting business is a long shot... It takes having the right hands on experience as well as academic credentials. Takes contacts, networking, referrals, advertising, etc., etc. Other posters are correct: TONS of free information on the internet as well as a variety of State and Federal agency sources. An Example: Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University, has a livestock consulting business on the side. She is world renown...and has written extensively in professional journals and books.

IMO, one would be better served to write a book and find a decent publisher who handles agricultural related manuscripts.

In our own case, we "know" how to be more efficient and make a profit. Problem is...the on-going economy, and the "anti-Longhorn prople" don't help matters any. Then, there are those "high-rollers" who have mega bucks to spare on Livestock operations who (probably) do their enterprise as a tax write-off as well as an ego-boosting drama act to show the "swine out there" just how much "fake" money they are making by wheeling and dealing while being an absentee entrepreteur and letting their ranch managers run everything...

JMO...