Evn and Kaliape Neely rode in a tractor with their dad as he prepared to plant wheat and alfalfa on his own farm in Yellow Jacket for the first time.
These children are going along for the ride as their parents and relatives join a growing crop of new farmers in Montezuma County this year. Some, like Cortez residents Chris and Janna Neely, hope to become large-scale commercial producers. Some just want to sell products to local farmers markets.
Already in debt and facing unpredictable weather and crop markets, they rely on the support of other farmers, both old and new, to help them break even over the next few years.
Chris Neely is a fifth-generation farmer, but growing up, he didn’t think he would follow in his parents’ footsteps. He left the family farm near Yellow Jacket for several years and planned to stay away, until his younger brother died and he realized he was the only one who could carry on the business. After about seven years of working on his parents’ land, he and Janna want to start their own farm.
“We just decided we’d better do our own thing and figure out how to run it,” Chris Neely said.
They plan to sell their products to dairies and feed lots across the U.S.
Sharon Hackett has more modest aspirations. Along with her nine children and numerous grandchildren, she plans to grow all-natural vegetables on 12 acres south of Cortez and sell them to farmers markets. It will be more of a family bonding exercise than a way to earn a living, she said, but she still hopes to sell enough to cover their expenses.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farms in Montezuma County have been shrinking in the past few decades. The 2002 and 2012 Census of Agriculture revealed that the average size of a farm had decreased from 1,215 acres in 1997 to 607 acres in 2012, while the number of farms had grown from 763 to 1,138. In 2012, more than 400 of Montezuma farms were between 10 and 49 acres. Small farmers like the Neelys and the Hacketts are becoming more common. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easy for them.
Startup challengesThe first thing a budding farmer needs is land, and in Montezuma County, that can be hard to come by. According to real estate websites like landwatch.com and landandfarm.com, agricultural land in the region can be listed for as much as $11,000 per acre. Instead of buying land, the Neelys are leasing about 340 acres from Chris Neely’s parents. Sharon Hackett inherited her land from her mother, and her oldest daughter, Starla Hackett, said that’s the only reason they’re able to start a farm business at all.
“You can get (land) if you want to buy it and pay outrageous prices,” she said. “Otherwise, no.”
The land is just the beginning.
Janna Neely said she’s been surprised by how much paperwork comes with starting a farm. Her family spent about a year and a half planning their budget, applying for loans and trying to learn as much as they could about the business before they put seeds in the ground. They attended budget and networking workshops in addition to their own research. They’ve gotten a lot of good advice from local experts like Colorado State University extension agents Gus Westerman and Tom Hooten, and Southwest Colorado Research Center scientist Abdel Berrada.
For the Hacketts, the biggest obstacle has been the quality of soil on their land. It doesn’t have enough of the nutrients they want for their plants, so they’ve turned to local experts to find out how to improve it before planting season.
“Learning what the soil needs, that’s the biggest challenge,” Sharon Hackett said.
And no matter how much planning the new farmers accomplish, there’s always a measure of uncertainty in entering the agriculture industry. Janna Neely said that’s part of the reason she’s a little nervous about the farm’s first year in production.
“(There’s) a lot of risk, because all of our stuff is dependent on the weather, which no one can control,” she said.
The Neelys have invested thousands of dollars in their farm, and have a lot to lose if they don’t break even in a year or two. The Hacketts all have other sources of income, so their situation isn’t as stressful, but they’re still anxious to grow enough vegetables to get into the farmers market scene.
Teamwork and the futureThe Neelys believe they need to work together with other farmers in order to succeed. They organized a networking workshop at the Four States Agricultural Exposition in mid-March in order to meet farmers and share ideas.
“We should be competing with people outside of our area,” Chris Neely said at the workshop. “Our neighbors are the people we should be cooperating with. ... Whether it’s older producers who have been doing this for a long time or newer producers like ourselves, it’s nice to have that communication.”
Only about five people attended the workshop, but they had an in-depth discussion about the region’s strengths and weaknesses, and what farmers can do to support one another.
One group attempting to connect farmers is the Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative, which is made up of about 20 small family farms in the Four Corners area. The Hacketts hope to join them once they start producing, in hopes that the group can help them distribute their vegetables more effectively. But Sharon Hackett said they need to show that they can produce enough to sell before they can join.
Very little is certain about the families’ first year in agriculture, but they all said they’re optimistic and nervous. Starla Hackett, who had to quit her previous job as a highway construction worker after a severe car accident, is especially excited about the project.
“I’m just looking forward to doing something again,” she said.
The Neelys hope to build the kind of business that will get their three young children interested in farming.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction when you can say at the end of the day, ‘I made something with my hands,’” Janna Neely said.
