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Why Used Farm Equipment Is a Better Option When Starting a Farm

by Kara Masterson

Venturing out to buy your own farm is a major step. It requires a lot of planning built on some very solid management principles. One area where new farmers–like many other budding entrepreneurs–run into trouble is in their capital investment. For a farmer, that means the land itself plus the buildings and equipment that make it a farm. There’s not much you can do to reduce the cost of land or buildings, but you do have some room to cut costs on equipment. Here’s why buying used tractors and implements can be a good way to help your new farm get off the ground.

Smaller Sticker Prices

As we already mentioned, it’s just plain cheaper to buy used. The cost of new tractors can be astronomical, but a solid one that’s ten or even 20 years old can perform just as effectively for a fraction of the cost. Most used equipment dealers, for example, someone like Cappel Sales, have very solid trade-ins all over the lot.

Low-Risk Learning

You probably didn’t learn to drive in your parents’ brand-new vehicle, and you shouldn’t build farming experience aboard a high-dollar tractor pulling a high-dollar implement. There’s a learning curve in getting to know the terrain and soil of your farm, and there are plenty of opportunities to tear something up. Reduce the risk of expensive repairs by developing your skills and learning your place on used equipment. After you know every rock and bump in the place, you’ll feel more comfortable buying new.

The World’s Best Test Drive

Once you’re in the driver’s seat as both the manager and the actual driver, you will want to learn more about equipment before investing so much money in new tractors and implements. Buying used allows you to take things for a spin to see if you like the configuration, performance, and available service for a number of different manufacturers without the financial commitment of buying new from them. It’s a great way to see how you’d eventually like to spend your money on new equipment while avoiding the depreciation hit you’d see from trying out a new tractor for a couple of seasons.

 

You can’t reduce the cost of seed, fertilizer, or pesticides. You can’t slash much off your insurance or utilities, and you sure can’t get bargain livestock. With so many costs stuck so high, take advantage of the opportunity to save some money in at least one area by shopping for used implements to use on your new farm.

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