Agriculture is big business today and the right farming machinery not only makes the job easier but more profitable. Farmers are always looking for ways to produce more from their land and many of the newer pieces of farming machinery help them raise more crops with fewer passes over the land.

As you begin to gather farming machinery information on which pieces of equipment to purchase, you can quickly determine that you are looking at major expense. While it’s nice to have new farming machinery to operate, you can find other ways to purchase it. Most farmers either purchase used machinery or find a leasing program that is less expensive than the purchase of new farming machinery. To get your farming operation started, you need to:

1. Determine exactly how many pieces of farming machinery you need to plant and harvest your crops.

2. Set a farming machinery budget that includes loan or lease payments for the farm equipment, as well as the cost of any repairs that happen over the course of the growing season.

3. Find farming machinery and purchase it.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase your key piece of farming machinery: the tractor

Determine how many horsepower you need to work your fields. While it may be tempting to purchase a large tractor, you may not need that much tractor for your land. Buying a smaller tractor may save you money.

I recommend: John Deere, a major farming machinery provider, has a complete line of tractors for just about any farming need. There are many Kubota tractors on the market as well.

Buy farming machinery for tilling and planting

With today's no-till agriculture you don't need as many pieces of equipment to prepare the soil for planting. You can even plant some crops with one pass of the farming equipment.

I recommend: The Yetter Manufacturing Company offers a line of farming machinery to help you get your crops planted. Truax Company specializes in seed drills.

Choose farming machinery to harvest your crops

Self-propelled combines or harvesters are expensive. Many of the newer models waste very little seed. This may be a piece of farming equipment that you can seriously consider leasing. Or, you can have your crop custom harvested if you don't want the expense of owning a combine.

I recommend: McCullough Implement Company offers new and used Agco Gleaner combines. The axial flow system of the Case IH combine does a good job of getting all the grain separated from the chaff.

Find used farming machinery

If your bottom line requires you to be on a strict budget, look for well-kept used equipment. Farmers know their livelihood depends on their machinery so they usually take good care of it. It's not uncommon to find farming machinery that's been in use for over fifty years.

I recommend: Sandhills Publishing has many used pieces of farming machinery, including tractors for sale on their TractorHouse.com farming machinery list. The Equipment Locator Service is another good tool for finding used farming machinery.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While it's possible to find farming machinery online, shipping costs may be prohibitive unless the business is located near you. Check with your local farm equipment dealers after you determine which pieces of machinery you need. Also check with local trucking companies. They may be able to offer a good deal on shipping for equipment you find online.