Crop Selection Tips:

Crop selection OFTEN feels like sitting for a difficult exam to many farmers .

Why?

They find that there are so many considerations to take into account.

For example, farmers will often ask themselves:

  • Will I afford to manage the crop until the season is over?
  • How will the market react to a new crop?
  • Will the weather and climatic conditions favor this crop?
  • Is my land is suitable for this crop?
  • And many more questions.

You can answer some of these questions through scientific experimentation and modeling.

Nevertheless, that can’t turn away the worry that farmers have.

Farmers would often find themselves…

  • Unsure of where to start
  • Unable to determine the cost of growing a crop,
  • In doubt of whether their efforts will earn you profit at the end of the season.

So If you have ever found yourself in this awkward situation, you are not alone.

Most prospective farmers  find themselves struggling to decide what to grow.

They see themselves having no clue in the world about the right crop for their farm, the amount of money they need to raise it, or where to sell the harvest.

How to Make Right Decision When It Comes to Crop Selection

You’ll agree with me on this…

Different crops need different type of

  • Soils,
  • Level of nutrients,
  • Amounts of water.

The amount of water a plant requires is also dependent on the:

  • Growing season
  • Climate where it is grown.

By selecting the right crop for the given soil conditions and climate, you can optimize yields and save water requirements for irrigation.

To learn more about crop selection continue reading this article.

Why?

From it you will 

  • Learn what how to identify what to grow what grows best in your farm.
  • Equip yourself with the right knowledge to help you choose the right crop for your farm.
  • and much-much more

Crop Selection Process: Where to start so that you choose the right crop?

  • Growing a crop that is too common will put you in direct competition with hundreds of thousands of other farmers. 
  • On the other hand, choosing a crop that is too rare—is risky.
  • Such a plant may not have sufficient demand.
  • The risk rare crop rotting in your store or warehouse is sky high!

From this little analysis it is clearly evident that you need a balanced approach when it comes to crop selection.

Done well, growing crops often have a high rate of return.

Far higher than the rate of return of the stock market, and the real estate.

You can get up to ten times your investment.

For every dollar invested in farming get you ten to twenty more.

That’s why I am writing this to you.

I want you to come to the right decision—on what to grow—easily and fast.

The process of choosing a crop to plant, shouldn’t be a mind-boggling job. It should be a pleasant experience, just like spending time with a loved one…

4 Things That  Will Show You a Crop is Worth Growing

  1. The prospective crop should have a Predictable and Reliable market

Whatever you grow MUST have wide acceptance and demand.

People must be eager and ready to buy ALL or a substantial portion of what you desire to grow.

Only Invest in a crop that you are sure will SELL.

If you don’t want what you grow may end up in the compost pit.

“What are these ALL SEASON-HIGH DEMAND crops?”

You may ask.

For vegetables, we have

  • Kale,
  • Spinach,
  • Potatoes,
  • Tomatoes,
  • and Onions.

For fruits, we have

  • Avocados,
  • Mangoes,
  • and Oranges.

People need these crops—from January to December, 24/7 days a week.

Something worth noting about the market is the competition.

If you decide to grow the vegetables mentioned above and fruits, you will face ugly and stiff competition.

    1. The amount of capital you require

    Second, you must decide how much you are willing to invest in growing the crops and whether you have the money to do it. I am saying this because most investors often don’t have a clear picture of exactly what they need to put in farming. Some people underestimate the amount required and they end up broke before the crop they planted is yet to mature. Running low before the season ends means you won’t have the cash for other operations like harvesting, storage, transport to market etc.

        1. Managerial skills

        Third, you must consider your management competence. Some crops like tomatoes, potatoes, and cut flowers require the grower to be highly skilled or experienced. Others like avocados, mangoes, papaya, and kale need a little experience to grow.  Don’t grow a crop you can’t manage. If you must do, start small. Learn from experience before starting a full-scale production project.

        1. Consider all logistical challenges

        Fourth, consider all the logistics associated with growing the crop. Consider where you are going to; source for inputs and its effect on the overall cost; distance from the nearest market, and its impact on operations or marketing, time of harvesting and time of arrival at the market. When you put all these four things into account, you’ll have settled on the three most ideal crops to grow.

        Once you have settled on one to three crops—you have to know if your farm is suitable for them…

        Your job is halfway done once you settle on three crops to grow. I am saying this because a crop can make economic sense to grow, nevertheless be unsuitable for your farm. This is because every farm has its unique and localized conditions that make it suitable or unsuitable for a crop.

        For example, a farm could be in an area, suited for growing carrots, potatoes, or onions, but still prove unsuitable for growing those crops. The soils—of the farm could be black cotton soils—soils that can’t allow the successful growing of the aforementioned crops or could be other conditions like flooding on the land, or even diseased soil could be affecting that specific farm. Other factors that may prevent the growth of the desired crop is a history of soil-borne diseases, the quality of water among others.

        Type of planting material

        The type of planting material should be considered carefully.  Depending on what the planting material is, your costs will go up or come down. If you want to establish your crop from seed, the cost of seed is much lower. But if you expect to either use corms, tubers, cuttings, bulbs, or rhizomes, brace yourself because these types of planting material are, costly compared to seed, and a little difficult to handle.

        Source of planting material

        If your selected crop is going to be raised from seed, consider buying certified seed from authorized seed sellers. The certified seed produces crops that are resistant to disease, vigorous, and display uniform growth. Things get tricky if you want to establish your crop from vegetative materials like cuttings, tubers, rhizomes, and bulbs.

        Sometimes there are no certified distributors of these planting materials. Where certified material exists, consider using it. In instances you can’t get certified vegetative materials like tubers, cuttings and the rest, buy from the materials from a farm with a history of good agricultural practice, free of diseases, and proper management. That will ensure that your crops are free from diseases and pests.

        Think of how you are going to harvest the crops, and how you are going to preserve them for the market.

        After spending much time growing a crop, a time will come that it must be harvested. As you do so, think of what type are you going to sell them in the fresh form, or you are going to process them further?

        Plan for success

        Get the right help and workers Keep proper records and track expenditures Consider integrated pest management