The sunflower is a viable business to start with, in fact it is quite easy to grow and one of the good things about this type of crop is that you don’t always have to worry about diseases as you are not susceptible to them like other crops. However, care must be taken to ensure that you do the necessary things.
What are these necessary things that need to be done? Just like other agribusinesses, there are steps you should take. You also need to consider getting the land that you would use as well as having a market ready for the product. There are lots of sunflower farms in Russia that run from one side of the county to the other.
Therefore, if you have a liking for agriculture and are looking to start a farming business, then you can consider sunflower farming. Here are the steps and factors you can follow to get things started.
Starting a Sunflower Farm Business Plan
1. Learn all about sunflowers
This is the first rule of thumb. It is that before starting a sunflower growing business, a market study must be done. One of the advantages of doing this is that you are able to decipher from the right step to take, and so you won’t fail in a pitiful way when you finally start. What are those things you have to learn?
You have to gather knowledge about the area of what is needed to start this business, the type of equipment needed, the time it takes to grow it, how it is harvested, the target markets, and what you have. You can consider reading physical books as well as usurping the goods the Internet has to offer.
2. Substitute for a sunflower grower in the field
It’s good to have a theoretical foundation of something, but it’s more important to have first-hand, practical experience of how things are done. For this reason, you may want to consider visiting a sunflower farm mentor. This means that you should have someone to look up to in this line of business to train you.
Make sure you know how long the learning process will take. It is worth your while to keep in mind that doing this will help you in all aspects to broaden your horizon and also to prepare your sunflower business plan.
3. Determine the variety of sunflower to grow
Part of what you would have been exposed to in your quest for learning and training would be the different varieties of sunflower. Therefore, it is necessary for you to determine which variety you want to specialize in. There are hybrids and other varieties.
There are the dwarf sunflowers with large seed heads, and those that produce the high oleic acid sunflower oil. The hybrid type seems to be the common types that are grown, as they do not need insects to pollinate them and are high yielding.
4. Grouping resources together
The sunflower farm business is such that it would require a large amount of land. This is due solely to the growth rate of the sunflower trees. They are usually very tall and huge and as such require a vast amount of land to thrive. If you are from a rich home-especially if you are from Africa, then you may be lucky to have inherited a good amount of land from the dynasty.
On the other hand, if you have to buy land to do this, you would need a large amount of money to get things going, as land does not come cheap. You may decide to raise money from your family and close friends as well as through bank loans.
5. Acquire Land
After you have done well in raising the money required to buy the land, the next thing you should do is go ahead and look for a suitable piece of land. You might consider talking to a real estate agent to help you do this.
On the other hand, since the type of land in question is very large, then you may want to consider going through your country’s government to make sure that there is large land that may be available for purchase. In some cases, going through the appropriate government agencies in your country may be your best option so that you can purchase land that is properly registered and one that you do not have to deal with.
6. Hiring Workers
After you have acquired the land in question, the next thing you should do is hire some experienced sunflower farmers to help you get things going. The land would have to be cleared and everything that could hinder the cultivation and flowering of the sunflower crops would have to be removed. This is why experts are needed. You do not want to end up with a novice who could damage and hinder the progress of your farm.
7. Source of safe water
Make sure it is a place where water is not a problem. Ideally you would say that the rain should be enough to take care of watering these plants, however with the dimension that global warming is taking, and then you may want to consider other sources of water. Sources such as nearby canals and dams, as well as a water source in a tanker truck. All of this is in a bid to ensure that your crops have an adequate supply of nutrients and grow healthily.
8. Harvest your sunflower
The sunflower is ready for harvest when the back of the plant turns brown. It is important that as soon as the sunflower reaches maturity, it is harvested. This is especially important, since waiting a little bit before pulling up what has been sown can cause birds to eat it or diseases to attack it. Birds are a threat to sunflower seed, it is something they like to eat and as such you and your team must be vigilant enough to discourage this.
9. Have a market ready
Long before your sunflower is ripe, you have to publicize your sunflower farm and how soon you will be harvesting. All this is important, so that your suppliers know when to come for them. It is usually good that the sunflower seeds are supplied well in advance in their fresh state.