whatsright - 8/29/2011 21:17 Hi I am new here and looking for some advice on college and going back to the farm. I am trying to figure out if I should go to college for 2yrs, 4yrs, or quit after this year and save my money to use for a down payment on a farm. Some background info Im 18 and graduated from high school this spring and am currently attending a 2 year community college close to my home town where Im majoring in ag business. My father currently farms 750ac of corn/beans and has 40cows, I crop share 40ac with a neighbor and have 5cows that are in with my dads herd. My goal is to be farming full-time by the time Im 28 whether it is on my own or in partnership with my dad or someone else. There are 2 or 3 neighboring farms that I anticipate will come up for sale within the next 10yrs and I would like to be in the position to buy one of them. My parents have told me that they would help me get started farming if I went to college or some kind of trade school after high school. I have enough money to pay for my full first year of college but am using the government loans that I qualify for because money cant get any cheaper then it is (3% interest and interest doesn’t start until your out of school) this loan will cover a little about 1/3 of my college expenses, I also have enough scholarships to pay for 1 semester of college.. I have been at college for a week and a half and in my downtime I have started thinking about if going to college will pay for itself in the long run (yes I have a job 2 as a matter of fact but I don’t start for a little while). During high school I worked for my father when I wasn’t in school, I am able to do everything on the farm, I don’t have very much experience running a sprayer but I am able to learn that and anything else need be. So my first question is what would I be worth as full-time hired man now? What would I be worth after 2 years of college? And after 4 years of college with a degree in agronomy? Im worried that by going to college I will be paying that debt when I could be saving money to use for a down payment on a farm. So Im thinking that I would be better off after my first year of college to get a job and farm what I can on the side and save money to use for a down payment on a farm. Thanks in advance for all replies.