Crops to plant

[peter nap]

This is my first post here even though I've been lurking for a while.

We have purchased 125 acres in a very rural part of Va. for our retirement. 50 acres have been logged several years ago and I am clearing fields as quickly as possible to keep it from getting really overgrown.
Another 50 acres have cultivated pine this is 25 years old. I plan to keep it another 10 years before logging it.

The rest is hardwoods.

WE are only able to go there 1 or two days a week now and the winter was spent running the hunt clubs off. My son and I hunt and I haven't got a lot of patience with trespassers.

I have planted some blueberry bushes and Orchard grass as well as buckwheat and clover. These are for the Deer, Bear, Turkeys and small game.

I would like to plant a crop(s) that will at least pay the taxes. The problem is that it needs to be low maintenance because I'm not there much. I am thinking about Christmas Trees among other things.
I'd sure like some ideas. It has Clay acidic soil, plenty of water but not swampy.

Thanks!

[wy_white_wolf]

I researched Chistmas trees once and decided landscape trees were less work and more profit in this area. Don't know about in VA thou. Need to research your market. Christmas trees only bring about $1.50 a foot wholesale here. The same tree as a landscape tree will bring $5 to $10 wholesale. and you don't have to trim them as much.

[MELOC]

Hay. hay is in demand. have someone come and cut it on shares. you should get at least two, maybe three cuttings per year. it will keep the pastures mowed down and generate some revenue when you sell your share.

[Bearfootfarm]

The lowest maintenance crop you can plant is someones else's. LOL By that I mean lease the land out and let someone else farm it, and you get paid for it. I lease about 25 of my 44 acres, and it covers the property taxes. They plant wheat , cotton and soybeans, so I have beanfields to hunt and no equipment needed to plant or harvest. Lots of people are looking for land to lease for corn this year, and since youre not there a lot, leasing it gives you another person to help keep an eye on things

[Snakeoil]

Cash rent.

[Jim S.]

Marijuana!

But seriously, two good ideas here are hay and renting it out. There's a couple ways rent can work here. You can rent it out flat rate, or you can rent it on shares, where you take part of the same risk as the farmer but have also a chance of more return.

The only drawback to renting it out to be cropped is, you want to be sure of what happens when the deal is done. If you want to go back to pastures, and you don't have a written agreement on resowing the land, you need to factor those costs into your deal. They are high. On the other hand, if the plow is what it will always see, you'll be fine.

[MELOC]

that is the good part of making hay. if you decide to stop, you have no reseeding or till issues. if you need a pasture for livestock, just fence it up.