Making Money on a Small Farm?

teethdoc · #1 03/05/12, 01:04 PM

I need some creative ideas. I have 28ac (about 16 useable as pasture, the rest is buffer and very flood prone) in the middle of the city. I spend most Fridays out there and go by every morning on my way to work. I have goats and pigs just for my own freezer and entertainment. As a children's dentist I am fortunate to have a great income that allows me to be a "farmer" as a hobby.

What I would like to do is figure out a way to use the land in a sustainable way but still turn a small profit on it. I don't want to get rich, just make enough to cover hiring a farm hand. Any suggestions?

InvalidID · #2 03/05/12, 01:08 PM

If it's in the city I might look into turning an acre or two into a community garden and rent out some plots. Once you got the area fenced off and such you could charge a moderate fee to at least cover taxes and insurance. Just an off the top of my head idea, might be insurance is pretty high and makes it an impractical idea.

GammyAnnie · #3 03/05/12, 01:23 PM

First you would have to find a hand willing to take care of the place 24/7, and honest ones can be found but are few and far between. Then see what livestock you can raise and sell within your city zoning and on that amount of land, via the hired man or woman, and go from there. Though you might want to look into a CSA as opposed to livestock, less overhead from what I am told.

I have a hired man, lucky to have him, my Wally hired him the day he got out of prison about 12 years ago!! He lives on my farm in the old "hired mans" house, which is way out in the middle of the cow pasture, and he pays for nothing as far as water, electric and propane, plus I pay him a living wage so he can get internet and Dish TV, gas, food and such.

He is honest and hardworking as the day is long, great with the cattle and chickens, he also checks on me if he doesn't see me and the dogs out and about by at the latest 7am, which is great for an old widow woman living by herself on such a big place!

Annie

JohnL751 · #4 03/05/12, 01:53 PM

Yesterday I was talking to some friends about income taxes and refunds. He just told me that they cleared a little over $2,200.00 cash profit this past year from their 10 acres.
He works off their place about 50 hrs. a week and she works off their place 7 or 8 hrs. a week. They grow almost all their food and some of their animal feed. They sell animals, eggs and vegetables.

I think it would be hard to make enough on a few acres to pay a hired man and there sure wouldn't be much left for your pocket!

the mama · #5 03/05/12, 03:54 PM

set it up as a working and teaching farm. Let schools have field trips, let the local master gardeners have a gathering place. This would get you an ag exemption for taxes on the property and maybe on the hired hand wages if you showed it as charity/community service. Also might get free labor by community service workers. Also great advertising for your dentistry practice. Hook up with Weston Price Org. Healthy foods, healthy teeth.
Agi-tourism = rent out for birthday parties, weddings, etc. Maybe a petting zoo.

fatrat · #6 03/05/12, 06:10 PM

Maybe honey bees?

Joshie · #7 03/05/12, 06:24 PM

Why not just plop a tailer down on the place? The farm hand could live on site rent free or nearly rent free in exchange for a set number of hours each week in exchange for rent.

Shadow · #8 03/05/12, 07:25 PM

Have never seen a way to make enough to pay for help. I have only known one man that had never held a public job. Most people including me work full time so they can afford to farm at least untill they reach retirement and then they have a income and insurance. of course I have only been homesteading for 52 year not counting the18 at home on my parents place.

Callieslamb · #9 03/06/12, 07:14 AM

Welcome to the forum! I want to know how you found 28 acres in the city! Since you are a dentist, I assume you can set your own hours? I'd go for the community gardens route. I doubt insurance would be that much IF you don't have hazzards - like creeks to cross, ditches, etc. Fence in the community gardens area so they can only go to the garden spots, not elsewhere on your property. Perhaps you can find a few that would help out in lieu of paying for their spot? I like the idea of having the MG's out to teach and help with the gardens. I also like the idea of the healthy foods connection. Having kids out would be great, but might be a larger problem with your insurance. However, there are or used to be grants to help establish such a learning center. Our kids visited several such places. All they had to do was add a few hand washing stations to call it educational.

Another idea would be a Upick. You could hire seasonal help to do the selling/money collecting but with the right crop, you wouldn't have so much time into it yourself. I'm a big fan of blueberries and raspberries. So much less to do with them than a crop like strawberries. There would be work, but you could also hire someone as needed at those critical times.

ronbre · #10 03/06/12, 10:24 AM

if you do a search there used to be a really good online booklet avail on this forum for how to make money at home..I'll see if I can find it

Darren · #11 03/06/12, 12:00 PM

If you're close to a large city, it opens up a lot of options. Someone near Washington D.C. raised varieties of hot peppers. The ethnic market for sheep and goats can be very good if you have the right breeds and can breed to take advantage of various holidays observed by immigrants. That may take more management than some want to do.

A hydroponic setup in a greenhouse that provides fresh produce in the off season can be a money maker if the restaurants and grocers in the city see you as a reliable source and you have the population to support that.

CoachB · #12 03/06/12, 12:51 PM

Quality hay ground might turn a little profit. That's not very active and possibly not sustainable over the long haul. Maybe some grass-fed beef. City people are paying good money for grass-finished beef. If you are by there every day shifting from paddock to paddock and checking on them would be easy. Bees definately a possibility, don't expect much up front profit though.

honeyrobber · #13 03/06/12, 02:22 PM

Put out a berry patch and do pick your own berries. If you want to go this route email me and I will send you my notes on blackberries. We have 19 varieties currently and are going to get rid of 2 types in the next year or so. If you like wine learn how to make it as it is easy and makes great gifts. Blackberries you buy liners during the fall winter and plant in fall-spring. Most are tthornless that we have. Here to be a u-pick berry farm the insurance is very low if you can meet the requirements. You must have a toilet which can be portapotty but you must have running water for a sink to wash hands which has been our problem. The other requirement is the grass between the rows must be kept mowed to a reasonable height. Ours is mowed regularly with mower set at 2 inch and by the time it gets to 5 inches we are mowing again. we started 2 years ago and we picked over 1000 gallons last year which I took to farmers markets and sold some to other venders that make jams and jellies. Last years prices were $16 per gallon sold by quarts at market, $12 per gallon to canners and $8 a gallon for those people we knew who picked their own. We got about 6 acres in blackberries that were picked last year and another 4 planted over winter which will bare next year. Low maintaince and we have plans to pay to have alot of them picked this year. If you are in or real close to descent size city this is a great idea. Our farm is 50 miles to any large enough city to really make it work. I have plans for a rented piece of property only 9 miles from a large city soon. I have been a piece of it for 3 years and he says I can use the rest now but will not give long term contract so will not put any money into liners. We grew most of the liners for the 4 acres we planted this winter except a few patented plants.

uncle Will in In. · #14 03/06/12, 05:06 PM

Doc <> The best way to make a little money on a small farm, is to pour a lot of money in to it.

Showing a profit in your spare time would be like pulling teeth. Your own teeth, not someone elses

oregon woodsmok · #15 03/06/12, 06:30 PM

These are the people I see with 28 aces that have hired help: Commercial tomato fields (although those are usually hundreds of acres with a dozen hired hands.

Strawberries, and that's about the right size field.

Neither of those have full time hired help, just seasonal.

Can you make wine in Alabama? (probably not). Small boutique wineries are about that size. Help would be seasonal.

Flowers for florists. Although, I've heard that Central America has put all the rose growers in the USA out of business. Cut flowers in greenhouses tend to have full time employees.

With greenhouses, you could also do vegetable and flower starts, but in order to sell enough to pay for help, you'd need contracts with large chain stores, and that is seasonal.

The people who raise livestock and have full time employees have tens of thousands of acres, and just a couple of cowboys. If you are in town, there are going to be issues with enough livestock to require hired help.

By the way, most employees need a full time supervisor and then the owner has to watch the supervisor. Employee theft is one of the biggest expenses for American businesses.

haypoint · #16 03/06/12, 06:51 PM

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_link1.html
10 acres Enough is the name of Lynn Miller's book. This guy had every square inch in garden and made a living, raised a family and had a hired hand.

The fact that you are in the center of a city makes a huge difference. Lots more opportunities.

Maura · #17 03/06/12, 07:02 PM

If you are in the city you could have a farm stand and sell what grows well on your land. This is where an employee or two would come in, to pick the produce and manage the stand. I'm thinking flowers, tomatoes, cukes, green beans, okra.

TedH71 · #18 03/06/12, 08:04 PM

Rice if the land is under water a lot.

honeyrobber · #19 03/06/12, 11:14 PM

If you have the spare time for markets cut flower can add to you bottom line. Gladolious and Zinnias are some of the cheapest for return. Glads cost about 10 cents each bulb and each flower spike sells for 50 cent to $1 depending on your market. Peonies are great but take time to get going and cost a bit. we used to grow them to supply a greenhouse with eyes(bulbs) so we got about 800 established plants. On saturday before mothers day I sold $300 in just peonies. Sorry my spelling is terrible but I think you can make out what type. Sun flowers are over done around here and unless you grow some for seed the next year the seeds are costly.

I still say U-pick berry farm. The strawberries are planted every fall and taken up as soon as crop is picked. You can grow your own sets from them but never do it more than one or 2 years as their production goes down. Picking your produce is where the most cost comes into play or your time picking. A you pick farm removes this labor. If you pick the rows closest to your stand while no one is stopping you can sell fresh berries and u-pick.

luvrulz · #20 03/07/12, 05:13 AM

Love the above posts/ideas about the community farm plots and having one or two caretakers in exchange for their 'rent'. Our local high school has an ag class and the hs kids work the garden in exchange for the space they use...they sell plants and produce from their 'farm'.

You might put in an ag tourism business about something that suits you and your area too! A pumpkin patch or such. If you do all one crop, you only will have a limited season. You can keep it to 8 - 10 or 12 weeks once the crop is in the ground!

I have 4 acres of asparagus and cannot keep it on the table at the farmer's market. We are just getting into picking (Ky has had a warm winter...) and it's something you have to stop picking on 06/01 so it has time to winter over. Something with a limited growth season like this would be good. Does asparagus grow in Alabama? Don't know...

ETA: If you're thinking a u-pick operation, you might check out what insurance needs would be. Here, you need a million dollar liability ins policy and we didn't want all those people traipsing all over....

You might start with a soil test and let them tell you what will grow easily and abundantly on your farm and then go from there! Good luck and WELCOME!