The business of small-scale farming

Interesting. This is something we've considered but not done, yet. We're thinking something along the lines of we deliver a load of pigs to the butcher, pickup the frozen pork from the last delivery, deliver that to the stores and homes on our route on the way home. I would be interested in hearing any more thoughts people have on the whole home delivery process.

Every job is risky. If you work for someone else you risk being laid off. If you work for yourself in any form there are risks. I have done inventing, had a manufacturing company in high tech with 19 employees, had a publishing company that did books and a magazine again in computers, done computer consulting and programming, drawn maps and illustrations, etc. All have risks and rewards. I'll take farming any day of the week.

All that said, diversification is important. Plan your variety of products and businesses such that you are not as likely to be hurt by hard times. Most importantly, plan it so that if you must you can produce what you need and live off the land for extended periods, or forever. That's the best security.

Farming is better than many businesses because we produce something we can use, something that is critical, our food. What we sell is the excess beyond what we need of something we found we enjoy producing and are good at it. I can't grow peppers worth a dang but I am very good at raising pigs and producing piglets. I do it with a resource I already have, our land.

My capital expense for our farming is miniscule compared with other business ventures but the rewards are high and the risk really isn't as great as people make it out to be. Now, if I were growing crops I would have a different view - they're far more weather dependent.

My stock graze my other asset. It's a good investment.

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Two things that are really helpful to small scale farming enterprises.

An ebullient personality, a natural go getter, that loves to dicker with human folk.

An upscale, preferably well off, clientele... that has to drive right by your place twice a day, from their mcmansion to their office.

Alas, I have neither. My SO and I both agree, we'd rather not have strangers driving down to the place... first off, we'd have to pull em out of the ditches, when it rains, and cars rarely can make it anyhow... and folks in expensive SUV's shun my road with a passion. And I say "thank you, thank you"...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

And you owe me a new keyboard... I spilled water laughing at "sheep aren't the size of buffaloes" ! I agree with you with the gift that keeps on giving.

If only genetic engineers would give us what we really want!!! like sheep the size of buffaloes. Or pine trees that grew square, in convenient limb free sizes of 8, 10, ...20' long!!! Or one ear of corn the size of watermelons, on a stalk 1/4 the size... Oh, well, Monsanto's workin on it I'm sure.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

I'm bustin' a gut!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to lose the broader scope of this thread, but I'd like to hear from anyone that caters to ethnic markets. What markets you've identified, what product(s) you provide to them and if it's seasonal or not.

SouthBound,

That income is from paid sheepdog demonstrations. We go just about every weekend in the Spring & Fall. (Thus, the same 4 sheep being used) My wife makes her money from the [value added] wool and wool products she sells, while I'm doing the demonstrations.

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A good dog may be hard to find, ...but a hard dog usually means it's been dead for a while

Bill, I for one am extremly happy for this thread.
I am disabled and don't have many ways of ever getting off of it other than trying to start a farm. If I can't earn enough to give up the check, maybe I can supplement it somewhat. I atleast have to try something, and most of the things you have outlined I can do at my own pace and things others have said have also gave me some ideas.
My bedtime has went totally haywire. I slept from 9 pm last night until something after one and was in the basement working until about 7 this morning, except for little breaks.
I work an hour here and there and this doesn't need to be a 9 to 5 job.
I have been blessed to have some extra land to use and am trying to figure out how best to use it and at the same time stay out of the city officials eyes with it.
I am starting from the bottom and without the extra land I would surely be stuck here for the rest of my life, which is not a happy thought.

My garden has made a few dollars so far and while not enough to speak of, has got several people waiting for eggs, when ever the chickens start to deliver and even gotten me a few people that wants to try a fresh range feed meatchicken. It won't be that much to start with but something is better than nothing and all the profit is going back into trying to make it grow.

I told my wife and daughter that this was going to be a learning year and it has been that for sure. HT has been the biggest help at learning I have found and threads like this one is the largest of them all.
It makes you stop and think about what you need to do and what works and what doesn't work.
I am seriously thinking about buying some turkeys if it isn't too late for Thanks Giving and Christmas.
Thank you for your time to help us that doesn't know many things about getting started.

God Bless
Dennis

Love this thread! Lots of inspiration and ideas.
I do 1 farmers market and a small CSA. This is the first year for the CSA maybe the last. Too much stress trying to keep people happy.
The market is almost always enjoyeable. I sell a wide range of veggies, eggs, chicken, mushrooms. Always try to have the unusual and different not just the every day. Have built a clientele around this. People often stop by just to see what I have. Took some prickly pear cactus last few weeks. Lots of curiosity but only one buyer. Even had recipes to go with them. The one buyer stop back this week and said it was awful. Guess its an acquired taste.
Just an observation but have had more and more people looking for meat. Antibiotic, hormone free etc... Think this market will continue to grow as our national food system crashes.
We've had good success with free range chicken and turkey. Sold both for $3/lb. Sell all I have.
We also buy pasture raised beef, raw milk, cheese, butter. Which you pay a premium for. $6/gallon for the milk. $8/gallon for raw goat milk. Its part of a "farm share" we belong to. We meet at a third parties house weekly. The farmer has a two day route. Can't imagine he doesn't do OK. Now has an apprentice.

Lisa

Jim, if Bill doesn't mind breaking this thread for just a second, If you were to do as you say and break the 10 acres of land up into 16 lots, and financed them yourself, with a down payment of 30% it would give you a positive cash flow after the improvements. $144,000 - $129,000 = $15,000. Actually I am sure a lawyer will eat up the extra 15 G's but it would leave you setting right.
That would leave you a balance owed to you of $336,000.
Financed at 9%, which is what developers in my area are getting, or better. Some up to 12%, but @9% the interest for the first year alone, it would be $30,240 or $2520 per month. Of course that isn't counting the payment on the principal.
If you set the payments at $400 per month for each lot, that would add another $36,480 a year for a total of $66,720 the first year.
Jim, if you are in a position to do this, may I suggest you start looking for a new place to live and sell it all now, while the getting is good.
In one year of payments you can pay for 20 or 30 acres somewhere else and still have what ever land you feel you need to survive on until you get yourself resettled.
Just a thought, but I would think about it if I were you.
Sorry for cutting in Bill, but it is a positive thought. There may be more people reading in the same situation.

No problem D...

Oh, I see. I Thought $8,000 for 4 sheep sounded a little too good to be true, lol.
Many years ago, I was among a group of vet tech students who visited a sheep farm and I had the opportunity to watch a border collie work. Very impressive indeed. One of the few things I actually remember about my two short semesters of college.

You asked in the horse forum for input. I'll give you my perspective. Farmig horses right now is a losing proposition unless you have very, very high quality, show or competition proven stock that will always be lucrative. But horses certainly have a place in small farm operations in that they can keep your overhead very low ifyou use them to replace higher value tractor equipment. I own no tractor and actually not even a truck right now but produce high quality hay folks are willing to drive using my workhorses and hiring out the baling. I also use them logging and firewood during the winter and feed hay for neighbors when their tractors won't start in the winter!!

There is certainly money to be made in horses on a small farm but right now, at least for me, my actual farming using horses is an effort to keep outlay of cash to a bare minimum. Horse related farm income here is in training and conditioning other folks horses. I don't mind that at all because it provides a know monthly income that is outside of the vagaries of row crop or livestock farming. That is my two cents.

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Every good farm needs team work

I produce pet rabbits on a commercial basis. I supply a large company with animals, who then supplies large chain stores. Because the animals sell for large amounts of money in chain stores, the breeders make a nice price on the animals. I won't give prices, but I can get triple digits on a good litter.

I can gross over $50,000 yearly working part time. If one looks hard enough, the pet market is the place to be.

Good luck finding someone wanting to share info.

A lot of what Joel and his family did was back then, they aren't doing all that today. I talked to his wife and his son (who is now grown and married) a few months ago. They only did the chickens under the rabbits for a short time. I forget what all they did and haven't been to the site for a while to jog my memory.

I'm working on a setup like they had only mine is much smaller. There is good money in free range eggs & chickens if it's legal to sell them in your state. Good money in rabbits too. I also have goats and I'm getting ready to start selling the goat milk.

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I've been reading this thread but don't post here often as my input can be a bit narrow at times ... pretty much horse related. But with the invite from the equine thread, will add a couple of things.

First ... not me, but someone I knew well in Wyoming. Homestead-type situation ... and most definitely requires specialized facilities, knowledge and hands-on experience. Almost 90% of the work on the homestead/farm was done with draft horses and Jim had worked all his life with them ... in fact he worked for one of the big Wyoming ranches and was their "draft horse man". He was allowed to keep several of his own horses on the ranch he worked for so when he retired, he had a Shire stallion and two or three mares. The stallion had built his reputation locally as being a good work horse ... he was used in harness all winter as one of a team feeding cattle. When Jim and his wife retired, there were already a number of ranchers in the area that used draft horses, so there was a market for the stallion to outside mares, plus he raised a foal every year out of his mares.

Not too sure of the $$ ... but the stallion stood at $400 stud fee and I think usually got 3 to 5 outside mares per year. The foals from his mares were purebreds and had "desirable" bloodlines and I think he was getting between $1500 and $2500 for each foal at weaning. The land for his retirement homestead was paid for at the time he retired, there was enough for summer pasture for the horses and his milk cow and he "hired out" to local ranchers during haying season, which paid for most or all of his hay.

Standing a stallion isn't something a novice can do ... requires a lot of hands-on experience ... but in some areas, with certain breeds of horses, it can contribute to farm income.

I raise a type of pony that is marketable in this area and the east coast ... they pretty much pay all of their own expenses and some years make a decent profit as well. One of the things I do for additional income is stand stallions for other owners, since I have a lot of experience with it ... can collect and ship semen ... so usually have one or more stallions besides my own here as "paying customers" ... I get paid to keep them and handle the breedings for outside mares for their owners.

It is an area that does require a background and stallions, particularly, require a lot of experience. But with some research, there is no reason if you keep one or two ponies for your kids to ride, or one or two draft mares to work, that you can't keep good mares, breed to a good outside stallion and sell the foals at weaning. It may not produce a big percentage of your income, but in most cases, it will offset the expenses of keeping them.

Definitely do your research in advance however, since the market will vary a lot depending on your location.

I have 37 acres of rolling woodland so not really good farm land per say.
But I am making a go at it and learning along the way.
I am doing a permaculture edible forest garden approach.
I have planted apple, pear, plum, almond, hazel nut, and more all over the property along with leeks, mints, lemon balm and other herbs all growing now wildly and spreading quite nicely. Blueberry bushes have done nicely as well and we have elderberry and sparkleberry bushes taht grow wildly on the property that I didnt even have to plant. We also have wild muscadines growing on the property.
I try to plant as many perrinal plants that produce food crops as possible.
I also grow heirloom tomatoes, bunching onions, several varaties of potatoes, garlic, strawberries and more that all do quite well.
There is one crop I grow which is also wild that I lucked apon. A fiddle head fern. A friend of mines Japanese wife came out to my place and said that I must be rich I asked her why she said because of the type of fern i had growing in my yard. Apparently after her husband translated to me what she said from japanese currency to US currency they figured about 90 US dollars for three ounces of this fiddle head fern I had gowing on my property. She asked if she could buy some I told her pick all she wants its wild and grows free here. She was very excited and happy.
I looked more into this and there are a large population of Asians in our area. They have several Asian markets to supply the local community of them with. I approached one of them with a ziploc full of the fiddleheads I had growing in my property. They got very excited and readily bought all I had. I now make routine trips to their market as it is hard for them to find fresh "not freeze dried" fiddle heads like this in large amounts.

I am following this thread with tons of interest. Pixel, question please. I did some checking on your fiddlehead ferns and it seems there are several varieties, do you know which one you grow? It said that "Bracken" are the most common, but also, unless cooked properly have a high incidence of stomach cancer. Do you label it so that they know to cook it properly, and (being quite nosy here, ) what do you get for your fiddleheads?

I can grow a ton of those things and I too have a large asian community close by. This could be a good thing for me!

Thanks!

While we are at it, I wanted to share some other numbers besides the chicken numbers and get opinions from others who have more experience.
Chicken coop for broilers- $200(plus my free labor)
Electric fence controller- $100
Poultry net fence 2@164'- $275
Feeders- free(had 4"PVC on hand, cut in half for 2-10' feeders
Waterers- $30 (3-1gallon plastic for chicks and 1-5gallon for adults)
Brooder-free old truck caps
Heat lamps- $30 included extra bulbs

Total outlay for broiler production of batches up to 150: $635

First 2 batches paid for all outlay, my freezer birds, and expenses such as feed and gas, electricity for brooders.

What does it cost to get set up for 2-3 pigs?
How about rabbit setup costs?

*most wood materials are free for me, I am a carpenter and get free windows, doors, etc. on job sites and remodels, sometimes even free cabinetry.

mark

PIGS - you've already bought the electric controller for the fence, so $30 for 4 t-posts (corners) (oops you may already have these) and $40 for the step in line posts (oops you may already have these) and $30 for two strands of 14 ga high tensile wire $10 for a couple of bullet-proof pans for feed and water and you're a pig farmer. Oh ya $40@ for the feeder pigs. They'll need a loafing shelter if you do it in the winter and a bunch of hay. Re-read Walter's post here - he's in your neck of the woods and has seemingly infinite knowledge on the subject of pigs (I'm not being sarcastic). I don't do pigs in the winter, but that's just because I'm not fond of the cold....

It cost me about $20 in materials to build rabbit cages (18" deep, 18" high and 24" long. feeders and water depends on how you set it up and how many rabbits. water bottle =$4 (X3 because you'll have to change them 3 times a day in the winter in Maine) feeder =$3.

I must have left something out....


Oh ya - a couple hundred bucks for the worm colonies under them for collecting/processing the fertilizer into worm castings....

that reminds me

why hasn't Shrek weighed in here????

Shrek!!!