Can you make $20,000 Homesteading

What do you do now? Do you have any agricultural background? Do you know how to grow any crops or raise any animals?

Jena

When I use to live in a land house in a big city, I had raised chicken many times kept sheep,goat and pigeon.
At that time I have also raised a few veggies and cared for a few fruit trees.
Now I live in a appt and only have a few pots with a few plants in the window.

I have never worked on a farm and my experience as you can see is quite limited.

In that case, I would agree that attempting to make your living through some type of agricultural activity might be pretty hard. You CAN do it, just don't depend on it right away!

You need to learn how to do the things you want to do in the climate you end up in. I can raise cows and chickens here in Illinois, but if I were to have to do it somewhere else, say Montana...I would be at a loss because the climate is so different. Canada can be extreme in climate and short in the warmer seasons.

I was raised in a city, never knew a thing about cows, chickens, crops or anything else. Once I got started, I learned really fast and have had great success, but I had one huge advantage. My husband has farmed all his life and had an established farm. He had the equipment and knowledge.

We bought another farm, which I operate. Sometimes I really disagree with his methods and have found my own way of doing things, but it would have been impossible without all the equipment! If you could find a farmer to work for, or to help you, it would be invaluable.

As for selling food products...I sell dressed meat and poultry. I am totally legal, licensed and inspected. It is not that hard and is not a major obstacle. You just have to know what the laws are and that can be found out when you know where you are going. My inspector is great. He is not in the business of putting people out of business and is very helpful in answering questions, etc.

Jena

I think that you have had more experience already than most of us had when we started out. Certainly more than I had! I had educted myself with the help0 of classes and so forth, but when you do the hands-on stuff for the first time there WILL be a learning curve, and that cannot be changed.

Starting us a homestead to feed yourself is a separate operation than a commercial enterprise to support yourself. Starting up 2 separate new things might be more than you can take on at once. Unless you are starting out with enough money to support your family for a year, I ALSO think that working for the first year while you get the homestead started in your spare time would be wise.

Did you know that Ken Scharabok has a book out about making money in the country: I hear that it is very good. He will send it to yo if you ask

Just for the record, last I heard Joel Salatin has an intern-type program. Something like two at a time for an extended period - maybe a full summer. Think room and board in exchange for labor. This would be a great way to learn from one of the best.

Joel and I know each other. Believe me, he is one of those who could sell sand in Arabian countries.

His address is: Rt 1, Box 281, Swoope, VA 24479.

Ken Scharabok

Thanks for all your kind comments, Terri it's a good idea to start the home stead, do a job for money and then eventually as I learn the ropes I can leave the job and try to generate my income from the homestead.

The biggest advantage with this approach would be that I will be able to see all the seasons in the place in the first year which is very important for me who has never seen snow.

Actually this weather thing is something which worries me the most, I know my country,weather and soil but a new place and there trying to live close to nature will not be easy in the first few years.

Another option would be to save enough money for the first year and then start fully on the homestead.

Another issue would be should one rent initially or Buy straight away.

Ken, thanks for the info on Joel's internship program but with a family and small children, I dont think I will be able to go there and spend a long time however, I can try asking him for a month sort of thing.Plus he is in USA and I will be immigrating to Canada, immigration rules would require me to stay in Canada for a few years.

Oh, goodness! If you have never even SEEN snow, don't make plans to live there yet!! Take a vacation and visit in January and then decide. Snow is significant and has had interesting effects on transplants I know. Most recently, two are heading south after one year here in WV. Canada would have killed them! :haha:

Dear All,

Thanks for all your input on the forum and privately,Based on your input I would outline a plan as follows:

1) Research and decide on a general area in Canada.
2) Move to a City close to which you eventually want to buy the farm property.
3) Initially rent in the city or at suburbs and look for a Job in the city.
4) While doing the Job and living in that city experience the weather for the full year and keep looking at country property and ideas, visit farmer markets, farms,volunteer weekends for working on the farm.
5) Buy a farm when comfortable(1-2 years??), continue with the city Jobs.(even though commuting is a bit of trouble)
6) Spend vacations, weekends in your farm planting fruit trees, Asparagus,getting things ready for animals, keeping small quantity of live stock which can be managed with a Job.
7) I am also a herbal healer so I can grow some medicinal herbs, get known in the community and start getting some clients.Do you think herbal healers can earn something from their profession in a rural environment.?
8) Eventually as you are sure you can make a small income from the farm leave 1 city Job the other partner continues with it, till required.

Do you think this plan is more realistic and should be followed? or is too conservative?will you suggest any amendments to this plan?

As you might have gathered, each and every one of us has become homesteaders by a different route. Also, each of us has a defferent view of homesteading. What matters is, which approach fits YOUR skills and desires?

It sounds like a perfectly workable plan to me!

Livingguy, here's a suggestion: instead of going to Ontario, or someplace in Eastern Canada, how about trying coastal British Columbia. Winters are wet and chilly, but you won't get nearly so much snow, and if you can find a sheltered spot with a southern exposure you'll have a longer growing season. Anyplace in Canada is going to be a shock to someone who has always lived in a tropical climate, but I think BC would be easier to adjust to than the upper Midwest!

Kathleen

Thanks Kathleen for your suggestion, I also plan to post on the group for suggestions about a location in Canada.I have not yet decided on the area where I want to settle in Canada.

How are the land prices in British Columbia?

Very expensive, probably the most expensive in Canada for the obvious reason, climate. I moved from BC to NS and bought a small acreage for one third of what it would have cost me in BC. But, if you don't know Canada's winters, on either coast and in between, be prepared for a wake up.
Visit first, stay for a few seasons, then decide. It is not the place for everyone. Good luck.

REALLY old thread alert.

Peg

Ya like 10 years old. LOL

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I noticed it was old, but still a good read. Wonder how the guy ever made out.

I'm glad I read this second page. I didn't know asparagus needed calcium. I guess I'll be buying more crushed oyster shell.

Yes, it is very possible. There are several important issues:

1) It is going to take years to build up the skills, infrastructure, markets and start making a money. Be prepared to be in this for the long haul.

2) It is critical to find something, or several things, that you are good at producing for which you have a market that makes it worth your effort. You may have to restart a couple of times if you find that something isn't working. This is normal. It isn't failure.

3) Don't take on too many things at once. I see a lot of people who proclaim they are a diversified farm doing chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep, cows, beef cattle, row crops, orchards, etc all from the start. They take on too much and don't do any of it well or in enough volume to support themselves. If you want to get good at something, do it again and again. Practice, practice, practice. Rinse and repeat. We take livestock to butcher 52 times a year. Most farms do one or two cycles a year. That means I'm improving our herd genetics faster, improving our skills and I keep my product on store shelves and restaurant menus year round.

4) Grow slowly. First test grow things in small comparison trials. Then grow enough for yourself. Then get the quality and quantity up. Then start gradually exploring the markets. This takes years.

5) It really helps if this is a family endeavor, if all of you are committed to making it happen. There's a reason family farms can do so well - everyone's pulling in the same direction as a team, as a pack.

6) Cinch your belt up to your backbone. Live very, very frugally. This doesn't mean you won't have some pleasures and luxuries (like chocolate!) but rather that you keep a close eye on expenses. Do you really need a new truck or could you instead buy a good used truck for 1/5th the price. Do you really need a cell phone subscription plan or could you get by with a cheap pre-paid cellphone or none at all?

7) While you're tightening your belt realize that good tools are critical. Get the tools you need to do the job to raise the products to sell to earn the money to pay for the homestead and give you the profits you need to live. Just don't over buy, don't get addicted to toys and big iron. This includes good seed stock and breeder stock but hold off on buying top genetics until you understand how to raise them and develop a keen eye.

Farmsteading is just like any other business in most respects but it also has an educational component and more seasonality. You're going to spend a lot of time learning. Explore things. Try things. Find what works. Read a lot. Try some more. Do a business plan and remember it is just an outline because you don't know enough to be able to fine tune it. That's why I tell people not to use too sharp a pencil.

Last of all, once you have land, plant some apple trees and other perennials. You don't have to know where the ideal spot is. Just pick a spot. Plant. These take years to start producing. Ideally plant something like this each year. Then you can figure out the rest of the details of your master plan. It takes years to learn the land and climate. In our cold climate, winter is a good time to plan.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

Tip: Don't bother mentioning your religion or fear of persecution. Don't bring it up. It isn't relevant. It isn't other people's business.


Aye, but that is the beauty of the web. Old threads keep on living. New people have the same questions and benefit.

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Well curiosity got the better of me and I pm'd the OP. Now after 10 years I am not expecting them to come back... but I knda hope they actually do and update.

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You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.

Sounds like a lot of work and taking a big chance that things may go south - your best bet is to apply for welfare when you get here - it's a lot easier -

If you can establish a market for just two or three products, and concentrate your efforts on those, it shouldn't be hard to make $35,000 plus off just 2 or 3 acres.
It would take a lot of work, but picking the right products could make it much easier.

Example, plant an acre of asparagus, an acre of tomatoes, and an acre of blackberries.

Asparagus is done before tomatoes are ready fror harvest, and some varieties of blackberries would only be getting ripe when the majority of the tomatoes are almost finished producing.

Black berries take 6-8 years to reach peak production, that is, some of the thornless varieties. Most asparagus won't ne highly productive until the third year.
Both of those examples I would consider future investment plants as much as fruit trees. Asparagus should stay productive for 15-20 years, blackberries should stay productive for at least 12-15 years.