OK folks time has come.

Pigeon Lady · #21 01/26/14, 07:50 PM

A good friend in NH lost most of his sight, due to diabetes. - I used to work with his wife. He attended a special school for a while where he learned to read braille and how to manage day to day household tasks. For income, he decided to plant an apple orchard and it has done very well.

He passed away not too long ago, but here's an interview with him, conducted by The University Of New Hampshire.

RIP Jim

where I want to · #22 01/26/14, 08:03 PM

As a blind man I worked with said "The blind have a good lobby." There are many programs for the blind that are like voc rehab or business assistance who could help you with a business plan. Have you googled assistance for the blind to see what is there locally?
Otherwise it depends on your local population. I wonder if a pick your own tomato or berry farm might be possible. Or a local traditional craft. Or check with a local service agency.

deaconjim · #23 01/26/14, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pigeon Lady

A good friend in NH lost most of his sight, due to diabetes. - I used to work with his wife. He attended a special school for a while where he learned to read braille and how to manage day to day household tasks. For income, he decided to plant an apple orchard and it has done very well.

He passed away not too long ago, but here's an interview with him, conducted by The University Of New Hampshire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0mG5FwZN0k

RIP Jim

PL, that was an excellent interview. Thanks for posting it. It gave me a lot to think about.

fordy · #24 01/26/14, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnAndy

If you're gonna do eggs and go to local markets to sell them, you might as well get into other stuff too. Built yourself a hoop house, start raising leaf lettuce, spinach, etc, and sell it too. People REALLY like greens. You can recycle the chicken poop into your beds. Also, consider 'worm ranching' if fishing bait is sold locally. The chickens can help out there too, along with newspaper scrap and any household garbage....they'll turn it all into profits.

Little more cost to set up, and you'll need help running it, but there is an Amish family here that brings a "donut" trailer to the local farmer's market, and local flea markets. Self contained trailer, about 8x16....they go from mixing the dough, to frying to dipping in sugar to selling right out of the same trailer......little bakery on wheels. They do WELL....I mean WELL !! Hot, fresh donuts are a real popular item....there is always a line.

There are a million and one ways out there to make money....some better than others of course....I've done it all my life, and never understood those folks that tied themselves to a job. The key is find a need, and fill it. You'd be amazed how many perceived 'needs' there are out there....ahahahaaa

..............Pastured pigs can be a profitable venture for a small landowner ! You'll need 1 boar and several sows , each producing 2 litters per year ! You'll need to construct a small , weather proof barn to help the sows with farrowing . The thread shouldn't be hard to find . , fordy

MullersLaneFarm · #25 01/27/14, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terri

we are going to raise the earliest sweet corn possible and sell it in the farmer's market. We might be able to raises as much as 200 dozen ears and sell them for $3.50 per dozen, and split the money.

Terri, Don't undervalue being the first at farmer's market with sweet corn. $3.50/dz is cheap here in mid-season ... When everybody has sweet corn it goes for 3/$1 or $4/dz.

First sweet corn at the market will go for $6/dz easy.

rustyshacklefor · #26 01/27/14, 09:35 AM

Today is the first day. Checking out plans to build a greenhouse, so I can start some plants to sale at local market.

dirtman · #27 01/27/14, 09:45 AM

Selling firewood. Folks around here buy a semi load, usually 10 cords. Costs between $800 and $1000 a load delivered. They they cut it up into face cords and sell it for $50 if you pick it up or up to $70 delivered. Each full cord give you 6 face cords. Minus gas and oil for the saw and splitter that's a pretty good return on investment.

simi-steading · #28 01/27/14, 09:47 AM

If you have a good way to find antique and "vintage" household items in your area, such as estate auctions or sales, or good yard sales, you can make some decent money reselling them on Etsy..

My wife and I have been "collecting" old items and reselling them on Etsy. We've even found old "junk" around our place we bought and put that up on Etsy, and made decent money..

We've sold some items for hundreds more than we paid for it originally..

You do need time to go find stuff, and it does take time and effort to list it, but my wife has done pretty well over the last couple years.

joebill · #29 01/27/14, 10:48 AM

One of my oldest friends went blind when he was in his 40's. That was around 1985, and we met at the shows in Quartzite AZ, where he came the first time with some friends who allowed him to set up in their space with a table full of arrowheads and other artifacts.

Thier space was next to mine, and we all kicked in a bit helping him make change and i impressed on one young lad who was putting a point in his pocket that stealing from the blind could get him killed on the spot. At that point, his wife was still home raising kids, so he did shows all over the country with either friends or sometimes he would get somebody to drive him and pay all their expenses.

As the years went by, he got better and better at trading and met more and more folks he could deal with and trust and his wife sent the last of the kids out the door and now he has her as his partner. They have a shop in Tenn. and still travel to a lot of shows. They hope to make the rock and gem show in Tucson next month, which they have done for years, sometimes making a lot of money, sometimes a little.

Through all of his troubles, he has kept up a fine spirit and always had a lot of practical jokes going on and constant kidding and banter with the folks around him. A couple of years ago we all met for dinner at a restruant about an hour from here when they were on their way home from a show. After the meal when we stepped outside, he told me, quite seriously, that blindness was the greatest gift that God could have given him, because had he kept his sight, he would have stayed right there in his little woodworking shop in tennesee for the rest of his life and never traveled and done all the things and met all the people and made all the good friends that he had.

Of course, he has his "down" moments, too, but we all try to keep the banter going when we are around him, and every time he comes by I take him out and let him drive a dump truck or track loader or whatever out across the desert, and we have a running joke going where if I can catch him outside I try to sneak up behind him and burn my initials into the back of his hat with a magnifying glass in the sun. He always smells it burning before i finish and turns around and swats me with the hat.

Not much point to all this, except if I were blind, I'd want to be blind the way Dan is, I think....Joe

poorboy · #30 01/27/14, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtman

Selling firewood. Folks around here buy a semi load, usually 10 cords. Costs between $800 and $1000 a load delivered. They they cut it up into face cords and sell it for $50 if you pick it up or up to $70 delivered. Each full cord give you 6 face cords. Minus gas and oil for the saw and splitter that's a pretty good return on investment.

I can only get three face cords of 16" sticks out a cord and thet ain't a full 16" long at that...They're selling 7 3/4" sticks???

DamnearaFarm · #31 01/27/14, 08:45 PM

While I really love some of these ideas (greenhouse, etc.) I have to say I can't agree with continuing with electrical work, regardless of having someone to tote you around. Would you really want someone whose vision is bad enough to not be able to drive piddlin' around with your electricity?

**Shrek** · #32 01/27/14, 08:53 PM

Hire an apprentice electrician/plumber with driving as an employment stipulation.

MullersLaneFarm · #33 01/28/14, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joebill

Through all of his troubles, he has kept up a fine spirit and always had a lot of practical jokes going on and constant kidding and banter with the folks around him.

A blind fiber vendor in my area has a name tag that says, "I'm not ignoring you, I'm blind."

Pigeon Lady · #34 01/28/14, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deaconjim

PL, that was an excellent interview. Thanks for posting it. It gave me a lot to think about.

You're welcome.

I didn't realize what a small amount of land his orchard takes up. I helped him dig the holes for his first trees and it seemed like a huge expanse at the time.

So, very doable or just a small acreage.

If at all possible, I'd start sooner rather than later James; if that's the route you'd like to go. Get your trees (or berries) established while you can still see.