40 acre self sufficiency plan?

I'd use pigs to clear the land, there was a article on a guy in Japan that moved into a forested area and with minimal labor had it cleared in a few years. then if necessary move in the goats.

I would try and hold on to as much of your extra cash as possible. try and make it work for you in the mean time. Deals come along all the time if you have money, sometimes its something you can use and sometimes its something some one else can.
I believe the the old term in your neck of the woods is Horse trader...

One thing I would get is a decent sawmill, used if you can.
Or build one if you have the skill set.
That way you can add some value to your timber and it can be a source of income down the line. either sawing for other,making lumber for sale or to turn into projects with even more added value.

Stick to small stock and work into it, pigs to start the initial clearing, small flock of chickens just for your needs the first year, then the next your goats and maybe the rabbits if its all under grasp.

I'll be adding coturnix quail quail this year ( a week or so) it should be a good money maker, besides eggs for hatching, those that eat local are a market but we also have scores of bird hunters and they use live birds in training dogs.

I rebuilt our chicken flock this year as well and will be hopefully in full gear come spring selling hatching eggs,chicks as well as later on started pullets and meat chickens.

Also Have a small flock of turkeys that again hope will be full swing come spring and supply us a load of poults, plan there is sell the poults and later in the year order in from one of the hatcheries for the thanksgiving and Christmas crowd. that way I only feed what I have to in a attempt to maximize my profits.

We also have Ducks though have had many setbacks in the last few years due to predation. I plan on going at that next year, after I get the chickens paying for themselves, Muscovy for meat and campbells for eggs as well as ducklings for sale from both. I can get a lot more for a dozen duck eggs then I can for chicken eggs.

I don't need a hog for clearing and they can be bought at slaughter weight at more then reasonable price, so no need to raise one.

Now though we would like a few dairy goats and a few sheep, I think our small stead would support 3 each with minimum supplement.
Sell off some of the kids and lambs and put some in the freezer.

that though is in the air for a while.

the game plan is not to get rich but keep everyone paying for themselves and any profit put back in to the operation , some of the profit though is food for ourselves as well.

The shop should also help to supplement as well.

It takes time though, unless you have a ton of money to through at it.

I've been collecting a bit here and a bit there and things are coming together.

We will never be self sufficient in a true sense but I do hope to be self supporting.

As far as crops for sale, house plants and ornamentals bring a pretty penny, and garden plants in the spring.

under traditional management 40 acres is really subsistence farming.

But if you do a little out of the box thinking and find your niches you could do very well.

I read a bout a guy made 100,000 a year off two acres of tomatoes, or if you develop a name for quality livestock breeds that could be a stake.

Blueberries can pay some bills. Farmers market works fine. Where I live, we have such a short summer that is tough, but you have a longer market season.

So, you have timber land.

Need to clear the trees.

Then need to clear the brush.

Weed the land, build the soil, beat nature into the field you need.

Then need to plant blueberries.

Then need to wait for them to grow. Weeding and feeding and tending to the bushes.

Then harvest them in fall - five years from now, because the other steps need to happen, and take that much time!

Then need to sit in the farmers market selling them.

First year you will make mistakes, harvest late, price it wrong, learn marketing better, and so on, you will be selling but not making money.....

And so on. Going to be 6 years before that simple blueberry patch is actually returning you more dollars than you spend on it......

Like I say, its a good plan, you just need to get there. That is the hard part, the time involved.

I started riding around on tractors with dad when I was 5, I was plowing in fall with one tractor while he plowed with the other when I was 8. I learned and worked and observed all my life.

Man, was it tough farming by myself when it was all on me, dad was in a home! Never realized how long it took to mow the alfalfa, grease the baler and grease combine, the 'little stuff' he did in retirement....

Everything took so long.....

And I was familiar with it all done it for over a decade by then.....

By the end of my second decade of doing it, things were a lot better.

But I almost gave it up, just too long, too short on time, too much to do and no income from it those first years.....

This is what you will battle.

Farming, including your smaller operation, is about gaining assets and wealth on paper, and not having any pocket change. Then you retire and sell off all the assets and pay in extra capital gains taxes and everyone says what a rich old miser you are.... But along the way you were eating romain noodles because you were so cash poor.

I realize you are aware of this and want to go with it.

But it still is the part of it you need to prepare for the most.

Those first 10 years are just -tough-. All work, no gain, you get worn down badly......

Paul

OzarkNick, you might want to peruse my thread as it might give you some ideas. While our property is much smaller, you can see the progression made. This should encourage you, considering DH is 58 and I am 50. He is the one doing all the physical labor. Both of us have been self-employed for years...

If you get a business license and produce wholesale, that is where your money is. What you produce, will be dictated by your market. I personally know successful farmers here, who only sell wholesale to restaurants, markets, etc... Filling market niches is the ticket. As long as you have a strong local market, you will be fine.

Also, bartering and salvaging can't be discounted. You sound very resourceful and will have to be, in order to accomplish your goals.

Let's take Blueberries, for example. If you have the site for them (they like a lot of water, prefer wet roots, and thrive with high nitrogen acid soil), post an ad on CL looking for mature bushes to dig up. We will be doing this next year, as we both enjoy the berries so much. I dug up just one of our Blueberry bushes in the Spring:


DH was eating the fruit, so I didn't get a picture when it was loaded.

I have seen ads on CL by folks offering fruit trees, fruiting bushes, and vines for FREE! Others are selling all their fruits/herbs/trees for a very reasonable price, as they are moving, or decided to do something else with the property.

Here is something funny... So, we buy our property and both of us like Horsetail. Good thing as we have an area of our property with thousands of plants. Now, this just happens to be an wild herb that is sold... All I need to do is renew my business license for this property and start harvesting/drying/selling it. I just happen to have a friend who owns a tea/herb store, who purchases Organic Horsetail... There is a lot I could grow here and sell in their shop, if I choose to.

My grandparents bought 1,000 acres in OR. They sold off all but the best 90 acres, and thereby paid it off quickly. He was an LEO and she worked at a bank, until they "retired very young" and bought this farm! Neither of them worked away from the property. They farmed it and it supported them completely. Grandma was very frugal and they were both very conservative with their money. They grew their own livestock feed, sold hay, grain, cattle, wool from their sheep, and the list went on and on. Since they really didn't have to buy anything unless they wanted to, often they wouldn't leave their property for months during the busy growing season. They were amazing! It really helped that Grandma was so savvy with money.

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Good for you - so nice to see fresh young people wanting to do this!

Is your wife on board? This is to me one of the most important factors. Does she realize the time and work involved? Remember, you may be the one growing all that food, but she's probably going to be the one canning it, dehydrating it, freezing it. Gardening for home use is hard work, the weeds, the bugs, the potential droughts or flooding, the weeds, and then, there are the weeds that come after you've gotten rid of the weeds.

If wife is going to work full time or dare I say it even just part time, remember that the house, cleaning, laundry, shopping and children are also a job. Adding in all the home food prep to that - just be sure she's on board. Be sure you truly understand what she sees when she looks at your plan. Does she see it as something she'd love to support you in and take on the extra work herself?

I cannot offer any advice on a big plan, never had that much land and our desert climate is a world all its own. But some smaller things that I think could help:

If you can run electric to it - do it. If you can run water to it - do it. Any automatic watering systems that you can afford, put them in. Chicken watering, goats, cattle, whatever drinks water all day - make it automatic. This alone cuts your time way down. Any watering system that is going to freeze - do something to keep it from freezing. (don't know if you get frozen where you are talking about).

Water - have a backup plan so you have water in case of drought or, if you have a well and power goes out, a way to get that water out.

Try to keep the areas that will be tended to daily closer to the house - those that are less tended to farther away.

KNOW your sun movement. All the wonderful clear land with great soil will not create a garden if you don't get enough sun. KNOW how the water moves thru when it rains so you can divert/catch it as you need.

Whatever you have in abundance, that is also in abundance for your neighbors, will not be in demand.

Be sure you know the laws about living on your property before your house is built. Some areas, you cannot have but a small building and then only for so long. Some areas don't allow it at all, you'd need a camper. Well and septic laws have been known to set back many a homesteader - get this information first. How many animals are you allowed on x amount of acres, that type of thing, is also something you need to know.

Tools. Oh you need tools. Everything that can break, will and every break requires tools to fix.

KNOW your predators. Do you have deer/fox/bear/coyote/wild rabbit/turkeys? Fencing and more fencing. These creatures can completely eradicate your livestock and your gardens.

Ok, I'll stop there, just some random thoughts and congratulations on your plan!

First off, congrats on having the determination and fortitude to keep striving for your dream life. Second, thanks for serving.

Now since your are former military, contact your local extension office or veteran affairs office or local/county/state governments for the possibility of military personnel grants or any free money that goes to getting veterans back to work. I would try to ask for type of grant that would help provide infrastructure to your land, such as fencing, barns, and irrigation. I think there is a program for Young Farmers from Farm Credit.

I second getting a sawmill. With that many acres of forest, a sawmill will pay for itself in no time. Check out ForestryForum.com which is a huge source of information for forestry, logging, sawmilling, and anything dealing with wood. A used band sawmill can run you $5000. You can save that much in lumber alone building all your animal shelters, plus neighbors will soon be asking you to saw some of their logs (i.e. income).

In addition to the sawmill, I would get a wood splitter and a conveyor. With a lot of the land clearing you will be doing, you will have some logs good for building materials, some good for firewood, and some good for bonfires. The firewood could be added income from otherwise waste materials. Again this is just to help you survive while you get the farm side going.

Before you make a single cut, have a plan in place. A detailed plan that covers the span of nearly a decade. Think your farm layout not as you want it but as how it will support what you want. It would suck for you to clear an acre of trees only to realize that the land isn't useable for farming but is useable for hogging only the rest of your hog pens are clear across your lot.

Keep us updated and good luck.

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Pallets rot and leave behind nails that poke holes in expensive tires. Just sayin'.

Hang on to your cash. Continue to work for others to fund your ventures. Pick about three sources of revenue to try your hand. DON'T try to do everything at once. Don't buy too much equipment. Anything you buy should pay for itself in 2 years, any longer, and Murphy starts getting involved. Read some of Joel Salatin's books, most of his advice is good.

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OzarkNick, thank you for serving. You have a wonderful ideas. Do look into getting a grant from VA or USDA. Also talk to the extension office. Another place is the Small Business Administration; they can help you do a business plan for your market garden and organic animals. They can put you in touch with grants and very low interest loans. Do you have a farm co-op? Check with them.

Good Luck.

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I typed out some considering I did the same for 37 years but lost it on my Computer but I see you have it all figured out.

big rockpile

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If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

Pigs are a great idea. What kind of Brush can they clear?

Pigs can clear about everything.

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Hi Nick, are you planning to build your own house? The rock in that area is awesome building material. I would look into using that material to build into the hillside (easier to waterproof than wood and cheaper to use onsite materials than import concrete). Windows and doors, along with many of the finishing materials are at the habitat for humanity restore. The Hardwoods could be used to timber frame the upper walls and roof, which would be very nice looking from the inside too.

I'm building our timber frame with white oak and hickory that is on our land. I like your idea of using pallets for our buildings (we are doing the same).

Pigs do not actually CLEAR anything. What they do, is loosen up roots, stones, bring roots ect to the surface to be picked up, cause if not, sooner or later they will be buried again. Ive had 3 hogs in my 100 X 300 pen for decades, and they havnt put a dent in it hardly.

sounds like you need more hogs and less feed.

But yup correct in they don't clear it, more aid in clearing it.

The greatest benefit is killing off the vegetation. mostly the under growth.

I looked for the article I cited in my earlier post have yet to find it, may have been in a organic gardening issue.

Heres one from grit though.

http://www.grit.com/animals/plowing-...#axzz3CMhA0mjU

I Find if I feed my animals they work less, or not at all.
So I only feed those unable to work, the others have to wait till the mid Afternoon,currently every ones out scouring for tasty insects and delightful greens.
If they had free access to feed they all would be laying about... they all know when hand out time is.
In fact some come looking for me if I'm late but everyone's always sitting and waiting on me... Entitlement is not just a human nature...

Most land I seen like he is describing you put Hogs in there or Doze it you will have a problem with erosion.

If he is willing to take his time Goats, Burning and cutting Trees for Garden space and Firewood, couple year put a few weaned Calves on it or maybe Milk Cow and couple calves.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I am going to take a different track here. If you can only play one song play it well. 40 acres isn't one piece of land, it is a varied track that will be developed differently for it's uses.
1. Shelter What is possible and what is useable is your first priority. If you start building a huge house beyond what you are going to use at this time it is going to take away from other things. Many have lived in campers and such to get on to number two quicker.
2 Utilities tied with one but you can haul water but being warm and out of the rain is nice. Here you can look at it in two different ways. If the is city water available it might be OK to switch it on for the $500 dollars and dig a well or spring later.
3. Income if you treat the property as many employees and each one you will manage as to their talents you will quickly succeed. If you treat the 40 acres as one you will loose. The woods have an income base the wet area does also and it might be better to let some set while developing others.
4 Be willing to look at your success as well as your failures. I wrote off the side portion of my homestead yard as a rock. I finally got motivated to move two fallen trees and found that it was a yard to itself and the rock were only at the front and not the back. This find would have increased the cost of the property if it had been cleared but I did not find it after buying it for three years. If I had cleared it when I bought it my overall plans would have changed.

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Hybrid "300" ducks are good layers and sexlinked to color.
I believe "FUKI" likes damp shade. Oriental restaurants local??
Consider mushrooms- low input, high value.
Consider Midget White Turkeys for small yuppie householders in Fayetteville. Not everyone wants a 20 lb turkey.

What great advice! Treating every part of land as an employee and managing it that way. I really like that. As for the house, I'll be in a pull behind rig for a while. I can get a good deal if I watch closely for 4-5k for a decent one. That will do for a couple years until I can build the earth bag house.

What you think you will need in money, triple it atleast. Earth bags are great but it is very labor intensive, you will need a bunch of people and hope they will give there time. I know, i run my 36 acre homestead and its finally all paid for

Helen and Scott nearing built their house on their Vermont homestead of native rock. Read "Living the Good Life". They also built rock walls of their native rock.

If you build in the holler I would build Stick Built. Your far enough South Cold shouldn't be a major problem, in the holler it will be cooler. Being in the holler you will be out of the wind in Winter.

Summer time just walking down into a holler you can feel the temperature change.

I would see about getting some Oak Logs rough cut for Lumber, put up green easier to get a nail in. I would cut it this Winter while sap is down.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!