| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 08:20:40 AM
I'm looking for ideas...any ideas on how to make money with a few acres.
What do you do? How much time does it take? Profitability?
When I buy my farm I know I want to do something, just have no idea what.
Any help would be wonderful...thanks!
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| knittingmomma |
Posted - Oct 13 2008 : 10:15:14 AM
Hi,
Our goal is to make a living from farming and homesteading through a diversified offering. This year we sold our suplus at a small handmade farmstand right here in front of our home. I added baked goods - such as cookies and seasonally cakes - like chocolate zucchini, etc.... We live on a lightly travelled, gravel road and sold about 5 - 10.00 /day. We were very happy with this.
we have already doubled our garden sizes now and will be adding more winter storage crops so we can keep the stand open through October as well as attend one farmer's market each week.
We also make natural fiber toys and home goods which we sell online and locally. This keeps us busy in the winter.
We also have 20 chickens so hope to be able to sell a dozen/day soon.
Each year we will evaluate and keep growing until we reach a point where my husband doesn't need to work his seasonal landscaping job.
Warm wishes,
Tonya
Natural Earth Farm - Natural, Handmade Toys and Home Goods http://www.naturalearthfarm.com |
| TeJo |
Posted - Oct 11 2008 : 8:13:43 PM
This too has been a very interesting thread. We've lived here on Lay Lake in Central Alabama for 6 years and my feet are getting "itchy". The longest we've lived in one place was nine years, so it's time to think about a move. Of course with the economy the way it is, I'll have time to think about where and what to do, but I've been thinking of maybe a "hobby farm". This have given me lots to think about and some great links.
Also, s for fiber sales,, I've bought some lovely fiber, sheep and alpaca on eBay. Might look there...
Thanks!
Teresa
To me, a witch is a woman that is capable of letting her intuition take hold of her actions, that communes with her environment, that isn't afraid of facing challenges.
- Paulo Coelho -
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| kpaints |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 10:15:41 AM
I am interested in finding out where I could purchase old/not grade A fleece that could be used for stuffing in dog beds, pillows, toys, and quilts. I can't use a lot but if someone was into this and had a shop or just wanted to get rid of some of the 'barn full' many other seamstress' would be interested also.
Find your joy and live it. http://cheneybaglady.blogspot.com/ |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 25 2008 : 12:38:23 PM
how VERY cool, and what a fantastic idea!!!!! |
| soapmommy60543 |
Posted - Sep 24 2008 : 4:04:15 PM
Shari and Maggie - I know of a "local" co-op where the wool growers have gotten together and opened a little shop in an old Victorian house. It's run by (you'll never believe this) a 20-year-old young lady who was homeschooled. She and her mother both are very active in the county next to ours promoting small farms as small businesses. Natasha Lehrer is her name, and Esther's Place is her shop. I know she has a website, and is located in Big Rock, IL. She may be a valuable resource to you and the others as well. Her shop offers roving, spindles for hand spinning, classes and handspun yarn from her sheep as well as the members of their coop. I'm sure there's more, that's just what I remember. Natasha is a peach, and although less outspoken than her mother, she is equally passionate about small farms as small businesses. Tell her I referred you.
Ann LeClercq |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 7:43:47 PM
have found this thread to be interesting..I hope some more gals will chime in with ideas that have been profitable for them.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
visit me at:
http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and at www.stliving.net
you can also check out my etsy shops at:http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com |
| therealshari |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 6:36:27 PM
Maggie, thanks for the link, I'm on my way there now.
Shari Thomas
Who's giving serious thought (j/k) to changing "Four Country Gals" to "Ms McDonald's Farm" as we're now adding a preggie cow, due in early September. |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 23 2008 : 4:16:28 PM
oh YES, corn maze, that is a great idea!! There are a few around here, I think they do really well!!!
Shari, my friend's name is Abi - here is her website: http://prairiefiber.homestead.com/index.html
she's processing wool full-time now and is sooooooo busy! There IS a market for it, for sure!!! Just drop her an email about anything! :) |
| LeslieAnne |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 4:00:02 PM
A corn maze!!!.. there's one here that does booming business every fall... I think they charge $5 a person & people just flock to it... of course, it's too late now to start one, but it's something to think about next year... just type "corn maze" in any search engine... there are even companies that'll do it for you, but I think the fun would be in coming up with your own design & doing it yourself...
LeslieAnne...westTexas |
| therealshari |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 08:58:41 AM
Maggie,
Could you get your friend to contact me? I would be more than willing to lend my "marketing expertise" to this effort.
I can't help but think there are a lot of us here on MJF that could benefit from a little more expertise. Let's get something going, as now is the right time. Producers and consumers really need to find each other directly rather than waiting on a bunch of middlemen.
There are a couple ways to contact me. Either go to my blog, or send me a private message through this forum.
Thanks,
Shari
Shari Thomas
Who's giving serious thought (j/k) to changing "Four Country Gals" to "Ms McDonald's Farm" as we're now adding a preggie cow, due in early September. |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 08:06:56 AM
I am not HUGELY knowledgeable about this, But, i have afriend who is, and she has spent lots of time educating local sheep/wool growers about how to make their wool marketable. i know just what you mean about barns full of wool. heck, I know people who have sheds full of ALPACA!!! There is quite a big disconnect between teh fiber growers and people who want to purchase the fiber. it's like they jsut can't find each other. I sell roving in mylittle herb shop, and spinners are SOOOOO excited to find it, they say "We can't find this ANYWHERE!". Then folks who have fiber animals come in and lament how there is no market for their fiber!!! Trying to get everyone together is quite a challenge, but it needs to be done - our farmers need markets for their "crops", and people need to undersatnd the importance of supporting their local family farms. |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Sep 22 2008 : 04:52:20 AM
I'm interested in sheep too. So I guess I see you all in the new thread.
Tracy
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park |
| therealshari |
Posted - Sep 21 2008 : 08:15:02 AM
Maggie, I'd love some additional information.
Out here in our little "dust bowl", I know of more than one barn full fleece that has been simply abandoned.
There are two of us who have the shearer do our flocks jointly to save on costs. I talked that neighbor into giving me his fleeces as he has a barn full of "old wool". I was able to sell pretty much all our wool from this year. That doesn't mean I couldn't use the "old wool" as garden mulch and then have the "new wool" processed
I'd love some guidance in this endeavor. Marketing is part of my background, so whatever I can develop, I can sell (within reason, of course).
Let's start by posting links here in the forum so others can benefit, too. I'm sure we're spread out enough that we won't all be tripping over each other in the marketplace.
Thanks a ton for your willingness to point me in a new direction.
Edit: Let's start a new thread so it can be easily referenced.
Shari Thomas
Who's giving serious thought (j/k) to changing "Four Country Gals" to "Ms McDonald's Farm" as we're now adding a preggie cow, due in early September. |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 21 2008 : 07:27:56 AM
Shari, sounds like you're headed in the right direction - figuring out what shearers want, and making it happen!! That's fantastic!!
There are a few other things youc an do even with a less-than-great fleece, to make it have higher profit....have considered having them made into pillows, mattress toppers, or (my favorite) quilt batting? That's what some of my friends do, either with just sheer excess fleece, or ones that aren't quite as nice....or they can be made into blankets as well. I can dig out some links if you are interested.....
I stuff it into fleece (the fabric kind) to make really spectacular pet beds -mycats are in HEAVEN (and people do love to spend money on their pets, it's a great market! )
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| therealshari |
Posted - Sep 20 2008 : 09:35:25 AM
Hi Maggie,
The biggest problem with our fleece is the staple length. Seems the "harsh" weather here, as well as our genetics has something to do with it.
We're changing the breeding by introducing Polypay into the line to see if that will change the "feel" of the fleece. Of course, at this point, the only way we'll know if we increased the staple is to wait a full 14 months to shear any ewe lambs.
I'd love to market our fleeces to spinners, but have to also face reality and understand they want the very best, not just the average.
On an "up" note, I did sell a neighbor's Jacob fleece this past week to a hand-spinner. That fleece had a much better feel, and about a 1/2 inch longer staple. Still, it was below standards for what other Jacob fleece run, staple-wise.
Shari Thomas
Who's giving serious thought (j/k) to changing "Four Country Gals" to "Ms McDonald's Farm" as we're now adding a preggie cow, due in early September. |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 20 2008 : 07:17:56 AM
Shari, I think you're doing great - you're right, you gotta start somewhere! :)
Have you thought about having your fleece processed and selling it on etsy? it would be a bit more of an investment, but would be a nice little "bump" in sales! those bigger ticket items can add up nicely and plump up the financial bottom line! :)
Tracy, something seasonal, like a pumpkin patch, could be a really good thing, if you're not willing to commit to a huge full-time farming job right now. |
| therealshari |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 10:28:47 AM
We have 10 acres in the SW Utah desert and have started with chickens (for their eggs) and sheep (for the lambs, wool, and manure).
After three years, this was our first year of going to the local (90 mi round trip) Farmers's Market. We've had eggs (market price $2.00/doz), fleece (sold as garden mulch), locker lamb (order directly on the hoof), onions, shallots, and garlic.
While what we've made has been a pittance, we always make the trip a "two-way deal" by doing our grocery shopping, prescription pickups, building supplies, etc to haul home.
I was just looking over our "total sales" for this year and we might see $1000... enough to buy a little more than one of our 6 stacks of hay. But, that's a start for us, and that's what's important at this stage of the game.
Shari Thomas
Who's giving serious thought (j/k) to changing "Four Country Gals" to "Ms McDonald's Farm" as we're now adding a preggie cow, due in early September. |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 12:21:34 PM
I started out wanting to sell the surplus from what I plan to grow for our own consumption but..and I may be coming off as completely lazy...I have had so many people tell me how hard it is and how I'll never have time off, a prospect that scares me since we homeschool and I spend a lot of time working with my kids on their studies.
Part of me wants a pick your own pumpkin patch (just a small one... 2 acres?) I don't want a huge commercialized scheme like all the pumpkin farms around here, and I am afraid I would have to if I am going to compete.
I am on my own on the farm as my husband plans to work off farm so a huge operation is not going to work. I just don't know what to focus my efforts on...
Anymore ideas?
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park |
| prairielandherbs |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 10:24:19 AM
there are so many ideas. I know several folks in my area who make a living on their farms. Here are some websites for examples.
Small Potatoes is a local CSA. I think they hvae 8 acres. they work REALLY hard. http://www.smallpotatoesfarm.com
My friends Jill and Sean also run a CSA. http://www.bluegatefarmfresh.com
Our neighbors have a Jersey cow dairy. They have 80 acres. http://www.picketfencecreamery.net
Our neighbors (in the other direction) have a Nubian Goat farm; they sell artisan goat cheese. http://www.northernprairiechevre.com
We have 2 acres, and a herb farm. We do not use the entire 2 acres for herbs; you can growlots of herbs in a little space.
http://www.prairielandherbs.com. We ahve been in business for 10 years.
there's a few ideas for you. :)
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| gramadinah |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 08:58:55 AM
I too am looking into this I have a bit of land and a short growing season but love to garden. I think next year I will sell tomatoes and corn and cucumbers pumpkins and squash and hopefull cut flowers.
I have planted an orchard 14 different types of fruit but this will take a long time as the trees are very small.
I have also wondered about canned goods. Salsa pickles and tomatoes. All this is just a start.
I will also do chicken eggs.
Some other post talk about the rules and regs for doing this so I have been doing reserch for my area.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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