how do you make y'alls farming money?

[garden boy]

I want to know everybodys opinion on it.I might be getting a farm soon so i want to know what makes and what dosent.HELP!!!

 

[Joel_BC]

I'll start off and I hope a lot of others will join in to fill out the picture.

I'm sure you realize that we're spread out geographically - all over North America, and beyond. Some of us are even in the city or town, with backyard gardens. Situations are very different.

I'm on roughly nine acres. We don't earn money through agriculture. We tried that - growing garlic, actually, as the cash crop - at a time when there was too little, market-wise, that had been developed for organic growers. As it did not work out for us, my wife and I each found part-time jobs doing other things. But we wanted to keep living in the country.

So we grow salad veggies (lettuce, carrots, kale, cabbage family, cukes, beets, etc), corn, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, apples, pears, berries, grapes, and so on. We do it for the fresh food and the enjoyment of being involved with plants. Outdoor gardens and a greenhouse. We've had chickens in the past and may have them again in the future.

I know that the public is now much more educated about organic farming and crops, so now people have a conscious choice whether to buy conventional or organic. By that I mean that many areas now have organic outdoor and indoor markets. So this is a big change. Our story might have gone differently if we had started out 10 or 15 years later.

 

[garden boy]

Wow!!! That seems harder then i thought!! I thought it was grow,sell,buy and thats it! Thank you for everything you said,i definetly have a diffrent view on it! thanks joel_bc!

 

[Joel_BC]

A lot depends on where you live, I think. In some places, you might have success just by raising some crops, putting a sign on your farm's gate - "Fresh (whatever) for Sale" - going to the local outdoor farmers' markets with a pickup-load of food, etc. Some places have big, thriving year-round natural-food retail outlets. And these days, there are often free or cheap advertising possibilities such as local internet bulletin boards - so you can advertise your farm.

These are just general ideas, though. Others here can recount their experience on their land in their regions.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I wish I could tell you how I make my farm money....but if you're talking about PROFIT, there is none. Of course, I'm not a full-time farmer. I do raise goats and sell a few each year. I even sell a few dozen eggs, and a few chicks here and there. I do what I do because that's how I choose to live my life. It makes me happy to know where my food comes from. It makes me happy to be able to grow it and preserve it and to enjoy it. I guess if I did it full-time and really promoted what I do I might bring in some extra income, but I don't think I could ever make a living at it. I wish you well.

 

[garden boy]

I wish I could tell you how I make my farm money....but if you're talking about PROFIT, there is none. Of course, I'm not a full-time farmer. I do raise goats and sell a few each year. I even sell a few dozen eggs, and a few chicks here and there. I do what I do because that's how I choose to live my life. It makes me happy to know where my food comes from. It makes me happy to be able to grow it and preserve it and to enjoy it. I guess if I did it full-time and really promoted what I do I might bring in some extra income, but I don't think I could ever make a living at it. I wish you well.

thanks! I hope you make money anyways!lol

 

[FarmerJamie]

If you're taking about profit, buy low and sell high.

There are so many variables, there is no easy answer. It's all about what you put into it.

I agree with FEM, if I sell enough eggs to cover the feed and supplies I use AND still have enough eggs for us, I consider that profitable for me. Won't be able to retire on it, though.

I raise my own food for my family as much as I can, that good enough for me.

 

[garden boy]

If you're taking about profit, buy low and sell high.

There are so many variables, there is no easy answer. It's all about what you put into it.

I agree with FEM, if I sell enough eggs to cover the feed and supplies I use AND still have enough eggs for us, I consider that profitable for me. Won't be able to retire on it, though.

I raise my own food for my family as much as I can, that good enough for me.

good for you! thats basically what i want to do!just a tiny bit more profit.lol

 

[Budweiser]

Alot of variables: how many acres you have, where can you sell your goods, what do people want, how big do you want to be, etc. If you know what I mean, all this factors in to what you can grow to satisfy your customer base, and what your actually able to grow/raise and sell.

 

[cheepo]

i am sure there is a way to turn your farm dream into a sucess...
i am sure it would be a lot of hard work, but full of imense satisfactions...

i am not in farming,,,but what i would suggest is to do your research...
what is right for your desired area might not be for another...

maybe raise profitable livestock....eg...goose here can sell for $90 for one...at christmas time..
selling off, babies...livestock...

i get my pig from a fellow, who does,..well making goat cheese...and then feeds the whey to the pigs....
is just the pest pork...

maybe sell at farmers markets and produce something diffferent from what others are selling..

figure out what might be in demand...eg a farm around here is producing okra...
another one..is doing well selling aquatic plants

research...find out what is a cash crop..that would work for you...think outside the box
best of luck...