Green Acres

[blitziod]

I would like to know how many of you farm or ranch. I mean not for a hobby but as a source of income. I am considering purchasing land over the next few years with an eye on ethical/kosher production of food as a source of income and a way of life. HELP!

 

[sixth_heretic]

Yeah me too. I want to hear how you do it so we can too.

 

[rusty_armor]

I would like to know how many of you farm or ranch. I mean not for a hobby but as a source of income. I am considering purchasing land over the next few years with an eye on ethical/kosher production of food as a source of income and a way of life. HELP!

I certainly don’t want to toss cold water on your dreams of rural living, but a few flinty eyed observations of my own;

As a 60's flower child, I lived on a small farm in an attempt to lead a subsistent lifestyle as we called it then. Though I was reared in a rural area, and was more familiar with agricultural techniques than the other residents were, I was not prepared to live entirely off the land. The commune and the farm was a failure after time, because the energy required in day to day living required more time than we had available to maintain it.

To operate a farm today is a hard nosed business, not much different than starting a fabrication shop or a taxi service. You not only have to grow your business, you have to grow it large enough to provide for your wives and children. And with that growth of scale comes its own attendant headaches. It is a capital rich environment with very narrow profitability margins

A family farm big enough to raise cattle from birth to harvest, and to raise domestic vegetable crops to be canned and preserved is somewhere around 40 acres, and has water rights from a ditch co-operative or a shallow aquifer with a high capacity well on it. Even with that, you will need a town job or separate business for the cash you will need to equip and maintain your property and buy the extras that elevate life from sheer drudgery to pleasantness.

Most experts today feel that you will need a minimum of half a section (320 acres), and more realistically, a section and a half (almost 1000 acres) of land to run a profitable farming operation. That much farm land in a reasonably fertile and water rich area is very rare, and expensive. Most likely, you will concentrate on a niche market such as kosher beef or rare variegated cumquats so you don’t have to compete head-to-head with Archer Daniels Midland or one of the other huge agricultural conglomerates.

The farmers in my area now lease their land to the giants, and keep a few acres around the house to themselves to keep the feel of farm life alive while they collect the rent cheques.

The Green Acres model of family farm probably died in the 50’s.

Again, I don’t write this to discourage you. You may be up to the challenge. But remember when you go to buy the farmland, that the people who are selling you the land have generations of farming experience behind them, and usually don’t sell off profitable farms.

But if me and the ladies weren't so long in the tooth, we wouldn't mind a "hobby" farm, to cure the itch to clear and and plant things on it. Today, my one acre rural paradise takes about a hundred hours a year to mow, and that is about all the time I want to invest in it.

Good luck!

 

[Dairyfarmer]

I make my living from milking cows. I kinda agree with Rusty. The amount of money tied up in assets is unbelievable. He is right that, that you have to be huge or you can't make a living without a city job. We milk hundreds of cows not because I want more work, but I have to pay the bills. Farming is the only thing I know of where someone else sets your price, it might be the government or who ever is buying the product. Also you have to pay the trucking on your supplies and to get your product to market. The government wants cheap food, because a full belly will not cause trouble, they can be lead around by the nose so to speak. That is why they have the farm bill, because we can not live on the prices they set. In farming you are always having to get bigger or you have to get out. You must be very self motivated and be prepared for long hours. We start at 4:30 am and finish at 9:30 pm everyday, no breaks for holidays. But a farm is a great place to raise children and be close to God. I hope I didn't discourge you.

Dairyfarmer

 

[Doc]

Welltan,

Just letting you know I liked your last post. :lol:

Doc

PS. My plan in the next five years is to move back to Missouri, as soon as I can figure out how a former preacher/current broadcaster/christian polygynist can make a living north of the Missouri River :!:

 

[ckfarm]

My wife and I have a 280 acre certified organic dairy in WI. We also are 100% grass fed meaning we feed no grain. We currently have 70 cows and a whole lot of young stock and bulls. I grew up on a farm and was fortunate to have parents that detested chemicals and what they do to our soil, water,and food, so it was automatic that our farm would be organic when we bought it. We have never had to have off farm income and it has been a very profitable venture, but it takes unbelievable hard work and sacrifice to get started. The key is, stay away from university/industry advice as it is meant to bleed the farm dry with inputs and band aides of every sort. The closer you work with God's creation and appreciate the simple beauty of his system the healthier and more sustainable you will be.

It's no different than any other start up venture that takes much time and dedication. If it involves animals, even more so. The beauty of the grazing model is, we don't have to work as hard or have the overhead of those following the industrial ag model. If you are interested in animal production the Stockman Grass Farmer and Graze offer tons of valuable info from grazers making it work. Acres USA covers everything in the organic/quality food movement.

Natural Cattle Care, by Pat Coleby, is an excellent book on cattle and how to prevent most problems and what to do if one pops up. She also has books on goats and horses with the same title. Acres USA has a book catalog with books on everything you'd ever want. Science in Agriculture by Arden Andersen is like a textbook of knowledge on building balanced soil fertility plus a lot of other needed info. Also, Nourishment Home Grown by A.F. Beddoe is geared for the gardener, but applicable to any soil, wanting the highest quality possible.

There is a huge demand for quality food of every sort and it's growing fast. Whether it is vegetables, meat, or dairy products. Raw milk from grass fed cows is another venture that can provide excellent income, although it infringes on the stranglehold big dairy has so there is some risk from state ag departments protecting status quo. The Weston Price Foundation has good info on the benefits of whole foods and especially raw milk. Eat Wild has good info on the health benefits of grass fed production. Both offer a place to advertise your products once you get started. I hope this helps, feel free to ask questions as I love helping others.