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 Life Saver
Posts: 10477
  
Location: MT | Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 1:00 PM Raspberries in wind tunnels. The tunnels can extend the growing season by 30-40 days.
That's a good idea. Raspberries can do good here and I could sell rapsberry jam maybe too. |
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  That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| ruggedchica - 2013-12-27 2:06 PM Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 1:00 PM Raspberries in wind tunnels. The tunnels can extend the growing season by 30-40 days. That's a good idea. Raspberries can do good here and I could sell rapsberry jam maybe too.
10 acres is plenty of room. Most of my raspberry farmer customers net up to $6000 per acre per year. You could start small and grow it to as much work as you want. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | If you only want to make a little money, then 1 crop or type of animal might do it. For an income it's better to diversify a little, if you can, for small acreage. Pick some things that work well together. We have 17 acres and this year sold eggs, pork, turkey, and stewing chickens. We have 2 steer also, which we are raising to butcher. Our pork didn't smell too bad, but we rotationally grazed them. They did tear up the ground where they had the chance though. :) I have a garden, but I'm awful at it so it basically supplements what we eat (as we go I hope to get better at it :). We don't make a ton of money doing it, basically enough to cover our costs, but also don't charge a ton either because we feel uncomfortable charging what we would be unable to pay, and we are just starting out. But, if you were business savvy or doing it more for income, you could make more money if you use sweat equity and sustainable practices to keep prices down (at least at first). A big thing around here is hops right now, I don't know if your climate would support it? In Ireland (I think) they run their sheep with the hops to prune them...there are 2 crops that work pretty well off of each other, if there's a market for them in your area. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 582
| Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 2:12 PM
ruggedchica - 2013-12-27 2:06 PM Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 1:00 PM  Raspberries in wind tunnels. The tunnels can extend the growing season by 30-40 days. That's a good idea. Raspberries can do good here and I could sell rapsberry jam maybe too. Â
I think that is a great idea!  |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| This is a great thread. We need to keep it going. I am a stay at home mom and my youngest will start kindergarten next year so I'd like to use our property for some sort of income too. We live on 30 acres. We cut hay off of about 20 acres of it which doesn't produce much profit at all(hay is really cheap around here) but we really haven't came up with anything else profitable to use our land for so I'm glad the OP started this thread. |
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Really interesting thread. Hope to see some more ideas. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | TOMATOES!!!!! To make the most money from a small amount of land, grow tomatoes. There are lots of varieties that would work for you.
Also consider Berkshire pigs to sell finished pigs and pork. They are the superior pork breed and there are producers in MT.
Pigs do not stink unless you are not feeding them correctly. We currently have approx. 300 Berkshires that are raised like pigs are meant, not in confinement. We feed swine appropriate feeds...........the first comment our buyers make is, I can't smell the pigs!!
Berkshires have a great feed conversion and that SUPERIOR pork that is bringing the higher price. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| You could do something like a hot house and grow vegetables all year long, at start veggies, also you could plant seeds and sell,the plants in the spring. Or could plant like tyme stuff like that. Small hothouses arnt that expensive. There is a magazine hobby farmer and i think several just like that to give you ideas and show,you what can be done. Also, maybe go to,tye co-operative,extension,service same people who,do,4-h see, aybe what funding is avaible for,small farmimg if they dontmdomit,theynwill be,able,to, tell you who does. |
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Veteran
Posts: 165
| Garlic? You plant it in the fall and harvest in the spring, or asparagus? Although I think it takes a couple of years to establish. |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | laying chickens. I could not keep up with the demand just from my co-workers alone. Nice source of extra income. |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| Christmas trees and something like blueberries in the summer. |
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Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | We've got 20 acres and since I've only got 3 horses, we don't really use all of it. My sister is a huge wine person, and she suggested I should grow grapes and have a vineyard. Although it takes a few years from first planting until you can actually harvest the grapes (unless you plant established vines), people are making a pretty good income just selling grapes to wine makers. Not sure about grapes in MT, but for some of you others, it may be an idea. |
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I Will Not Keep Silent
Posts: 1922
Location: GA | Growing up my brothers and I did beef, pork, hay, corn, pecans for extra money. For those that have ponds my younger brother and I farmed catfish. Not only did we sell them out by the pound but we also opened up the pond for fishing. One year even though we are central GA my Daddy decided we would take a chance on farming rainbow trout. It got a bit hairy when the weather took an unexpected warming trend but we got out making money.
Also seasonal we let people come on our dove fields and duck, deer hunt for a fee. The dove field doesn't take much land but we created duck ponds to bring in the ducks and we had the wooded acreage for deer hunting.
I love this thread. My husband and I own our own business plus I work part time in logistics. I started that has sort of a play money job and can't seem to quit. I keep getting sucked back in so I am looking for something to do with my land that will force me to quit...lol.
I like the raspberry idea. We can grow the dorman red here. Raspberries are low bug and disease from what I understand. Christmas trees are a good idea as someone mention which reminds me, pine trees and apple, peach trees here. Only problem the turn around of course but good ideas.
To the op thanks for this thread!
Edited by *robin* 2013-12-28 7:09 AM
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Regular
Posts: 93
| Ladies those are all great ideas, but labor intensive. What other ideas do you have that doesn't require lots of start up costs? I have 14 acres in a rural area of Texas and need to make some $$ without adding lots of extra work as I already work full time and goto college part time as well. I thought about renting out my house and land around it and living in the back of the property but am somewhere afraid of renting for fear renters may damage the house. Any thoughts?
Thanks |
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I Will Not Keep Silent
Posts: 1922
Location: GA | prober - 2013-12-28 8:40 AM
Ladies those are all great ideas, but labor intensive. What other ideas do you have that doesn't require lots of start up costs? I have 14 acres in a rural area of Texas and need to make some $$ without adding lots of extra work as I already work full time and goto college part time as well. I thought about renting out my house and land around it and living in the back of the property but am somewhere afraid of renting for fear renters may damage the house. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Just rent out the land. I have a friend who rents out plots to people who do not have access to property that want to grow small gardens etc. Such as small green houses during the cold months, open gardens during the warm months. It has worked out well. Another friend has property on a main highway and she rents out vendor spaces. Bring your own tables, tents, etc type deal. They have been fortunate that they have had good renters.
I would do that but I am not a people person and would probably scare my renters off. |
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 Queen Boobie 2
Posts: 7521
| Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 2:12 PM
ruggedchica - 2013-12-27 2:06 PM Whiteboy - 2013-12-27 1:00 PM  Raspberries in wind tunnels. The tunnels can extend the growing season by 30-40 days. That's a good idea. Raspberries can do good here and I could sell rapsberry jam maybe too. Â
 So, how are the raspberries then marketed? |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| Any kind of produce grown could be sold at Farmers Markets or just a road side stand or in the local newspaper. As far as renters....I rented out my mini farm for 3 years after we bought a new home and the renters DESTROYED my brand new mobile home inside and out, wrecked my barn and fence too. I was able to sell it and not have to deal with it but if I had to repair everything they destroyed it would have cost me more than if I had let it set empty for those 3 years. NEVER again! |
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| I came across a video that tells you how to build an underground greenhouse to grow stuff year round. Located at www.treehugger.com.
I have 3-4 acres but just a couple head of horses. Ground is fertile enough that I can put something else on it. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Used2B - 2013-12-28 8:43 AM Any kind of produce grown could be sold at Farmers Markets or just a road side stand or in the local newspaper. As far as renters....I rented out my mini farm for 3 years after we bought a new home and the renters DESTROYED my brand new mobile home inside and out, wrecked my barn and fence too. I was able to sell it and not have to deal with it but if I had to repair everything they destroyed it would have cost me more than if I had let it set empty for those 3 years. NEVER again!
I agree with Used2Be! We have had much the same experience. The only thing not destroyed was our stud stall. and the roof of the 10 stall barn and the pipe that kept it all up. The house was unbelievable. Took them to small claims court didn't get a thing out of them. Learned that we have to check on the place every month!
We plan on doing grapes on our ranch when we retire. We are already building deer proof fencing and planning water and drainage. Go to your County Extension agent and get ideas of what will work in your area. |
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 Ms. Potato Head
Posts: 9162
Location: BFE, Idaho | ruggedchica - 2013-12-27 12:57 PM Morab76 - 2013-12-27 12:33 PM Pumpkin patch and a corn stalk maze during the fall. Do you have a talent that you could offer classes? Pumpkins! I think that's something that could work here. We are really short growing season for corn.
Yep, pumpkins is where I was headed with the water question also.
One of my daughters former teacher and friend retired, her husband farmed, but was slowing down, they started 15 years ago with a half an acre. Now they have around 5 acres just for different types of pumpkins and guords. The profits are huge, as they built up their clients, they also have some local private schools come out and the kids pick pumpkins, school pays a flat fee, they are always sold out and it has become a tradition for many.
They started off with a cute lock box and honesty(still made a huge profit), now they have a stand that they run.
A couple years ago they added sweet corn(but that is alot more work and water)
First year you can make a profit with only half an acre.
No smell
No year round care
And the left overs you can leave out in a pile for the deer and elk.
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