Running a small farm?
Question:I would like to hear from people who run small farms specializing in higher profit items such as fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, fish farms, etc. I am thinking about pursuing this strategy on my family's small farm and am trying to gather info and put numbers together to determine if it is feasible. Thanks for your input.
Answers:
I'm sorry to tell you, but small farms just can't make money. We covered this in one of my classes- you need at least 300 acres just to break even. Good luck anyway, though.
I don't think it would be worth it, but hey here's an idea, in my town there is a family that has a little piece of land right off of the road and they have a Strawberry & Peach patch, they planted like maybe 40 rows of Strawberries (not very many) and when it comes time to pick them they let people pay to go and pick Strawberries and peaches. They only have like 100 peach trees, but they make good money! Schools even go on field trips there
Best thing is to find a market. We have a ginormous garden, and sell our extras at the local Farmer's Market. So far, we've come out ahead (I also sell Pampered Chef, so the FM also gets me leads for that business.)
Bottom line, if you can't sell it, you won't make a profit, so check out your area. Go with your gut, pray, if that's your thing, and you'll be just fine.
Most importantly, have FUN!
Oh, and don't give up--'failure' is just another way of learning how not to do it next time!
Good luck! :)
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