fireman401
Senior Member
That just helps tie the rope in the middle. It is not going to be the profit. Just remember, all that equipment and land comes with interest and payments also and those are going in the expense column.
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How did you start your Farm
- Thread starter TREY1984
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That just helps tie the rope in the middle. It is not going to be the profit. Just remember, all that equipment and land comes with interest and payments also and those are going in the expense column.
georgia_home
Senior Member
Commenting on transition, not so,much money.
Some folks on our road "converted" clear cut pines to cattle and farm land. I only know what I can see from the road, but it looks to have been a huge effort.
Industrial stump pulling (rake tractors, not the right name, but that is what they looked like), piling, burning, grading, building a house, no electric/only gennies, etc.
They have several acres of produce, plus the cattle.
No clue on the finances. Large family, did lots of the work their way. About 150 acres +/-
Some folks on our road "converted" clear cut pines to cattle and farm land. I only know what I can see from the road, but it looks to have been a huge effort.
Industrial stump pulling (rake tractors, not the right name, but that is what they looked like), piling, burning, grading, building a house, no electric/only gennies, etc.
They have several acres of produce, plus the cattle.
No clue on the finances. Large family, did lots of the work their way. About 150 acres +/-
T-N-T
Senior Member
Sorry, They are Very close. But I do guess only one gets you messed up... They use the stuff everywhere else in the world like its duct tape. Clothes, rope, ect. The list goes on and on.
I'm slowly getting everything together to have cows+ cut hay off my place and have it supplement me a little after retirement. It's expensive,there's ALWAYS work to be done,and you may not make much,if any, profit for 2-3 years in a row
. Unless you have deep wells+ irrigation.. row-crop Farming(on a scale big enough to make a living from) is one of the riskiest businesses out there When I quiz "real" farmers...most of them pat me on the shoulder & tell me: 1.keep my day job,and 2. You'd better have a derned good paying job,if you want to be a farmer these days
To those contemplating Chicken farming/having chicken houses...NO WAY--NO HOW! Between the big chicken co's trying to control/enslave/constantly perpetuate debt on you..even down to what you do with the chicken "poop" and the EPA sticking their nose in every aspect of your business...they have ruined what was once a good ,family farm-type business!!
. Unless you have deep wells+ irrigation.. row-crop Farming(on a scale big enough to make a living from) is one of the riskiest businesses out there When I quiz "real" farmers...most of them pat me on the shoulder & tell me: 1.keep my day job,and 2. You'd better have a derned good paying job,if you want to be a farmer these daysand the EPA sticking their nose in every aspect of your business...they have ruined what was once a good ,family farm-type business!!
ALLBEEF
Senior Member
Nearly all of my family farms for a living. My dad farms part time and my grandparents and uncles all farm on a fairly large scale.
I haven't done any farming for myself,....but have always worked on a the farm with family.
I decided a while back to purchase a decent size farm (155acs) mainly to raise my kids and to have a place to hunt and fish on myself. It has about 70acs of cultivated land...so to help make the payment.... I have decided to tend it on halves with a neighbor farmer. I have a tractor and some equipment....but I also have a paying job and feel I will better benefit from having someone I trust and with all of the equipment help me grow the crop.
I'll let you know how all this turns out.....but from the way I have figured.....If you can get some land already in cultivation....and get someone you trust to farm it on halves.....this is the best way to start.....at least this way you only loose half as much
I haven't done any farming for myself,....but have always worked on a the farm with family.
I decided a while back to purchase a decent size farm (155acs) mainly to raise my kids and to have a place to hunt and fish on myself. It has about 70acs of cultivated land...so to help make the payment.... I have decided to tend it on halves with a neighbor farmer. I have a tractor and some equipment....but I also have a paying job
and feel I will better benefit from having someone I trust and with all of the equipment help me grow the crop. I'll let you know how all this turns out.....but from the way I have figured.....If you can get some land already in cultivation....and get someone you trust to farm it on halves.....this is the best way to start.....at least this way you only loose half as much
JohnBenoit09
Senior Member
www.whiteoakpastures.com
I will answer any and all questions you got. I am the livestock manager there. I can answer all of your farming questions
I will answer any and all questions you got. I am the livestock manager there. I can answer all of your farming questions
bigreddwon
Senior Member
It will be huge. It'll put a hurtin on all the pines when it happens. 10ac of hemp will make the same paper pulp as a 15yo stand of 40 ac of pines, in one year.. not to mention you dont need a 399k combine to harvest it.
This is becoming a discussion thread.
That said, when you and everyone else are growing MJ it will be a commodity with an oversupply to a declining demand. Research the Prohibition Years and take the discussion to a more appropriate Forum.
Everybody I know around here who makes a living from farming inherited the land, buildings, livestock, and a lot of the equipment. I don't believe there's much chance of making a profit going into it from the beginning nowadays. As some have said, since tobacco and row crops are not viable crops any more, the people I know doing the best financially are farming on fairly small acreage, growing organic vegetables, herbs, livestock, fruits, berries, etc., and selling them at tailgate markets, directly to restaurants, or through some kind of co-op deal where people sign up to receive so much produce and /or meat once a month or some such.
TREY1984
Senior Member
Do you get Tax for selling your own product to restaurants or on the corners?
grouper throat
Senior Member
Inherited land here (My palm nursery and family timberland).
My brother and I tried small scale farming while working full-time jobs straight out of college and I didn't make enough $ to keep it going. It's tough to compete on a small scale basis and work another job. I won't never forget my grandpa telling us kids "Farming is a hobby, made possible by profit in real
business. Go to college and make your money with your brain, not on the sweat of your brow."
I found growing horticulture just as enjoyable and hard-workin but not as time-sensitive (no real harvest, auto irrigation, etc). An acre of land set up correctly in a good species will make 30-40x what an acre of ag crop will bring.
My brother and I tried small scale farming while working full-time jobs straight out of college and I didn't make enough $ to keep it going. It's tough to compete on a small scale basis and work another job. I won't never forget my grandpa telling us kids "Farming is a hobby, made possible by profit in real
business. Go to college and make your money with your brain, not on the sweat of your brow."
I found growing horticulture just as enjoyable and hard-workin but not as time-sensitive (no real harvest, auto irrigation, etc). An acre of land set up correctly in a good species will make 30-40x what an acre of ag crop will bring.
Doc Olly
Senior Member
My ol man is starting with about 40 acres, in West Tennessee, for either alpacas or goats. He will raise hay as well. He has something set up with small cities in Mexico as prospective buyers. Another guy in the same community is a known millionaire. He leases land for farming and maintains his own equipment. He also raises sheep on the side which he exports to Germany on a regular. It can be done
brownhounds
Banned
Polyface Farms is the best method of substantial farming. Also, everything he does is cheap and effective. He knows how to use the animals as his workers. For example, he lets the cows chew down the grass, then he brings in the chickens behind them to clean up their manure and fertilize the grass. His fencing is cheap and all buildings are portable. Also, watch the movie Food Inc. Everytime somebody eats a fast food meal, they are voting to do away with grass fed beef.
This is a really good thread...I currently farm goats, chickens, cows, pigs, and enough produce for my family. I have slowly started turning towards Joel Salatin's methods. And, I have had less sickness with my goats/cows only feeding grass/hay.
This is a really good thread...I currently farm goats, chickens, cows, pigs, and enough produce for my family. I have slowly started turning towards Joel Salatin's methods. And, I have had less sickness with my goats/cows only feeding grass/hay.
basstrkr
Senior Member
A lot of small farmers create a market in themselves. The row corn, peanuts and soybeans and wheat. They also raise hogs and use a lot of their crops to grind for their hog feed sell the rest. Wheat grows in the winter, corn in the spring, peanuts late spring, soybeans in summer after corn so you are producing year round. But irrigation on at least part of your land is critical.
grouper throat
Senior Member
Olive trees are being pushed in South Ga and North Fl for homegrown (American soil)olive oil production. They require little startup compared to other forms of farming and apparently only need 3 years to produce a crop worth harvesting. My MIL is considering 10 acres of them and she's almost convinced me it's a viable crop. Nuts are also a big alternative (or additional crop supplement) to traditional row crop farming. The good thing about these crops are not as much land is needed for the startup.
bigreddwon
Senior Member
http://georgiaolivefarms.com/gof/about-us/
I looked online and you can get a cold mill press for 3-6k new. 32$ per 500ml if you bottle it.. 16$ gallon wholesale. .. I read about a 16ac tract that made 100 gallons. If you pressed n bottled it yourself it seems pretty doable.
David Parker
Banned
A bottle of EVO the size of a Coke will run me 7 bucks or more at my BiLo.
Touching on something mentioned earlier about selling farm raised meats at Farmer's Markets. It is allowed and occurring at the one in downtown Augusta. I've purchased some free range chicken down there and nobody displays any type of credentials whether they sell ready to eat food, veg, meat, etc.
Touching on something mentioned earlier about selling farm raised meats at Farmer's Markets. It is allowed and occurring at the one in downtown Augusta. I've purchased some free range chicken down there and nobody displays any type of credentials whether they sell ready to eat food, veg, meat, etc.
shakey gizzard
Senior Member
David Parker
Banned
Only buy from growers you trust!
There is some risk eating un-inspected food, but considering the amount of "enhancements" they put on grocery store products, it's 6 or half dozen.
