#Hobby farm vs homestead how to
#Hobby farm vs homestead series

One problem we keep coming across is how to be fully self-sufficient in the way of feeding animals. Our family’s aim has always been complete self-sufficiency. When I asked him about it, he explained that he is farming Black Soldier Fly larvae to feed his chickens.

One of my friends recently showed me his aquaponics greenhouse and, incidentally, we wondered past an interesting setup that looked a bit like a worm farm bin.

The Black Soldier Fly could well be the perfect income stream for your small farm! Give it time, and don’t be intimidated by what others have done or are doing around you. Grow more food, add another market garden, add another kind of crop. Once you are making a small living, you can add more. It’s easier to make a living when you use what you have! Start selling the fruits of your existing trees before planting 5 acres.

Start a market garden in your existing garden first. It might be tempting to quit your day job but unless you are independently wealthy, you’ll probably need to keep working while you get your small farm going. It’ll give you a clear idea of your income stream, and helps you think about things like marketing, equipment, and the long-term plan. You may also want to sit down and make a formal business plan so you have something to follow and track your progress.īusiness plans can be very useful for growers. If you are raising animals or livestock, you’ll need to find ways to feed them, house them, and manage their manure.You may need a vehicle to deliver your crops to your customers unless your customers are coming to you.Or perhaps you need a place to store your product, such as coolers.You may need packaging for your product, such as egg cartons.Read More – 57+ Best Careers for Off-Grid Living! 3. It helps if you are a warm, friendly person who is active in your community because you need to talk to everyone around you about your small farm. As a grower, you might sell to gourmet restaurants, create or join a CSA, market to or employ friends and family, sell at farmers’ markets, or even start a roadside vegetable stand.Ĭustomers are key to growing your small farms business because, without them, you won’t earn any money. There are many different ways to find steady customers. You Need Steady Customers to Buy Your Product

#Hobby farm vs homestead series

You may want to ask around your community and do a little solid research before you get started so you can find out what people might need you to grow.ĭon’t miss this series about people who are giving up their day jobs to become first-time farmers, we can learn a lot from this:Ģ. It will just make you really tired of eating all that unsold rutabaga!īy the way, rutabaga is great animal fodder, so if you can’t eat it, your animals will! If no one in your area wants to eat rutabaga, then growing 5 acres of it isn’t going to pay your bills, nor provide you with a full-time income. If you already have something you are great at growing, you’re off to a good start.īut you need to think like a business and grow what you can sell. Of course, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about the specialty crops you are going to sell. But there are plenty of other choices, from salad greens to mushrooms, worm castings, meat chickens, and even snails. Microgreens take up very little space, have a high value, and a quick turnover since they grow quickly. For Curtis Stone, this is usually microgreens. If you’re going to farm for profit, you need a high-value crop to sell. You Need a Great Crop to Grow and Sell Microgreens take up hardly any space and they can bring in an excellent income for your homestead. How Will You Make Money Farming 5 Acres?ġ.What Is the Most Profitable Crop per Acre?.How Much Do Farmers Make – Real Life Examples.