can you really make a living off of a small farm?

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tastyacres said:
We live in a small town of 4500 people.... And our town is a huge tourist attraction so farming here is a huge success.... But funny thing is there are no farmers so we are the first to take the step.... And the whole town is thrilled.

It turns out our main buyers are going to be restaurants.... So we talked to them and then on what they needed is what we will produce.

For meat we are going to do, sheep, pigs, chickens, and turkeys.

Dairy, cows and goats milk.

And our biggest demand is eggs.

Another thing to take into consideration is you will only have pasture available 6-months of the year so you will need to have a place big enough to store hay for all the animals to survive on.

Keeping records is a must.

On the matter of keeping goats and pigs in the woods..... I did this (not pigs but goats) with goats and my friend with pigs.... He just had to supply some hay (goats should have a hay 24/7) and it worked great.

Our 9acresis mostly wooded which I like because with all the snow we get, the woods have the least amount of snow and I can at least still let the goats out.

You have a great opportunity! I wish you the best and please keep us updated on your journey!

On being a bit behind I wouldn't worry about it.... Take your time!

I also deal with anxiety and depression. But just keep pushing thru!
Click to expand...

sure will thank you :) and best of luck to you on your journey :)
 
okay quick update,

just talked to a friend and said there are many markets out there (where i live) a few restaurants are support local farmers, they support the local market gardens we have but the problem for them is fresh produce in the winter. next i found out there is a another company who makes dill pickle drinks and needs a constant supply of dill, and again at the moment no one can supply them during the winter. so i think a green house aquaponic system may be a good start. (again only if it works am going to start small)
 
Had the same discussion with some today ...is farming profitable ??? lets see ...a farmer can turn 1 corn seed into about 2100 seeds in a season with 1 plant ( 3 ears each consisting of 700 seeds per ear) ... thats huge profit ... but what every farmer wants to do is buy the most expensive fertiliser out there cause some sales man has spoken a hole in his head ... he needs to pay millions for any farm equipment (only the best will do) ... only the best seeds will do ( usually the type bought from the co-ops that cant be replanted/reseeded ) ... oh and they not prepared to do the job themselves ..labour is needed !! You've just witnessed how a farmer sees his ass !!!

I recon it comes down to management ... plant what you can handle .. tractors and such don't need to cost a fortune .. how long do you spend preparing the soil ??? feed what you grow to your live stock ... in turn use their waste to fertilise ... plan it properly and yes it will be very rewarding and profitable !!
 
itsasmallfarm said:
okay quick update,

just talked to a friend and said there are many markets out there (where i live) a few restaurants are support local farmers, they support the local market gardens we have but the problem for them is fresh produce in the winter. next i found out there is a another company who makes dill pickle drinks and needs a constant supply of dill, and again at the moment no one can supply them during the winter. so i think a green house aquaponic system may be a good start. (again only if it works am going to start small)
Click to expand...
FYI, Dill and other lettuces and herbs grow well in a vertical system.https://www.youtube.com/user/BrightAgrotechLLC
 
hello every one.

think am going to be working on my first project, more of an experiment, of some small scale aquaculture as well as aquaponics.

right now we have a 300 gallon tank (used to haul water for the garden back in the days) and am planning on making this an aquaculture system. if am correct, this system should be able to hold around 60 fish in it (hoping to get a tilapia permit, if not i guess am doing trout aquaculture) but am hoping for around 40-45 fish in it. raised to a pound and if they dress out at around 50% that is about 20 lbs of meat for the freezer.

the idea is (i talked to a tilapia farm) and he told me that this is what we could do, pretty much for small scale aquaculture, they recommend a pond filter, then use an air stone to keep a good amount of oxygen in the water for the fish, and there you have a simple aquaculture system hoping this works out :)
 
itsasmallfarm said:
hello every one.

think am going to be working on my first project, more of an experiment, of some small scale aquaculture as well as aquaponics.

right now we have a 300 gallon tank (used to haul water for the garden back in the days) and am planning on making this an aquaculture system. if am correct, this system should be able to hold around 60 fish in it (hoping to get a tilapia permit, if not i guess am doing trout aquaculture) but am hoping for around 40-45 fish in it. raised to a pound and if they dress out at around 50% that is about 20 lbs of meat for the freezer.

the idea is (i talked to a tilapia farm) and he told me that this is what we could do, pretty much for small scale aquaculture, they recommend a pond filter, then use an air stone to keep a good amount of oxygen in the water for the fish, and there you have a simple aquaculture system hoping this works out :)
Click to expand...

Tried that ... got too cold ... fish died ... end of that !
 
deepbluesea said:
Hi there,

I'm reading about your journey with great interest. Sounds like you're moving ahead well!

I just came across this on the Livestock Conservancy website. I don't know where you are, but maybe one of these programs could serve as a source of funds.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/resources/internal/financial-resources

Keep it up!
Click to expand...
thank you, glad you enjoyed my story in life so far :)

will keep this up to date, on the farming progress, debating if i should start a thread about this in the family and life section though :)
 

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