Small acreage profitability?

[jwal10]

See if you can find a young farmer trying to get started. Smaller equipment. Too big as a market garden unless you hire help, Too small to be profitable by itself. Livestock would be a good fit but not big enough to make much unless you sell on the farm. Livestock for meat sales and market garden, honey sales. Other value added items, flowers, pumpkin patch, corn maze, food sales, nik nak sales. Old barn? sales area, weddings....James

 

[d13series1]

We made $1200 off a 200x50 garden, but a lot of work!

 

[SHALER]

You about 30mi north of 80 as it goes from Ohio to Indiana? Decent flat ground. Tiled or otherwise drains ok? If you just want to 'farm it" and make more than $100 an acre, some of the suggestions you have received are valid ideas, however you cannot really place any value on your time or at the end of the day you will be economically behind simply renting it out for $100 or more an acre. And BTW, it seems to me that if indeed it is decent tillable accessible ground in that area, even with todays low crop prices, you should be able to get a little more than $100. Anyhow, I peg you around 55 years old. What is you retirement plan? Will be here sooner than you think unless you are someone that "has" to work at Walmart until they keel over. This could be a decent hobby for you to stay active, etc after your day job is over. Do you have more than two plug nickels to rub together? I will not repeat what previous posters have written but will encourage you to look at the chicken house possibility you mention. Fifteen years ago in my one-half of the county there were no chicken houses. Today there are maybe a dozen and as far as I know they have been a good investment for their owners. One guy built one and then 5 years later added 2 more. Are there any in your area of Michigan. Seems like there would be. 15 acres would easily be enough. Talk to owners. The guys around here are under contract to raise chickens for poultry producers and get the chicks and feed supplied and furnish the physical plant and labor, thats how I believe it works. I think also the same business model works for turkeys and hogs. Obviously this would entail much more investment than $20K of hay equipment, but you may be able to actually make a living or something close to it.

 

[NY 986]

I'd get a soils map then get with an extension agent (one who does not has his head up the behind of the area BTO) to figure out realistic possibilities for the acreage. There may have been potatoes raised back in the day but there may have never been any real profit doing that. Used to be cabbage raised on my place many decades ago but the varieties that flourished here were no longer maintained by the seed companies. Possible that a weed or disease ruined the potential for potatoes on your land. High profit low equipment investment possibilities are almost non-existent in most situations meaning a high labor enterprise as a solution typically. As to renting to city type gardeners have a refundable portion to a deposit for good stewardship during the growing season.

 

[will-max dairy]

Start any type of operation. Take a bunch of pictures of it. Write stories about how gratifying and profitable it is, even if you have to lie about the profitability part. If you had a bunch of seed money to start with; make sure that you obscure that fact.

Then sell books about how someone else can do it too, with about as much initial investment as buying a Starbucks coffee every morning.

The books are your profit...

Bonus points if you have some kind of oddball breed of plant/animal that you're raising, and you make up some kind of backstory that the evil mainstream media and factory farms have suppressed this ancient breed...

Extra bonus points, pass go and get out of jail free, if you can call yourself the "<insert aspect of farming> whisperer"

OK... I'm having too much fun with this. I think I need to go muck out a pen with a pitchfork... or whatever.

Good luck, though... sincerely.

 

[will-max dairy]

If you do small squares, your best investment is building a hay burning boiler and heating your mom's house with it. At 280,000BTU per bale, it's the equivalent of about two gallons of heating oil (selling now at what? 3 - 3.50 per gallon?) You can bale the ground once. Bale old hay... and burn it for the equivalent of 6 to 7 dollars per bale. Without selling to anybody...

Or you could use them to heat the chicken house, if you build it.

 

[ss55]

Hello all,

My mom's long term renter recently told her he's downsizing and won't be renting her ground any longer. She's got 15 acres tillable and was getting about $1600 annually for rent. Location is about 2 miles west of North Adams, MI. I understand there a lot of inputs and time required to make any farming operation successful but geez, there's gotta be a way to make more than $100 an acres off a place?

I'm just outside Moscow, MI and have about 4 acres at home that I could do something with, other than spend my summer mowing it.
I have a Kioti 2620 tractor but not much else that would support a farming operation. I baled a lot of hay as a kid, loved doing that.... but that was 40 years ago and I may not survive such an endeavor today. At least not without several breaks...

A long time ago, mom's place was Anson Meeks' Potato Farm. I kinda thought it would be cool to go back to that, as I've not heard of anyone else here in south central Michigan growing potatoes. But.... is that viable, where's the market, etc?
My neighbor works on a farm and was telling me about food-grade soybeans? He said they're planted and harvested with the same equipment as regular soybeans but are exported directly to Japan?
I don't think a livestock operation would be sensible at mom's, as I'd have to make sure I get over there daily to check on things.
I'm also wondering about a chicken/egg facility, given the new law in Michigan about selling only cage-free eggs? I could fence off 3 1/2 acres here at home, build a couple chicken houses and buy a bunch of layers? A 2-dozen pack of eggs was over $7 at the store recently and I'd expect those prices will still go up a little?

But anyway.... I'd be willing to invest in some older equipment and learn what I need to in order to be successful at something but I don't know what is profitable on such small acreages?

Thanks for your time and suggestions, I do appreciate it.
Anthony

I'm guessing you are in your 50s or 60s, live 8 to 10 miles from the farm. It looks like the farm is alongside a paved road. Tillable acres sound like it could be in a corn/soybean crop rotation, so soil fertility should be good for the short term.

For the last forty years farmland has been appreciation in value, many years the appreciation has been more than the actual profits from farming or renting it out. When farmland prices drop they can fall fast and fall far, in the 1980s farmland prices fell by 50 to 75 percent, poorer ground falling the most. Consider your plans for the farm, will it be a future retirement home/acreage or will it stay unimproved and be sold as part of your mother's estate.

Check what local markets are in your area before making a commitment. Your bank or county extension service should be able to tell you what farmland currently rents for in your location.

Hay and other crops can be time and weather sensitive. If your time available to farm requires taking spur of the moment vacation or sick time from a $40 plus per hour job or loosing overtime pay, that can take a big chunk out of your farm profits. Big round bales are convenient, but unless there is a local shortage of hay, they sell for much less money per ton than small square bales.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[ss55]

Start any type of operation. Take a bunch of pictures of it. Write stories about how gratifying and profitable it is, even if you have to lie about the profitability part. If you had a bunch of seed money to start with; make sure that you obscure that fact.

Then sell books about how someone else can do it too, with about as much initial investment as buying a Starbucks coffee every morning.

The books are your profit...

Bonus points if you have some kind of oddball breed of plant/animal that you're raising, and you make up some kind of backstory that the evil mainstream media and factory farms have suppressed this ancient breed...

Making You Tube videos can also be profitable.

Laura Farms

2026 - my seventh year farming row crops (Corn and Soybeans) in Nebraska, USA! Follow along as we learn how to farm...together! My channel features vlog-style videos of everyday life on the farm, as well as equipment demos, collaborations with other farmers, and off the farm, outdoor fun. I'm...

www.youtube.com

 

[will-max dairy]

Making You Tube videos can also be profitable.

Laura Farms

2026 - my seventh year farming row crops (Corn and Soybeans) in Nebraska, USA! Follow along as we learn how to farm...together! My channel features vlog-style videos of everyday life on the farm, as well as equipment demos, collaborations with other farmers, and off the farm, outdoor fun. I'm...

www.youtube.com

During a mindless spate of using the tractor to clean driveways. I thought about "trolling" these Laura Farms types. How?

Treat a farm operation like the music executives treat boy bands... just hire four pretty faces.

I wondered how much someone would have to pay three or four young women that met three criteria:
-Like farm work.
-Single
-Pretty

And then set them up on any type of operation;
Make sure that they do all chores in full makeup and Daisy Dukes;

Start a youtube channel...

You could probably pay the young women fairly well and make a decent living for yourself.

What that says about farming and society? No comment.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Yeah small squares would make you the most money off that little piece for a young guy that is the ticket cheap tractor baler mower and rake. Someone has to drive the tractor and that sounds like you you just need the young helper For bale pickup day riding on the rack or get a bale accumulator for a loader tractor. Around here there’s a hay auction where they sell them on the rack or trailer sometimes delivered for people with horses and a couple cows but no rack. One can make some very very good money. You will need some mechanization and ac and a cab would make a world of difference if your Kioti has that making hay is fun listening to the radio nice and cool. Mowing away or raking. At that amount of acreage you would have about half a day each time you do a task. Get a cheap little Tedder and it will cut your drying time in half.

Making money selling small squares is highly dependent on where you are. If you're in an area where hay is abundant and the customers are mostly large dairy farms, you're making hay for fun. You'll be lucky to break even on fuel and twine in a year.

 

[will-max dairy]

So... seriously...with the smallest operations, ours included... the first thought is:

Am I growing something that can be used by myself, family and friends? And do I like doing it?

This is important to me, because the first layer of profitability for the smallest operation is substitution. For instance. I like grass-fed beef. I know many people that do as well. Every pound of grass-fed beef that we use ourselves is worth something like 8 or 10 dollars a pound, just via substitution; because we don't have to buy it at the store.

(But... just like anything that you raise on a farm... try selling a lot of it at store prices or a premium... that, is tough... and it takes a certain type of person that is willing to play "chicken" with pricing, seeing if you, or your customers blink first. I'm no good at that. So I don't try. Some people ARE good at it. Some people think they are and end up with a lot of unsold stock.)

The case is similar for any vegetables and produce that we use ourselves.

The case is similar for old hay that we use to mulch gardens.

The case is similar for anything that we burn or compost to generate heat for ourselves.

Then there are the tax breaks. Which we use ourselves, to help keep and maintain the property.

And a place for grandkids to come see "Farmer Papa" and "Farmer Grammie." Which definitely is something we use ourselves.

 

[J Wendt]

I'd say your Mom was lucky to get 1600 for a 10 acre field. It would have to be very accessible to get that much. It would have to be next to his other land or a good hay field. Or just a hobby.

 

[sycamoreview]

So to share my experience in growing potato's, and I do it at a much smaller scale.. since I am working on starting up, and am aiming to keep growing the size of the operation over time. Potato's in my opinion, are a high maintenance crop, but could be profitable if you are growing a variety that is a little more rare, but some high demand, (not russets, every large farm grow's those). However, like everyone has outlined, it requires a bunch of time, equipment, and storage plan unless potato's are popular in your area and you can sell at a major loss to a larger supplier that has storage..

Here is what I would recommend for equipment:

• Row Crop tractor with higher clearance than utility
• Standard field equipment, Plow (yes plow for a deeper seed bed) Disc and harrow to flatten the field/seed bed
• Seed cutter to ensure accurate seed sizing
• Potato planter with fertilizer spreader, unless your going to use your sprayer rig
• Sprayer to handle insecticide and fungicide (spray fungicide about every week)
• Hiller and cultivator, although you can use herbicide to start on the field, you will still need to hill potatoes as they get bigger and rain washes soil away
• Brush hog to trim the edges of your field, keeping weeds away that spread disease's, but also could be useful to cut the tops for harvest rather than using a "top killer"
• For harvest, a powered digger/harvester, additional equipment to collect the harvest, wagons/tractors
• Potato house / Root ceiler with proper air and moisture control, Spuds love that humidity...
• Equipment to size sort, wash, and bag when ready to sell to market or distributor's
• Notable Mentions: something to deploy a cover crop, and maybe hay equipment for field rotation, 3 years per rotation..

Here is the knowledge I would recommend:

• Vetting good seed vendors, and knowing if the seed is good to plant, just because it has eye's doesn't mean its too far gone..
• Soil testing and ensuring the right fertilizer is selected for planting, tatos love potassium but not too much, they can grow too big and develop "hollow heart" or split making them not very round as many would desire.
• Spray planning, Bugs are a problem depending on area, but disease's I find are more problematic, once you get a blight or a pink rot, good bye.. ensuring a very good spray practice and training on what to look for is key. Also depending on your location, look into getting a spray license to get the restricted chemicals if required.
• If you have an irrigation system, which water is king, but don't over water, you can like with fertilizer, cause them to grow too big too quick
• Keeping an eye on your potato house / storage. Keep a watch that your regulating proper humidity, and that they are completely in the dark! If you spot them turning green, that can be a problem. Some Spud Houses can use chemicals to slow the reaction of them turning to seed. If your very small scale, you can use Apples, which emits a chemical that slows the Spuds from turning to seed.
• Lastly, know your market, don't go for wholesale unless you are doing 1000s of aces, you will get killed on the wholesale margins, focus on quality over quantity. Target CSA's that don't grow their own Potato's or other root crops. Also target local distributors that truck food to restaurants, rates won't be as good as selling to a CSA, but you drop it off, and they deal with it.

This is just a summary of things I have been learning/working on that I hope you find helpful if you plan to grow potatoes. I have been working on this for 3 years and the first 2 were more of a failure than a success, even last year was still a loss for me. Its taken a long time to source the equipment since everything older was for smaller operations, but is older harder to find, and new things are build for thousand acre farms (mostly).

 

[will-max dairy]

There was a local man who had a few acres of pumpkins that he grew every year. During the month of October, he would open his farm to the public and sell pumpkins to the area. He made enough money to put his four kids through college on the proceeds.
That type of business wouldn’t be for everyone, as there is a big risk of injury or a lawsuit from John Q. Public. There would also be a fair amount of work involved, as pumpkins are not a plant where they are planted and harvested with no maintenance in between. It would also help if you lived next to a busy highway. It would not be a crop for me.
But the potential to make more than $1600 is likely.

The man that puts four children through college with pumpkins is possible, not probable. Probably... like... four standard deviations from the norm... (at least)

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

There was a local man who had a few acres of pumpkins that he grew every year. During the month of October, he would open his farm to the public and sell pumpkins to the area. He made enough money to put his four kids through college on the proceeds.
That type of business wouldn’t be for everyone, as there is a big risk of injury or a lawsuit from John Q. Public. There would also be a fair amount of work involved, as pumpkins are not a plant where they are planted and harvested with no maintenance in between. It would also help if you lived next to a busy highway. It would not be a crop for me.
But the potential to make more than $1600 is likely.

There's definitely potential to rake it in if you're in the right place at the right time offering the right thing. Unfortunately in this day and age most of the right places, right times, and right things are already wrapped up by someone else.

Unless you find someone that's retiring, and can take over their "territory," it can only end badly if you try to horn in on someone else's business.

 

[Gambles]

The man that puts four children through college with pumpkins is possible, not probable. Probably... like... four standard deviations from the norm... (at least)

The man that puts four children through college with pumpkins is possible, not probable. Probably... like... four standard deviations from the norm... (at least)

Perhaps the guy was bragging and stretched the truth. Perhaps he was not.
I have three kids, all under 30, all have a college degree, all three were born two years apart. My two oldest kids were valedictorians ( meh…small high school ), and got a full ride through college and got their college debt paid off quickly and it cost very little money. My youngest kid eeked through high school and was the SECOND from the bottom, academic wise. In other words, absolutely no scholarships of any kind and now has some college costs that he has to pay for. Thanks to the virus, we couldn’t see his college BS degree in business a few years ago, but last May we watched him walk when he got his masters.
All I’m saying is that college costs can widely vary, especially between public and private colleges and depending on if a kid gets any scholarships.
I personally saw how many people used to buy pumpkins along the farmer’s highway. When he bragged about how much money he made, I believe him.

 

[cjunrau]

Hello all,

My mom's long term renter recently told her he's downsizing and won't be renting her ground any longer. She's got 15 acres tillable and was getting about $1600 annually for rent. Location is about 2 miles west of North Adams, MI. I understand there a lot of inputs and time required to make any farming operation successful but geez, there's gotta be a way to make more than $100 an acres off a place?

I'm just outside Moscow, MI and have about 4 acres at home that I could do something with, other than spend my summer mowing it.
I have a Kioti 2620 tractor but not much else that would support a farming operation. I baled a lot of hay as a kid, loved doing that.... but that was 40 years ago and I may not survive such an endeavor today. At least not without several breaks...

A long time ago, mom's place was Anson Meeks' Potato Farm. I kinda thought it would be cool to go back to that, as I've not heard of anyone else here in south central Michigan growing potatoes. But.... is that viable, where's the market, etc?
My neighbor works on a farm and was telling me about food-grade soybeans? He said they're planted and harvested with the same equipment as regular soybeans but are exported directly to Japan?
I don't think a livestock operation would be sensible at mom's, as I'd have to make sure I get over there daily to check on things.
I'm also wondering about a chicken/egg facility, given the new law in Michigan about selling only cage-free eggs? I could fence off 3 1/2 acres here at home, build a couple chicken houses and buy a bunch of layers? A 2-dozen pack of eggs was over $7 at the store recently and I'd expect those prices will still go up a little?

But anyway.... I'd be willing to invest in some older equipment and learn what I need to in order to be successful at something but I don't know what is profitable on such small acreages?

Thanks for your time and suggestions, I do appreciate it.
Anthony

if you are in a populated area and there are few or no market garden sellers, you have a jack pot.
I would if you are physically capable, start a market garden. grow all the vegetables that will sell in that area. you need a good 3 point tiller on 40 hp tractor. (not sure of the hp but 4-5 ft wide.) that ios so you can till all the left over into the ground every fall.
Pumpkins are a interesting market. We have one guy here that sells to school age children as soon as the pumpkin is 4-6 inch diameter. Each child comes and draws anything they want into the pumpkin. The schools actually go there for field trips to do this. I think he charges $3-4 each. as the pumpkin grows what they put in stays. Most do there name, and a butterfly for the girls Guys do a car truck, etc just scratch it in with a dull knife Butter knife.
potatoes are easy to grow with a planter and hiller. dig with a digger.
corn is a huge seller. roundup ready super sweet and not much labor in the weeding department.
other vegies need weeding but planting is simple enough with a garden planter modified for a tractor or small lawn mower.
If you can not do the weeding yourself you may be able to hire. My daughters get $20-25 an hour for weeding and picking, washing produce. The guy they work for sells it right on his yard that is right beside the main Highway in Canada. Called the NUMBER 1 highway.
it amazes me that this 70 something year old guy has done this or close to 15 years maybe more. makes 20-30 thousand a year doing it. People stop in the middle of no where and buy.
corn is $9 a doz
If you had some young people around you like and can trust and were willing to put in the time you could do very well with such. This guy even sells to some market gardeners when they run out in the city of there own product will buy from him to resell. One large guy here sells only in the city for the last 20 some years. at the 2020 thing he started selling off his yard right on a not busy highway and seems to move some product there as well.
Oh and pumpkins in fall are self serve in big totes but he can see them from his house so as of yet no vandalism . I am amazed at the amount he sells. probably 7 totes full. also gourds and squash for the October craze. Each area will be different so not sure about where you live. We as a family would like to take over the guy my daughters work for on the highways stand when he quits. He does only Corn, beans, potatoes, beets, carrots. we would ad most of the other vegies and also home grown chicken, pork, eggs. beef. as I love to butcher.

 

[will-max dairy]

There's definitely potential to rake it in if you're in the right place at the right time offering the right thing. Unfortunately in this day and age most of the right places, right times, and right things are already wrapped up by someone else.

Unless you find someone that's retiring, and can take over their "territory," it can only end badly if you try to horn in on someone else's busines

Perhaps the guy was bragging and stretched the truth. Perhaps he was not.
I have three kids, all under 30, all have a college degree, all three were born two years apart. My two oldest kids were valedictorians ( meh…small high school ), and got a full ride through college and got their college debt paid off quickly and it cost very little money. My youngest kid eeked through high school and was the SECOND from the bottom, academic wise. In other words, absolutely no scholarships of any kind and now has some college costs that he has to pay for. Thanks to the virus, we couldn’t see his college BS degree in business a few years ago, but last May we watched him walk when he got his masters.
All I’m saying is that college costs can widely vary, especially between public and private colleges and depending on if a kid gets any scholarships.
I personally saw how many people used to buy pumpkins along the farmer’s highway. When he bragged about how much money he made, I believe him.

I don't know your friend personally, and I'm loathe to call him... or you... a liar. Not my angle here. My angle is... the reason that your story is remarkable... is because it's rare.

 

[will-max dairy]

if you are in a populated area and there are few or no market garden sellers, you have a jack pot.
I would if you are physically capable, start a market garden. grow all the vegetables that will sell in that area. you need a good 3 point tiller on 40 hp tractor. (not sure of the hp but 4-5 ft wide.) that ios so you can till all the left over into the ground every fall.
Pumpkins are a interesting market. We have one guy here that sells to school age children as soon as the pumpkin is 4-6 inch diameter. Each child comes and draws anything they want into the pumpkin. The schools actually go there for field trips to do this. I think he charges $3-4 each. as the pumpkin grows what they put in stays. Most do there name, and a butterfly for the girls Guys do a car truck, etc just scratch it in with a dull knife Butter knife.
potatoes are easy to grow with a planter and hiller. dig with a digger.
corn is a huge seller. roundup ready super sweet and not much labor in the weeding department.
other vegies need weeding but planting is simple enough with a garden planter modified for a tractor or small lawn mower.
If you can not do the weeding yourself you may be able to hire. My daughters get $20-25 an hour for weeding and picking, washing produce. The guy they work for sells it right on his yard that is right beside the main Highway in Canada. Called the NUMBER 1 highway.
it amazes me that this 70 something year old guy has done this or close to 15 years maybe more. makes 20-30 thousand a year doing it. People stop in the middle of no where and buy.
corn is $9 a doz
If you had some young people around you like and can trust and were willing to put in the time you could do very well with such. This guy even sells to some market gardeners when they run out in the city of there own product will buy from him to resell. One large guy here sells only in the city for the last 20 some years. at the 2020 thing he started selling off his yard right on a not busy highway and seems to move some product there as well.
Oh and pumpkins in fall are self serve in big totes but he can see them from his house so as of yet no vandalism . I am amazed at the amount he sells. probably 7 totes full. also gourds and squash for the October craze. Each area will be different so not sure about where you live. We as a family would like to take over the guy my daughters work for on the highways stand when he quits. He does only Corn, beans, potatoes, beets, carrots. we would ad most of the other vegies and also home grown chicken, pork, eggs. beef. as I love to butcher.

My brother had a similar relationship with a friend... as in, his friend told my brother that he (his friend) was making 150k a year selling round bales... and he did all the work by himself... while he had a full time job...and went to Florida every winter...

Well...

A. My brother's friend inherited the place.
B. My brother's friend was a contractor for NYS for a very good hourly rate ( more than 100 per hour); and could work remotely in Florida during the winter. He could also cut out at random times on sunny days to mow, rake, tedd or bale.
C. When my brother's friend wanted to "retire"... he offered to sell his business to my brother... at a price commensurate with making 150k a year selling round bales...


My brother thought this guy's operation was the greatest thing since sliced bread; and he bragged to everybody about how smart the guy was and how easy the money was...even telling others of us in the family that we were stupid to raise any animals... just make round bales out the ying yang... roll them down the driveway and money floats back to your mailbox...

Until it was time for my brother to buy the operation. At that point, he contacted myself and others in the family to start asking some pointed questions... like... is a ten year old New Holland tractor with 5,000 hours worth x amount of money? etc. etc. etc.

In fairness to my brother, there is a kernel of truth in everything, and maybe his friend WAS happily making money making round bales in gentleman-farmer fashion. But... if all of that is priced into the operation when selling... the buyer NEEDS to make those numbers, to make things work. And that's a whole different ballgame than just making hay with inherited land and equipment.

If anybody did a due diligence on the statement of grossing 20-30k per year...

Looking at expenses, including 20-25 per hour for labor... seed, fuel, RoundUp...cuz it aint free, equipment, taxes, maintenance... the net on that 20-30k could be lower than the 1600 that the OP's mom was getting...

 

[NY 986]

Carrots could be a good enterprise but once again you need a soil map to know if it is realistic on your land. They want 12-15 inches of loamy but not very sandy soil typically. The processors around here are looking for carrot acreage but most topsoil here is not deep enough for the varieties desired.