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We're doing the same thing, but with the idea that one of us will eventually work the farm full time and I've spent the past year researching and planning just this sort of thing. I have a few specific pieces of advice: 1. Always treat it as a business and make sure you have capital upfront because farming is more expensive than you think to start. This is especially true if you are in a climate with a shorter growing season as you will need to construct hoop houses to be competitive that can cost 1k each if it's completely DIY and 5-8k if you buy a kit. Even seed, which seems inexpensive, adds up when you are buying enough for a farm. As others have said, you'll also need some sort of tractor or motorized tiller for that amount of land. All of this is before you ever sell anything. Make a P&L and cash flow statement before you start doing anything and be realistic about what things will cost. Making $60k a year from farming part time and just selling at farmers markets is not realistic. My husband and I know many small-scale farming families who have been in business from 2-10 years. None of them are making this. That's like 2,600 a week during farmer's market season. Our friends who have been farming for 10 years were really excited recently to be accepted to a major metro farmers market after being on the waiting list for 8 years. They expect they'll make 2k per week there. 2. Plan to spend just as much time marketing as you do farming. You'll need to market to local small groceries and restaurants as well as selling at at least 1 farmer's market and that is time consuming. If you're going for small scale farming you will also need to build a following on Social media and sell your brand. As a side note, most farmer's markets have very specific rules in regards to selling items not produced on the farm that is renting the booth space so you will likely not be able to piggy back on another farm. 3. Do not farm if you don't love it. It is a job that will require you to work 365 days a year and the pay isn't great. Even in the off season, there is always work to be done. 4. If you decide you really want to do this, hook up with your local farmer's union. They are a fantastic resource for information, networking and education. They have helped us get to the point we're at now and without them it would all just be a dream. Sorry if this sounds really negative, but it really is hard work and there are a lot of things involved that you wouldn't necessarily know about unless you're a farmer. E: Just went back and see you're in the Midwest too! Yeah, you'll need those hoop houses if you want to be able to sell for the whole season. Also, 90 minutes to Chicago is pretty far for a farmer's market imo and that is one that will probably have a long quaint list. You'll need at least a trailer to transport so make sure you factor in the cost of that and the cost of fuel. Plus, you'll need to be there by 6am to set up and you won't want to pick the veg you are taking to market until the day before so prepare for late Friday nights! You might actually be closer to Madison from where you are, but that's the market our friends just got into with the 8 year wait.... SquirrelFace fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 20:52
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The place we are in the process of buying is about 30 minutes north of Green Bay so we're quite a bit north of you. As far as marketing, we haven't really started yet, but we have gotten some good advice from people we met through the farmer's union. Their advice is just to contact everyone you can and plan to bring by samples and really sell your story, not just the product. Also, look at ways to value add to products you already have. Our friends found a guy who pickles eggs. They give him duck and chicken eggs, he pickles them all and sends back half. They make more on these even with paying him half the stock than they do on fresh eggs. The biggest thing they have said financially is to be honest with yourself about what makes you a profit. You may like heritage breed chickens, but if they cost more in feed than you can get for the meat, you need to pick a different breed. Our individual plan is to hit the markets, get an active page going on Facebook and run a farm blog and Instagram with lots of pretty pictures of produce and baby animals. That's in addition to contacting the local restaurants/ specialty butcher shops/specialty groceries. Also planning to start an ask/tell thread when we close on the property, but that's more for my own enjoyment.... The Farmer's Union has really been the key to us getting this far. Everyone we have met through there is super welcoming and helpful and excited to talk about how to get started. The farming community is so fantastic and not at all competitive at least from what we've seen. Even friends we have with niche products love giving information on how to grow them and do not feel threatened at all by new producers.
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Apr 11, 2017 15:01
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It is! We actually just go an accepted offer a week ago so closing date depends on when our city house sells. Another thing to consider once you get a season or two under your belt is grants. I know of one in particular from the Frontera foundation for local food producers that serve the Chicago area. They are usually only a few grand, but it'll pay for a hoop house or small tractor.
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Apr 11, 2017 15:37
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