What do I need for preparing land?

[mygoatboy]

Hello,
I am planning on getting into truffle farming and need some advice on what I should do to prepare the soil. I will be using about 5 acres of apple orchard. I was planning on pulling up all of the apple trees and then tilling all the soil to remove the years of brush that has grown up. And finally I was thinking I could use a landscape rake to get all of the debris out of the field. If I wanted to use a 100" tiller how big of tractor would I need? Any help would be great.

 

[nomad]

I had always thought about growing the truffles in old days. In last years, I am hearing truffle farming has started in the world. I have not tasted such "farmed" truffles. Its taste is as good as "natural" truffle? Its price is as much as "natural" truffle which is about $1000 per lb? Is it a successfull farming? I guess you will have to wait for some years to get the first truffles. But it's still worth to try. Where do you buy its "seeds"?

As for your question; For 100" tiller, you will need a tractor with 80-90 HP min. But why are you pulling out the apple trees? Are they really obstacles for the truffle trees? If not, I'd suggest you to find a tiller with a "tree" sensor like one seen in the attachment.

 

[mygoatboy]

Truffle farming has indeed taken off. The average price of truffles is $160 an OUNCE! After 6 years you start harvesting and by 10 years you are getting an average of 75lbs of truffles per acre. At the rate you net $192,000 per acre.

 

[Jackrabbit_Slim]

Well, no. You don't net $192,000 an acre. You might gross that much but you really need to look at costs before you talk net.

I like to have a good five year business plan in place before I start anything. And I work hard to find some realistic numbers and projections. There have been a couple of things I considered that looked good at first glance that didn't prove out on paper. Had a couple that looked good on paper that didn't prove in the field too. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Good luck!

Slim

 

[GEB]

I'm sure a few others including myself need to know what truffles are?
Gene

 

[RonR]

Agree--I wouldn't know a truffle if I saw one!

After owning a 54" tiller, I'm not sure I would want to till in a tree area with a 90HP tractor. Tillers bounce and beat themselves silly when they hit something (like tree roots).

If I could only have one implement, I would likely get a chisel type plow. I have "trash farmed" with one on a one acre plot and it worked well. You have to work the ground more to turn it under, but if you have more time than money, it's a good trade off. Using that, you would chisel it once, then wait a week, then do it again. Multiple passes at the same time when first starting, will generally just lead to clogging up with trash.

If I could have two implements, I'd add a disc. Chisel it first, then disc it a few times and it would be ready.

Rototilling is slower work. Actual ground time with a chisel and disc would likely be the same. Cost of the implements would likely be equal.

My two cents. Now what's a truffle?
Ron

 

[nomad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( what's a truffle?)</font>

You may own some luxury cars, some big houses, some high tech. tractors, etc. BUT if you don't know, I mean, if you have not tasted it yet, you have not lived yet.

There are two things in the life: Woman (for us men) & Food.
Truffle, the jewellery of the foods, also known as "Food of Gods" or "God of Foods" in the history is a very special kind of mushroom that looks like a potato. Since it requires very very special, tousands of climate and soil conditions it will grow (under the soil) in rare places in the world. Its price is so expansive that one pound may cost even tousands of dollars depending on its kind. Therefore, only those wealthy people can eat it in the luxury restaurants OR nomadic people like me can eat it for FREE. By the way, hunting the truffle is an art.

Here is FAQ on Truffles

 

[nomad]

By the way, if you hobby farmers are thinking about growing somethings, this truffle farming is just for you. It is much fan because you will be very busy as this farming is a very precious farming and very small field is enough.

Another thing you can do is to raise Angora (Ankara) Rabbits. A few of them will cost tousands of dollars as their wool is very special. Many retired friends here are spending their times here with these rabbits.

 

[kmanvt]

Are there other things that look like truffles????? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I looked at the link you provided and I have "something" growing in my side yard under an Oak tree that looks very similar to some of the pictures on that website (inside & out). Looks like a potato growing right at ground level. I thought it was just some sort of weird mushroom. I've just been digging them up and throwing them into the woods behind my house. I guess I need to find out what it is.

 

[Treed_in_TX]

Mmmmm truffles. I went to the French Laundry in Yountville CA (Napa valley) once for dinner. One of my companions had the special truffle dinner. Black truffles, white truffles, truffle everything. Truffle cappuchino! Amazing. Anyway the dinner for this one fellow was $260.00. Crazy amount to spend. My dinner with fewer truffles (but more caviar) was a bargain at $245.00. Without wine. I imagine there could be some profit in truffles farming. If I remember right, oak roots are the favored medium so smell and taste before adding them to the compost!!