Making money with land

[jaotguy]

or check with the local high end restaurants ... see what they are demanding ( and willing to pay )

 

[TomSeller]

I heard of someone growing natural heirloom seeds in a small operation. I think of tomatoes. Nothing with legs would work out on 4 acres except maybe poultry. I bought some specialty corn seed on ebay that my Mom used to grow and it cost me $16. About 10 plants came up so I won't do it again, but someone made a few bucks.

 

[coobie]

I have approx 4 acres of farm land that I am looking for some unique (profitable) ideas of what to grow to supplement my income with. A quick google search and I see herbs, bamboo, garlic, gourmet mushrooms, lavender, etc. anyone have any experience with any of these or any other ideas? Located in lower Michigan. Good well drained soil.

Winery maybe? It seems to be the latest fad around Mid-Michigan area.

 

[Redbug]

Winery maybe? It seems to be the latest fad around Mid-Michigan area.

I think the wineries are so prevalent is because a certain percentage of the cost is subsidized by the Govt. Most would not exist otherwise. Correct me if I am wrong.

That may be a good thing if you are looking for something to get into. Check into what is being subsidized and go for that.

 

[sld]

Just searched and couldn't find it but read recently about a guy that grew hot peppers on a small farm....2-3 acres. He dehydrated them, came up with his own concoction and now sells small shakers nationwide.

I would love to do that. I put dehydrated ground peppers on a lot of my food.

 

[JMER817]

Thanks guys lot of good response, keep them coming, I would like to possibly dabble in a couple ideas. Might take a while but I'll let you know if anything pans out. If I become a millionaire I'll share some with you guys...lol.

 

[DT86]

I don't know of anyone said this yet or not... And you won't become rich over night but it seems like pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn would do well on your size acreage.

 

[JMER817]

I don't know of anyone said this yet or not... And you won't become rich over night but it seems like pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn would do well on your size acreage.

I did put in a 1/4 acre pumpkin patch this year for the kids. They are taking care of it ( fertilizing, hoeing, etc) and they will keep the profits when they sell this fall. I charge nothing for advice, but a couples dollars an hour for any labor along with reimbursing me for materials (ie: seeds, fuel, fertilizer, etc) I figured this would be a great life lesson on hard work and everything that is involved in business.

 

[DT86]

I did put in a 1/4 acre pumpkin patch this year for the kids. They are taking care of it ( fertilizing, hoeing, etc) and they will keep the profits when they sell this fall. I charge nothing for advice, but a couples dollars an hour for any labor along with reimbursing me for materials (ie: seeds, fuel, fertilizer, etc) I figured this would be a great life lesson on hard work and everything that is involved in business.

Sounds good.

I'll tell you what my Dad did.

Instead of just giving me money for no reason (like many of my friend parents did).... He would buy the seeds and what ever else, (fertilizer, ect) but it was up to me to turn those into a profit. He would advise and help when needed but it was ultimately up to me to turn a profit.

I learned a lot.

 

[300UGUY]

I think the wineries are so prevalent is because a certain percentage of the cost is subsidized by the Govt. Most would not exist otherwise. Correct me if I am wrong.

That may be a good thing if you are looking for something to get into. Check into what is being subsidized and go for that.

1st I've heard of that. I did hear that they are trying to move some ag money from the big row crop stuff to smaller producers of fruit and berries. I expect traditional ag to fight that tooth and nail. Maybe vinyards are part of that?