That was a 4 year old article. I have 800 vines and am active in our State's grape grower's association and have never heard of any subsidies.
Making money with land
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That was a 4 year old article. I have 800 vines and am active in our State's grape grower's association and have never heard of any subsidies.
TomSeller
Super Member
You'd have to be in Colorado or Washington to be legal. Sounds like Oregon might be fairly soon.
motownbrowne
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Legal there, but it's not agriculture. It's all grown indoors in big warehouses under lights. Not quite making money off the land in my opinion.
TomSeller
Super Member
Warehouses sit on land.
Seriously, I don't condone it, was just responding to the other post.
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OldMcDonald
Platinum Member
JMER817, I believe I have as much experience as most folks in surviving in a few countries on my own land. I like the advice given in the link in #2 and that of 300UGUY at #6. I would add that I spent more than a few years behind desks from time to time when I needed some cash. Eventually (early 50s - agewise not time) I became too old for most employers' liking.
There are two further comments I would make, and I included them in a book I wrote. The first is that the successful people that are household names in their own country and further afield have, and do, make most of their income from non-farming activities. You know their names. If they were really successful at making a lot of money from their land then they would not need to run courses, use volunteer labour, go on lecture tours (for high fees) and make videos. Nor indeed write books. The second is, find your market and ensure it will continue, BEFORE you begin production of anything.
You can survive, you will never make millions, but you can enjoy life on little income, provided you know how to feed yourself from your property (do not strive for total self-sufficiency) and can live without the niceties of life. Reducing expenditure is a lot easier than increasing income.
Whatever venture you begin, after finding your market, it needs to be something quickly into production. The market you have found is not going to wait even one year for you. As already pointed out, tree crops are very long term. Even if you only have one customer to begin with, it is a start. Supply that customer as if your life depends on it - it might!! Supply also a quality product, always better than whatever the competition is offering. Then expand v e r y s l o w l y.
Keep the day job as long as possible, and you need a good woman that agrees with your ideas, and is prepared to look after the place whilst you are at work.
Best of luck to you.
There are two further comments I would make, and I included them in a book I wrote. The first is that the successful people that are household names in their own country and further afield have, and do, make most of their income from non-farming activities. You know their names. If they were really successful at making a lot of money from their land then they would not need to run courses, use volunteer labour, go on lecture tours (for high fees) and make videos. Nor indeed write books. The second is, find your market and ensure it will continue, BEFORE you begin production of anything.
You can survive, you will never make millions, but you can enjoy life on little income, provided you know how to feed yourself from your property (do not strive for total self-sufficiency) and can live without the niceties of life. Reducing expenditure is a lot easier than increasing income.
Whatever venture you begin, after finding your market, it needs to be something quickly into production. The market you have found is not going to wait even one year for you. As already pointed out, tree crops are very long term. Even if you only have one customer to begin with, it is a start. Supply that customer as if your life depends on it - it might!! Supply also a quality product, always better than whatever the competition is offering. Then expand v e r y s l o w l y.
Keep the day job as long as possible, and you need a good woman that agrees with your ideas, and is prepared to look after the place whilst you are at work.
Best of luck to you.
square1
Veteran Member
Michigan is the #2 apple producing State so the infrastructure is already in place to market your product. Using dwarf trees and the Tall Spindle system you could plant > 1,000 trees per acre and be producing in ~ 3 years. That could bring in some serious cash in a good year like 2013, but years like 2012 do happen 
jaotguy
Veteran Member
sitting on an outlay of 4,000 X cost per tree & planting, plus fertilizing and maintenance for 3 years, is probably out of reach ....
secure storage for shipping/warehouse containers?
secure storage for shipping/warehouse containers?
square1
Veteran Member
Start with 200 trees this year, 200 next year, 200 the following year... Now your first year tress are producing. Keep adding trees every year until you hit the number that you want / can handle.
motownbrowne
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Of course they do, I understand that. Not trying to be snippy here, but I've met a lot of indoor dope growers, and it's a bit hard to hear those guys, who are usually 20-30 years old and drive $50k trucks and carry wads of cash around call themselves "farmers". I farm vegetables. In the soil. Under the sun. By hand. Those guys can call themselves growers, horticulturalists, etc. But they aren't farmers.
I'm sorry but to me, a Wal-Mart sits on the land too. Does that count as making money off the land??