tired of punching a clock!

[fsbigcountry]

I'm 40 yrs old, and would like to start working towards being my own boss. I have been blessed with 90 acres ( grandpa's old rose farm) and would love to do something with it. The problem is I don't know what. It is mostly wooded now and I like that. I know next to nothing about livestock or farming and from talking to my buds here in E.Tex, It's hard for a small operator to make a decent living that way anymore. I've been trying to think of something to get into but keep coming up blank. If you guys got any ideas I sure would like to hear em! Thanks!

 

[Von]

I hear that some kinds of hemp is a good cash crop!/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif ...... Other than something illegal its hard to make a go at it now days. How do xmas trees do down your way? up here in NY there are alot of tree farms that are about your ac. size.

 

[CSAW]

I don't know anything about it but fish farming is something I think would be interesting. You have more than enough land for that. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[rancar]

Frank,

There's much you can do if you have capital to develop the land and start a land based business. You mentioned this was your grandpa's old rose farm. How about roes or a greenhouse business of some sort. There's a Seagroatt Roses operation about half hour from me in Berlin, NY. They must have a dozen huge greenhouses. They grow nothing but roses that they supply to most florist shops all thoughout the northeast. Land is in the country, some wooded...some cleared. They developed their business over quite a long period of time. You might look into this niche business to see if there is a market for this product in Texas and the southeast. Also, know what your competition is like. Hope some of this helps.

Regards,
Bob Ancar
Cambridge, NY

 

[Argee]

Whatever you do, think, <font color=blue>Value Added.</font color=blue>
Whether it be a market garden, cut flowers, hogs.....do a little on farm processing so you get the retail dollar, not the middleman. ie. Market Garden= a salad mix, tomato sauce, etc.
Cut Flowers= arrangements, etc. Hogs= sides, hams, etc.
You get the idea. <font color=blue>Value added</font color=blue> puts $ in your pocket.

 

[Dozernut]

How about a tractor-equipment dealership. It would be tough to get one of the big three, but how about Kioti or one of the other brands. It would be hard going at first, but if you build up a reputation for quality service you will draw in a customer base. Plenty of land for demonstrations. Good luck! Try to not let the middle age crazy bug bite too hard. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[RanchMan]

There was a class offered by SOMEONE (Just can't remember who) I saw - maybe Texas A&M or Ag Extension service - some "big name" - anywho, it was designed for the complete "newbie" to farming/ranching - (i.e. family land passed down, change of lifestyle, etc.) FOR THE LIFE of me I can't seem to find it. It was kindof a "traveling show" where they would sign up a bunch of folks and then go to a county. You might check with your Ag Ext. agent or A&M or Texas Dept. of Agriculture. Anyway, here are some links that might get you pointed in the right direction....

General Info
http://www.agr.state.tx.us/marketing/cutflower/docs/mkt_cutflower.htm

Rural Ag Development
http://texaserc.tamu.edu/catalog/topics/Business_Management.html

 

[justractors]

I hate to sound like a pessimist but the only was you can be absolutely, positively, 100% sure of making money on your property would be to sell it and put the money in the bank for your eventual retirement.
Anything else is a gamble but then such is life.
Bill

 

[Tractor_Barn]

Although I grew up farming and did some research before returning to the farm. A good starting point for me was a book titled "Successful Small Scale Farming". It gets into the marketing of farm-based products directly to the consumer. City folks love to say they bought it right off the farm. The area I'm in draws alot of weekend city traffic and niche marketing is working. We have organic vegetables and hope to finish our sausage shop and USDA certification within the next year.

Of course, tractor sales are helping too.

Good Luck and hang in there, its worth the effort.

Vince

 

[DarelS]

You might want to check out a magazine called "Small Farm Today", they have lots of ideas. The editor, Ron Macher, has published a book called "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" which I think is also valuable. If you can't find them locally, check www.smallfarmtoday.com