I have recently purchased a 20 acre farm with a fixer upper house. I had to take out a remodeling loan in addition to a mortgage. I have to work full time away from the farm and do work on the farm when I get home and on my days off. I will appreciate any advise on how I could make my farm work for me so that I could at least cut back to part time work outside of the farm. My land is flat and has no trees. The soil is excellent. I am giving serious consideration to growing Christmas trees and having a fruit orchard. I live in western Washington which has a very mild climate.

-- Tina Karlova (bkarlova@hotmail.com), March 07, 2001

Answers

Check into growing grapes for wine.

-- Joe (jcole@apha.com), March 07, 2001.

What about growing medicinal herbs, or vegetables for wholesale market?

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), March 07, 2001.

Are you raising any animals for yourself on your farm? What was your main reason for purchasing it? What do farmers get for renting out their hay fields in your area? I know selling baled hay would make you money if you don't count your own labor or have to buy the equipment to do it, etc. What do people pay per bale by you? Ask around - can you get 100 bales off one acre? Then figure how many acres you could make into a crop. Just a thought.

-- Pat (mikulptrc@aol.com), March 07, 2001.

The problem with Christmas trees, fruit, or a vinyard, is that they take a number of years before there is any return. I would also suggest that you calculate how long it takes to pick a crop in an orchard. I had intended to put in what I thought was a small number apple trees, but when figuring out how long it would take me to pick the crop each year I scrapped the idea.

Vegetables give a rather quick return but can be labor intensive, especially just harvesting and preparing the crop for sale. If you don't have any mechanical equipment to provide weed control it too can be labor intensive.

Other suggestions--does hay sell well in your area and can you get it put up in a timely manner to prevent rain damage? In some areas it can be a good money crop. Alfalfa too.

Good luck.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), March 07, 2001.

Tina, I've done the same thing. We bought our 20 acres 7 years ago with a 10 year mortgage. We've been "maintaining" all this time, trying more to not lose any ground than to make a lot of progress. I'm retiring next spring, and have plans to make the farm pay at that time. My plans include goats, cattle, hay production, and a large garden. Down here in N. Fla. good hay land will produce over 200 bales/acre in a good season. Since I don't have a lot of space for a large cattle herd, I will concentrate on quality with either Piedmontese or Belgian Blue cattle. I already own my baling equipment, so I can bale for myself and others. I also have a few skills that will help out, such as welding and auto mechanics.

With all these things in my favor, I'm still nervous that I will have to find another day job. My recommendation is to take your time, and build up your resources as much as you can while you are still working. This will give you the best possible start when you become a full-time homesteader/farmer. Good luck.

-- Dan G. (stagecoach@hotmail.com), March 07, 2001.

Are you living on the farm now and commutting to your job? if so that is at least a start because you don't have monthly payments.

Can you teach any kinds of lessons, like piano, canning, making wreaths, etc. that you could teach weekly???? or can you teach something on Saturday mornings, )make it like a mini-seminar) where you teach someone how to take certain kind of photos, make a certain kind of jelly, decorate a cake, etc.

I have been a full time investigative reporter/photographer for the past 21 years and have always had a home office. But I started PART TIME writing little community things. Now I am senior staff writer at one paper and work for a really prestigious daily too...and have written for them for more than 16 years...

Could you write a weekly or monthly column for a newspaper or little magazine on something concerning your job now? or something you know how to do? I even covered FOOTBALL this fall for some extra money even though my main field is government, court, and law enforcement!!!

Be imaginative! The main thing to do is pay down all the debt you can as quickly as you can! The WORST mistake we ever made was to put a mortgage on our place when it was paid off....I'm having to live with that EVERY day and will continue to live with that for about another ten years.....

just use your imagination. DON'T LET FOLKS DISCOURAGE YOU!!! DREAMS CAN AND DO COME TRUE!!!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), March 07, 2001.

I don't force it on people, but you are welcome to ask for a free e- book copy of my book "How to Earn Extra Money in the Country." Just send a request to my e-mail address.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), March 07, 2001.

Lots of things you can do with 20 acres. Let's talk about the problems. Christmas trees take 10 to 12 years to harvest. Fruit tress will take 4 to 5 years. Hay will give you 100 bales per acre, at $3.50 per bale in our area. Of course you need approx. a 45 horsepower tractor, a mower/conditioner, a baler and haying is NOT a one person job. If you have excellent soil then I would go more in the direction of vegetables or flowers, etc. Livestock is fun(we have Angora goats and Alpacas), but when you have livestock you are tied to the farm 365 days a year. Anyone can come over and feed and water animals, but if something goes wrong, you really need someone that knows there stuff. Just a few things to think about. Good luck.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), March 07, 2001.

This may or may not help you but I just recently had someone mention this to me. I've been trying to figure out what to do with our land that just this past year came out of set-aside (something we inherited when we bought it). My neighbor told us that he was asked by an acquaintance about land that has been fallow for at least 10 years. Seems the acquaintence is into organic herb gardening and is looking for suitable land. He leases the land and then contracts the labor so it's possible we could be both the lessees and laborers. Not sure if it's going to work out but could possibly be an ideal situation for us. We considered traditional farm leasing but didn't want the big equipment and chemicals that come with it. Could this work for you?

-- Hoosiermom (hdnpines@hotmail.com), March 08, 2001.

I had another thought. I don't know how this is in your area, but PYO(Pick Your Own) Strawberries are big in New England. They start producing the second year and continue for about two years. So you will need multiple crops. They need lots of straw(not Hay) for mulch. This is VERY important to conserve water, keep down weeds, but mostly to keep the berries off the ground. The only equipment you would need is a tractor and irrigation system. The biggest problem with strawberries is that they need a LOT of water, at the right time. And if you have too much at harvest time they will rot. But they are a big money maker.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), March 08, 2001.

Hi Tina,

I am in a very similiar boat. We do have a quarter horse breeding operation, but it just doesn't pay for the place. I've done a little bit of research and will be putting in seed perennial flower beds this year for sale for next year. Your may want to look into this as an operation. The price people pay for perennial plants in the local nurseries as well as on E-Bay is quite eye opening.

Your biggest area of research needs to be on the marketing BEFORE you invest in any crop. Growing anything isn't that hard, its getting it sold at a profit.

Good Luck

-- Stacia in OK (oneclassycowgirl@aol.com), March 08, 2001.

Tina, I also live in Western Washington-a lot of us here are putting in raspberries. They grow well in this area, have few problems and there is a huge market for them. They are labor intensive to harvest--but U- Pick places are increasingly popular, at least around the Olympia area where I live.

-- Lynn Royal (homesteadmama@att.net), March 09, 2001.

Hey Ken, I would like a copy of your book. I tried to e-mail you personally, but couldn't get it through. Thanks

-- L.A. (lromsa1@state.wy.us), March 09, 2001.

Are you doing this remodeling yourself? Interior painting, wall papering, and all the new faux finishes are very popular around us when done by a women. Women who hire for these jobs simply do not want men in their homes slopping things up. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 09, 2001.

hi tina, we did the same thing. we chucked it all and moved to our 50 acres and a house we built while in the city. we have sold stuff on ebay, (you can't imagine what people will buy) we invested in a digital camera for this. we've inquired to the local farmer's market and have some ideas there. we're in the process now of building a ironworking/forge workshop/garage next to the house--i took one class in ironworking and loved it...my husband is a mechanic and has done some welding. Somehow, we're convinced we're not meant to be *drones*, our word for working stiffs (no insult to anyone intended). We feel control of our own lives and make our own decisions. It's a challenge, for sure, but anything worth anything is worth giving it all. Keep positive, generate heat; you have skills that are needed in the country. We're in Eastern WA. write to me if you wish. mistymt@theofficenet.com. also, we're going to build cabins in the spring. there's so many ideas when you have the space to do them in!!! gloria

-- gloria j geary (mistymt@theofficenet.com), March 09, 2001.

Not sure if this would work for you Tina, but have you considered renting/leasing out your fixer home and living on the property somewhere in maybe a mobile home or 5th-wheel trailer? If you had a good lease (get some legal help on it) you might be able to rent your house for close to, or at least a chunk of, your mortgage payment. You could also put an ad in the paper for renters looking for reduced rent in exchange for fixing up the place (and be sure to have a good application form and check out the references!!) You might get lucky. This could be a short-term goal for you to get ahead financially.

Your zoning laws etc., might be too restrictive to get away with this. You didn't mention where in Western Wa you live. I live around here too. The demand is so high for housing, you might be able to do this, but maybe the privacy situation would be an issue for you. The reason I suggested this is because you have 20 acres and maybe you could isolate yourself a bit. Anyway, you might be giving someone a chance to live in the country for a while, too! Maybe they could keep an eye on things for you while you are gone, and vice versa. If you didn't have the right tenants it could be a nightmare, but it might be worth checking out!

Sounds a bit weird but you just never know 'til you try. Good luck to you!

p.s. If your property is wet, you might consider planting those hybrid cottonwoods or poplars. They grow fast and you get a harvest in something like 12 years. I think you contract with big growers... It's kind of like growing Christmas trees, but without a bunch of people all over your property and you have a buyer already lined up!

p.p.s. Don't try sheep unless you don't mind not making money! ;)

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 09, 2001.

Glad you posted this question, you got some good answers that helped me too! I would plant a crop of Christmas trees, kinda like insurance. The plant startings are a good idea, If you buy a packet of tomatoes, the good ones out of a seed catalog, you will spend about a dollar fifty. You can get about 60 or 70 plants out of that packet. If you sell them for fifty cents each at a farmers mkt... Same with the others, but for some reason people are afraid to start tomato plants, it's not hard. You may even be able to get a dollar each, depending on size when you sell. Another thing is Pumpkins, you can let people pick thier own and get a good price on the pumkins without doing the harvesting. Since you will have people at your place if you do this, you might as well sell them easy crops like zuccini, or if you get chickens, eggs. Just know that anything you do will take time, and the bills don't wait. So if you can stash some cash beforehand and live off beans and rice for awhile you should be able to do it. I'm just glad you're doing it!! I'm still dreaming. Good luck to you.

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), March 12, 2001.

Oh, almost forgot, get Kens e book, it is full of ideas.

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), March 12, 2001.