Earning an income is something we all must do and is how we fund our lifestyle. Having a small farm is a passion for growing food and raising animals in your own space, and it comes with great rewards. What if you can combine the two?
Producing income off your farm takes dedication and hard work, but there are a surprisingly large amount of revenue streams to pursue. Are you looking to build a side hustle or replace your job by working from your land? Here is how to make money on a small farm.
1. Microgreens
You probably grow many things on your farm, which feeds your family and beyond. There are, however, some lucrative crops that don’t take up much additional space at all. These are micro greens.
Microgreens are a fast-growing crop of various types of plants, including:
- Brassicaceae – cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower etc.
- Lamiaceae – various herbs like oregano, sage, rosemary and basil.
- Amaranthaceae – spinach, beets and chard etc.
- Amaryllidaceae – onions, chives and garlic etc.
- Cucurbitaceae – melons, squashes and cucumbers etc.
- Poaceae – cereal and grasses like rice, oats and corn, along with lentils like beans and chickpeas
- Asteraceae – lettuce, radicchio and endive etc.
- Apiaceae – celery, carrots and fennel etc.
Microgreens can take up to 14 days to grow and are harvested once they produce their first true leaves. They are very nutritious, easy to grow, highly sought after and lucrative for a small farm at around $50 per pound.
2. Agricultural Equipment
This is on the list not for something to sell but for the equipment needed to work your small farm to sell things. There is an investment in all businesses, and you will need different implements to help with your business.
Some ag equipment you will need are:
Tractor
This will do the heavy lifting on your farm and is versatile enough to operate in the fields and orchards to help work the land and pull wagons full of produce. A tractor can also be used with attachments like a front-end loader, excavator, plough and other farming implements.
Lawn Mower
You need to keep your grass manageable, especially if people come to shop, attend a wedding or take a class.
Utility Vehicle
A utility vehicle is a versatile machine for running around the farm and carrying small loads. It is ideal for accessing all areas of your acreage, and you can haul produce and equipment and even ferry people to your cabins or orchards. Once you get a utility vehicle, you’ll wonder how you function without it.
There are many other pieces of agricultural equipment that you may need, depending on what you are farming and selling, so only buy what is necessary to keep costs down and profits up.
These are some of the ways to make money on a small farm. Work hard, market things that you love to work with, and then you will find that success will come naturally.
3. Bees
As a farmer, bees are vital to pollinating crops, so you produce fruit and vegetables. While you can rely on local colonies to do the work, having your hives to ensure maximum pollination is better. On top of that, bees produce goods that you can make money from, and this includes:
- Honey
- Beeswax products like candles and soaps
- Selling bees – nuc starter colony
- Royal jelly
You can also offer classes and tours of your bee hives and related bee production activities, and the best part is bees don’t take up much room or require feeding.
4. Tree Nursery
On a small farm, you can plant seedlings and let mother nature do the rest. Unlike microgreens, this is not a quick turnaround, but you can plant seeds or seedlings and leave them to grow independently. It can take up to 3 years to reach a sellable height of around 1-2 feet, but they are in high demand and profitable. You can also sell tree whips, pruned branches, and larger, mature trees for people who want to establish trees for landscaping.
Fruit trees are also popular; you can grow them from seed or cuttings from your existing trees. Fruit includes:
- Apples
- Cherries
- Pear
- Plums
- Peaches
- Apricots
They will give your family fruit to eat, and you can also sell it.
5. Flowers
Flowers are a profitable and diverse crop to grow that you can sell to the public, flower shops or even event planners for weddings and other venues that require floral decor.
Sunflowers grow fast, and you can harvest and sell the seeds yourself, along with growing a sunflower maze as a destination attraction for your farm.
6. Destination Farming
Another way to make money is to have your small farm as a place to come for an experience and shopping destination. Here are a few ideas:
- Animal petting farm
- Wedding venue
- Fruit picking farm
- Agritours
- Tea garden
- Retreat
- Classes
- Educational farm
- Rent cabins
The more reasons you have for people to come to your farm, the more opportunities to sell them other things on offer while they are there for one of your destination experiences. Everyone should leave with some honey, fruit and veggies and a bouquet.
