Idea for my future farm!

[Back to Nature]

I'm constantly thinking of ways to make a little extra money on my future farm. I had a good idea recently and wanted to know people's thoughts, and see if they've done it. Obviously I'm not trying to get rich, just find ways to pay for the farm and have a little extra money for fun.

Here's the idea; I would take a few acres of land that I don't use, and let people "rent" the space. For say, $25 per month, they could rent 100 square feet of space or so. I haven't figured out price yet; obviously it'll depend on circumstances when I actually get my property. And there could be "premium" rentals, where they can get a year's rental for only $200 or something, and if they did this option they'd also get access to a certain amount of organic compost produced on-site. Then they could use this space to grow their own plants.

What do you think of this idea? Let me know!

EDIT: Theoretically, if I took one acre, divided it into 100 square foot plots, and rented each one for $25, I could make $10,890 each month. Obviously I'm not going to make nearly that much, (I probably won't profit at all), but it's a nice thought.

 

[bonbean01]

If you get property near a large city with a fairly short driving distance for potential customers, you may get people interested in doing this to be able to grow a garden. My thinking is that there are city families that may welcome a chance to grow their own produce and give their children a healthy interest in the whole growing from seed to product on their table experience.

My daughter and son in law would have jumped at something like this with their little girls if it had been available when they lived in a huge city in a condo. Have to be more people that would love this too?

You'd need to think about people being able to access water for their gardens, and bathrooms. Could be done I'd think

 

[Southern by choice]

100 sq feet of space is a 10ft x 10 ft- that is a very small space for someone to rent, even for a small garden then driving back and forth etc. consider 1/4 acre plots or 1/8 th maybe. Also you would need to consider if renting for plant crops...will you allow pesticides etc. One person may not want them but the person beside them might use them, and then there is run-off etc.
Also I would consider looking at the legal aspects of renting out "plots". Injury mishaps, liability... consider the insurance cost and then the rental costs.

I do like how you are very visionary and are pursuing your future farming dreams! I think it is awesome, so I didn't want this to be discouraging. Have you considered seeing if there is a farm that offers internship? This really offers a great perspective of all kinds of farming and also the business side. Having exposure to many breeds and species of livestock will help you in your future endeavors.

 

[bonbean01]

Good points Southern

People would want a larger plot for growing to make their drive back and forth more worthwhile. I never even considered nasty chemicals, probably because I was thinking of my daughter who goes organic in all things when possible when it comes to feeding her family.

And yes...good idea to look into the legal aspects first.

 

[Back to Nature]

100 sq feet of space is a 10ft x 10 ft- that is a very small space for someone to rent, even for a small garden then driving back and forth etc. consider 1/4 acre plots or 1/8 th maybe. Also you would need to consider if renting for plant crops...will you allow pesticides etc. One person may not want them but the person beside them might use them, and then there is run-off etc.
Also I would consider looking at the legal aspects of renting out "plots". Injury mishaps, liability... consider the insurance cost and then the rental costs.

I do like how you are very visionary and are pursuing your future farming dreams! I think it is awesome, so I didn't want this to be discouraging. Have you considered seeing if there is a farm that offers internship? This really offers a great perspective of all kinds of farming and also the business side. Having exposure to many breeds and species of livestock will help you in your future endeavors.

That's true... I didn't think of how small that would be. Maybe I'd do 1/10 of an acre. No wonder the number was so huge; because the plots would be tiny!

If I allowed people to use my water, I could charge extra, correct? Because it would rack up my water bill. I don't want the government involved on my farm.. Is it possible to do this without getting them involved?

I found a possible internship at Polyface Farms, and I was very interested. However, with college just around the corner, I probably won't do it for a coupe of years at least. Maybe after I get my bachelor's degree, I'll take a break and go there before pursuing my master's.

I'm glad people are so supportive on this site! It's good to get input.

Oh, I would definitely do no pesticides. I don't want it on MY crops, and if they're doing that on my property there's a risk of it touching my crops.

 

[SheepGirl]

Most farms have wells....which is free water (no water bill).

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

There are community raised garden beds here in San Diego on city land. They are 6' x 16' completely enclosed raised beds and they rent for $10 per month. They have 20 of them so that's only $2400 dollars a year, nowhere close to what you estimated. And it probably cost them at least that much to put all the raised beds and wiring in anyway. Not trying to be a Negative Nancy, just ideas to think about!

 

[Back to Nature]

There are community raised garden beds here in San Diego on city land. They are 6' x 16' completely enclosed raised beds and they rent for $10 per month. They have 20 of them so that's only $2400 dollars a year, nowhere close to what you estimated. And it probably cost them at least that much to put all the raised beds and wiring in anyway. Not trying to be a Negative Nancy, just ideas to think about!

No, it's good to get input. The reason my number was so high was because my estimated plot size was measly. And I didn't think of fencing... I was going to just section off the dirt with boards; would raised beds be better?

I had a well when I lived with my country family, but I thought there was a bill. How long does a well last?

Also, the raised beds, fencing, etc. would only be an initial expense, and the rest would just be repair, right?

 

[SheepGirl]

TBH, I'm not sure. We get enough precipitation here that our well doesn't go dry, even in the summer. I'm not sure how much water we go through daily, though, either.

 

[Southern by choice]

It depends on the well. Some wells last 30 years, some longer some less. The depth of the well and the aqueducts that feed it.

Here in NC there are a lot of internships with farms that work with NC State, the problem is MOST of the college students filling the slots have no real intention of "farming". They just recently decided to offer internships to REAL FARMING kids...that are not college students. These kids have been born and raised with farming in their blood and would love to learn more unfortunately they were not welcomed into the program before. The college kids were just getting their tickets punched so to speak. :/

Have you considered looking throughout your area ( maybe several counties) and asking for a visit to see different farm management practices?

We do pretty tight bio-security here but we always welcome those that are considering goats or poultry etc. We share what and how and why we do certain things, what we'd like to change. We share our philosophies, as well as others so the person can see there are more ways than one. The individual purposes play a huge role in your management practices.

Building a herd vs having and keeping a small herd for family food purposes are going to vary. Having a broad base can help a person to think about what are reasonable goals. Immediate and long terms goals both take planning. I am researching cows now and I know I won't be getting one for at least 2-3 years. I can read a lot, search the internet etc, but there is nothing like making farm appointments and seeing the breeds, talking with those who have had them. You can find out so much more.

If you had one thing that you would like to focus on what would it be? ONE? Poultry, goats, sheep, cattle, crops? anything...