Anyone growing a cash crop?

[jymbee]

Now that I'm finally to a point where I have more free time we're looking at the possibility of growing some kind of crash crop-- for pleasure as well as producing some extra income. Born and raised on a dairy farm this is something I've thought about for years but never acted on.

We've got the land, lots of toys (tools, tractors, equipment) and plenty of ambition but not sure just what kind of crop would be the best fit. Living here in the Northeast we've considered everything from berries, to veggies such as tomatoes, to more unusual crops such as hops.

Would be interested in hearing from any successful cash crop growers as to what they've gone through to get where they are now. [And no, we're not considering Cannabis! ]

 

[milligjg]

I'll be interested to here what folks have to say. I asked my tax man this year if there was anything I could grow, raise, etc to get some tax benefits from 6 acres and he just laughed. I was serious!

 

[oldnslo]

I believe you first have to determine what type of crop is marketable in your area and do you have enough time and land to grow enough to cover your costs.

Unfortunately it is usually difficult to get accurate answers to these questions.

 

[newbury]

What oldnslo wrote.
I grow trees for pulp and lumber, but it takes about 100 acres plus to make it worthwhile.

 

[randy41]

i grow tomatoes and baby ginger in tunnels. not very equipment intensive. like others have said you need to know the market. there's a lot of reading about this that can be done on the net.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Now that I'm finally to a point where I have more free time we're looking at the possibility of growing some kind of crash crop-- for pleasure as well as producing some extra income. Born and raised on a dairy farm this is something I've thought about for years but never acted on.

We've got the land, lots of toys (tools, tractors, equipment) and plenty of ambition but not sure just what kind of crop would be the best fit. Living here in the Northeast we've considered everything from berries, to veggies such as tomatoes, to more unusual crops such as hops.

Would be interested in hearing from any successful cash crop growers as to what they've gone through to get where they are now. [And no, we're not considering Cannabis! ]

Hops and barley may be a decent adventure if the micro, small batch, etc. brew crowd is growing in your area. You and them could have a nice partnership. Although, the Giroux family switched to eggs and chicken and they are still growing.

https://freshops.com/cgi-bin/shoppe...words=all&template=PDGCommTemplates/hops.html

Giroux's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5sgKeO9nsM

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

We have a few lavender farms around here. Supposedly, one of the higher income things to grow, but it requires you to either have an established company to sell to, or for you to make "value added" products. Best as I can tell, there isn't a set market for lavender. However, I was talking to a guy that does this on about 3 acres, and he said he makes a good profit off it, but his wife does a lot of drying, packaging and selling of things like lavender oil, sachets, etc. Sells some to a couple of boutique soap makers as well. I had never heard about it until recently, but it sounded interesting. Not my personal cup-of-tea, but it shows the ingenuity some folks have in creating a supplemental income off their land.

Grapes are another popular one around here, but I don't know if anyone is making any money off it.

High-end mushrooms are supposedly pretty good, but that doesn't really require "land" so much as having the right indoor facilities and maximizing the yield-per-square foot. Oyster mushrooms can produce up to 25 pounds per sq.ft. every year. At prices of $5-7 a pound, that’s $12-18K worth of harvest from a 10 x 10 space.

I've been thinking about growing ornamental shrubs and woody ornamentals to sell to landscaping companies. There are a few popular ones that sell for top dollar, like dogwoods and some of the Japanese trees. They look pretty while they are growing, are somewhat low maintenance, and sell directly to local companies without going through any middle-men. I probably won't do it, but it's something I've been kicking around when I look at how much it costs to "landscape" our yard, and I think "why not grow these same things for other people?"

 

[DrRod]

Given similar circumstances, I tried Christmas Trees. I made hundreds but not thousands. I found the market totally saturated by the big guys from Michigan and North Carolina so wholesaling was spotty at best and local sales were very low revenue.

One thing I also considered was legacy garlic -- old and unusual strains that specialty stores wanted. Legacy tomatoes are big around here even in the big supermarkets so that might be thought as well. Maybe not your cup of tea but it and the tree thing does provide a pointer -- i.e. first find a market. I would suggest you ask around the fruit markets or boutique groceries and see what they might have trouble finding.

Market research takes a lot of time but there's no point growing it if you can't sell it.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Legal crops?

 

[Sysop]

If everyone all grew the same "cash crops" they'd not be worth much cash. The ticket is to find and corner a market on something with some demand and little supply in the area. Asking what other folk are growing for income should only tell you what not to be doing.

 

[DennisArrow]

Firewood.........30 acres of old growth hickory and oak are one by one dieing of due to the ongoing drought here in NW Georgia........We have been using a wood stove for 13 years or so now and the 2 heat pumps still work in the summer. So, what else to do with all those trees I have been given by HIM rather than waste and rot...........This is the second winter that I have done it. A few return customers from last year but MANY new ones from Craigslist, facebook, word of mouth, and put a rick down by the state highway with a sign. Each method of advertising brought in more clients/customers............I offer split, seasoned, cut to 18" to 24", and by the rick and cord. No I don't deliver. Guess I could and for sure I would sell more. Maybe I will try that next winter; but have to get a truck to do that............
With the money I brought in bought with cash money: 555 husky saw new, nice double wide real leather recliner for me and the grand babies to watch movies and read, and a new cell phone..........all paid in cash money. No I am not feeding my family with this but it gives me something to do with my free wood and energy..........God bless........Dennis
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