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Author Topic: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?  (Read 15223 times)

StephB

  • Joined Feb 2010
Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« on: May 08, 2015, 11:57:51 am »
 unfortunately think I already know the answer but I live on a 6.5 acre smallholding which we have just been raising sheep, pigs & chickens for our freezer and a large veg plot.

BUT I would love to be able to make a small income from the land if at all possible and I wondered if anyone on here was managing to do this?

I have considered raising table ducks or geese (although geese in large quantity would be too noisy).

Would love to hear any of your success stories.

Thanks x
Living on a 6 acre smallholding in Dorset.
Jersey cow, Aberdeen Angus cattle, small flock of Poll Dorset x sheep, Occasional weaner pigs, Geese, ducks and hens.
Polytunnel / Veg plot.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2015, 01:16:50 pm »
You could try taking what you're best at and enjoy most and working out a strategy to add value.  If you like rearing chickens then you could specialise in an unusual breed, show them and sell hatching eggs, offer hen-sitting services for people going on holdiday, go for something unusual like quail and sell their eggs to local butchers' shops and delis.  If you like keeping sheep you could go for whatever breed is popular in your area as a terminal sire - get well known and a small number of good quality shearling rams could bring in a fair amount in the Autumn sales.  Vegetables - local restaurants might be interested in unusual things like pak choi, wineberries and edible flowers.  Have you tried beekeeping?  Research and starting small can make or break a new project.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2015, 01:37:48 pm »
How much money do you want to make?  Enough to live on, or enough for your venture to break even? Whereabouts do you live, as location, soil, climate and markets will make a big difference to the possibilities?

If you want to keep your family on the proceeds, you would need to go intensive, for example cover the acreage with battery hen cages or Danish piggeries.  I somehow think that's not the way you want to go.
All around us small family farms of 250 to 500 acres are going bust, selling up to the big boys, or covering the land with timber.  So what chance do we have with just a few acres?

If you just want a little bit of profit, or for your smallholding to break even, then some of Marches Farmers ideas might work.  They tend to rely on making a name for yourself, which is a long slow process, with no guarantee at the end.

Having a full time person within the family bringing home enough to live on, so any profit from the smallholding is a bonus seems to be the way most of us with very small holdings go.

This question has been asked before many times, and it would be so interesting to know what those folk are doing now, whether they have made a go of things or not.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2015, 01:39:26 pm by Fleecewife »
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hafod

  • Joined Jan 2013
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2015, 02:17:29 pm »
There is a report called 'small is succesfull' which I think was written by the ecological land cooperative which is good for inspiration.
I would say yes, its very possible. We have friends making a living from 3 polytunnels in a large back garden and others withs pigs and poultry on 4 acres who are both making a living from their 'small holdings'.
I think the key things are really thorough research and planning, knowing your land, having a realistic idea of how much time and effort you can/are prepared to put in and, if your planning on relying on the income (rather than it just being a nice extra) doing some contingency planning for what happens if things go wrong!
Good luck!

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2015, 02:32:58 pm »
Someone not far from here went into "medicinal market gardening" I think they made a lot of money and won an all expenses paid fully catered holiday at a big hotel. Or something  ;) 

Big Light

  • Joined Aug 2011
    • Facebook
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2015, 02:56:25 pm »
Needs something Niche and special so you get a premium price or normal but with no or very little overheads

Castle Farm

  • Joined Nov 2008
  • Hereford/Powys Border. near Hay-on-Wye
    • castlefarmeggs
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2015, 04:38:40 pm »
First thing you need to do is think outside the box...sorry stupid saying but. Identify a market and then try to fill it.


People try to grow flowers, but cannot compete with commercial growers.


Not many people grow shrubs for foliage and that's a huge market.
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pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2015, 05:54:15 pm »
The problem may wll be less of crop rather than how to sell. And of course what the soil can support or be improved to support. And how much work you're prepared to put in.
6 acres of honeyberry plants or blueberry seedlings or mulberry saplings etc could be worth a lot if you could grow them and sell them but no point trying to compete with dutch computerised greenhouse growing for plants.
HesterF (a member here) has started a 4 acre vineyard.. that's 2000 vines IIRC

 
Quote
a very low-yielding vineyard that produces 2 tons per acre makes about 1,440 bottles, or 120 cases, while an acre that yields 10 tons produces about 7,200 bottles, or 600 cases.

so 6 acres...average that out to say 15,000 bottles?????

Now I have a nice aspect 3 acre hillside that's very fertile.. so I suppose I could make 8 or 9 thousand bottles but with the new council garbage collection rules thay only give us a small bin for bottle collection every week and my wife hates carting the empties ;D

john and helen

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • Devon
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Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2015, 06:45:28 pm »
yes..you could make a living out of 6 acres…

it depends on how much hard work and thought you put into it,
some guy makes a living out of one acre..micro farming…

you just need a good plan, and some good research ...

Backinwellies

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Llandeilo Carmarthenshire
    • Nantygroes
    • Facebook
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2015, 09:29:27 pm »
yes..you could make a living out of 6 acres…

it depends on how much hard work and thought you put into it,
some guy makes a living out of one acre..micro farming…

you just need a good plan, and some good research ...

......  but very unlikely with any stock .... stick to plants . Harford if you have friends living off pigs and poultry they should be on TV
Linda

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hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #10 on: May 08, 2015, 10:34:43 pm »
There's absolutely no reason you can't do it. Think carefully about what you're going to produce, get good at it, then work hard marketing it for a few years and you should be getting there. One thing's for sure it won't happen overnight.

hafod

  • Joined Jan 2013
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2015, 10:47:31 pm »


......  but very unlikely with any stock .... stick to plants . Harford if you have friends living off pigs and poultry they should be on TV
[/quote]

Their success is very much down to the way they market themselves and their produce. Their place is rented so they have to pay a hefty amount in rent each month but they still mange to do it and employ 4 part time staff. However, it is a pretty intensive use of the land, if it were mine I wouldn't be happy about using it this way so maybe its more of a short term strategy but its working for them.


Porterlauren

  • Joined Apr 2014
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2015, 12:29:56 am »
I'd be intrigued to know if it's possible without intensive or illegal methods, or without a large nest egg (i.e you are not making a living off your land if you are spending your savings / inheritance etc).

Also, what is a living? If you are retired, own your house, and have low over heads, then your day to day spendings could be covered, but it's a bit different if you want raise a family, pay a mortgage etc.

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2015, 07:44:11 am »
I have friends who make a fair living on a couple of acres. They grow the most amazing fruit and veg and have a tiny  farm shop. They also bake bread and cakes to order and sell preserves. It took a while to build up customers but have a steady stream now.
They don't have a mortgage though which makes a difference.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Is there any chance of making money on 6 acres?
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2015, 10:39:17 am »
One of the most guaranteed ways.. assuming two lucky factors of location and arguing the planning rules.. is a quasi garden centre. Essentially buying in seedlings and grwoing on pus buying in ready to sel dutch plants and accessories. A 4 acre plot with an acre under glass...
Where i used to live in south london many of the small-holdings had gone that very route.

(annoyingly the local authroity dumped on my plans to incorporate one into a  combo vet clinic and wildlife rescue and sanctuary with pet store. And I had some basic plans drawn up by a architect whch included energy conserving modular buldings well before that became fashionable)

 

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