Smallest farm

Paul Janke · Jan 1, 2009

I don't know how I manage to come up with such questions, but I was wondering what the smallest farm is that is furnishing a living. I was thinking of those who don't have a job other than the farm which provides part of the living. I was thinking of legal crops and where the living is made from the crop(s) and not from turning the crop into a different product (such as turning wool into an expensive suit).
As a side note, I grow up on a 1700 acre ranch which was about half of the size necessary for a living.

paul · Jan 1, 2009

I think truck farms - vegitables - or cut flowers type of operation which use a lot of labor from a whole family (5 or ao, how do you count labor from the kids?) can make a living on 10 acres or so.

Gotta keep busy enough on the farm so as not to want cell phone, sat TV, etc etc tho, and be in the right location to have a market.

Were you meaning row crops or small grains & typical 'farm' livestock tho?

Then you are looking at 200 acres or so and the land needs to be owned & paid for to make it work.

Health insurance is a problem, how to afford that.

--->Paul

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 1, 2009

Some poultry farms are as small as 10 acres and can provide a modest living for 1 family.

kyplowboy · Jan 1, 2009

8 broiler houses on 10 acres, if looked after will provide plenty for one family on normal payments.

After it's paid for, I'd say it would be pretty easy to hire out the labor and both his and your family could do ok.

Dave

Chris in MO · Jan 1, 2009

I've heard of a market garden in I think it is Berkeley, California, which was grossing $250,000 per year on 3/4 of an acre. It obviously was in an extremely unique climate and market.

Christopher

kyhayman · Jan 1, 2009

There are a few 5-10 acre farms here where the whole family makes a living. Most of the folks are pretty granola who are doing it. Cut flowers, organic vegetables, herbs, etc seem to be the mainstays. As to livestock, I cant disagree with what the others have said about poultry. We've got a few 10 acre dairies here. Catch is, they are haying a lot of acres on shares. Some are doing well, some I dont see how they are paying the feed bill.

rrlund · Jan 1, 2009

A lot of Amish make it on 80 acres.

Sidekick · Jan 1, 2009

I knew a guy years ago that had a small farm in his closet.

VADAVE · Jan 1, 2009

In Eastern Virginia. I have 80 tillable acres growing 3 grain crops per year with pretty representastive if not better then average yields and I know it doesn't provide a living income. Also know of at least 4 individuals doing the same thing on between 400 acres and 1500 acres and their wives are working. Means it takes more then 1500 acres. Also know of one individuals with 2000 acres growing grain, raising vegeables and harvesting oysters that is doing very well. What's the difference? Well some of these good ole boys are renting ground at pretty high prices and hiring quite a bit of help. The one individual owns his ground and is really involved with the daya to day labor as is his whole family. He also doesn't have to have the latest new piece of equipment.

GAfarmer16 · Jan 1, 2009

don't worry about health insurance. external_link is gong to fix that and ALL the rest of your problems

Janicholson · Jan 1, 2009

Frank Zappa's Montana Dental Floss farm is 4" wide and 12 miles long! JimN

Anonymous-0 · Jan 1, 2009

About 30 years ago a new book came out telling how to make $100,000 on an acre. Basically it was a subscription garden project. Very intensive farming on that acre, multiple crops, lots of irrigation and hand work for everything.

Gerald J.

Stockdale Dave · Jan 1, 2009

LOL...don't think I've seen a Zappa reference on this board.

Lesformore · Jan 1, 2009

Just because a wife is working doesn't mean she has to. I know a few women who are married to wealthy husbands and are working because they want to, for whatever reason.

730 virgil · Jan 1, 2009

yea right i hate to think what kind of mess that will be.
you'll need a permit to pass gas.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 1, 2009

Connecticut Shade Tobacco produces about 1,300#/acre x $21/pound = $28,000/acre.

Very labor intensive though, and land costs in the Connecticut Valley are quite high.

Not sure you could break in if you wanted to -- I think a few extended families control both the farms and the cigar companies.

noncompos · Jan 1, 2009

And a lot of us may be living a lot like the Amish the way things are going.
(Just some black humor, and no political puns intended!)

GeneMO · Jan 1, 2009

The less I farm, the more money I make!

Gene

paul · Jan 1, 2009

You guys are going to give me an ulcer - I'll need that 'free' health care!!!!

--->Paul

Walt Davies · Jan 2, 2009

Berkley, CA 3/4 acre $250,000 Obviously medical marijuana.
Walt

PS legal down there if the feds don't catch you.

RAB · Jan 2, 2009

Doesn't this depend on so many factors as to be pretty well a useless comparison?

When does a farm become 'horticulture'? Sheep farming on mountainous land might need a huge amount more to earn a living.

A Living? Now that is fairly subjective too! There are many out there that cannot afford a computer or have no access to the internet and live on a very low income compared to first world countries.

So who are you comparing to who else, where else, etc?

RAB

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 2, 2009

I've got 4 broiler houses on 30 acres and probably could live off of that but we are still making payments for 3 more years. I've also got 300 acres that I raise cattle on and my wife works in town. Putting kids through college will cause you to work more than you want to.

>))

bruster · Jan 2, 2009

There is a family here in western PA that operates a 2 story greenhouse that sells to restaurants all year long from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. They have it right off the house, and only have a few acres but do very well with this as their only source of income.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 2, 2009

Ya but the Amish live like poor rats --- and pool together to survive ....

buickanddeere · Jan 2, 2009

In Japan farms, rice paddies of less than 1 acre are common. The rice harvestor/combine is a walk behind unit that about the size of a small comercial floor sweeper/scrubber.

rrlund · Jan 2, 2009

Ya,they definately practice the purest form of socialism,but it has worked for them for a few centuries now.

buickanddeere · Jan 2, 2009

Amish breed like rats too. They treat thier horses better than thier women as well.
Since they don't "spend anything". It doesn't require much of an income to survive.

JDemaris · Jan 2, 2009

What RAB stated is right on the money. Makes me think of my great-grandmother who lived on a "farm" her entire life in Ariège, southern France. Never had any other income. Rural French farmers traded goods with one another, that's all. She had a few acres she actually owned, and many other acres her goats grazed on. She grew her own vegetables, made her own clothes, and produced goat cheese for trade. She didn't know she wasn't making a proper living, because nobody told her. Status is usually relative to what we see around us.

This sticks in my mind, because being brought up in the USA, I envisioned my g-grandma having a "real" farm, by USA standards. Now, I kind of envy the life-style she had - but - also still have my computers and TVs along with too many tractors I don't really need.

On the same note, I don't know anybody with a small farm that truly lives off it alone. Not when you consider additional income from a spouse with another job, government incentives to artificially support products, etc.

Might be some small scale illegal drug farming doing well - but above that, I doubt it.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jan 2, 2009

The Amish might be another consideration. No utility bills, no car payments, just the very basic things to sustain life. I have a cousin who says they didn't know they were poor during the depression because no one told them they actually were. All he knew is dad didn't drive the model T much and he rode a horse any where he needed to go.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 3, 2009

There is a guy in San Francisco at an old Navy base growing mushrooms (the legal kind) in an old weapons bunker. Perhaps 2000 square feet. I am not sure if it counts as livestock, but there is anouther farm around here that raises cloned rats for research. Maby 6000 square feet.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 4, 2009

There are a few Farms here that grow vegetables and strawberries.I dont know their size but the all have to go to city farmers markets to sell enough produce to make a living from the farm.One farm just quit on strawberries.Owner said only 10% was pick your own, the rest was sold at farmers markets.An orchard does well near me but it took 5 years to get any income. more trees are planted every year and a lot of money was spent on cider making equipment.In any case making a living from a small farm doesnt look good.The 50s and 60s were the end of it here.

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