right now the payoff isnt very good. we got 4000$ for the harvest. but the overhead is small and once i get greehouses in i think i will do well. still have more market research to do, and see what grows best in the spring and fall. i have some special sauce planned to grow in the winter. i think it will be hard to not make good money if i can produce in the winter. but i dont know yet. i just bought it at the beginning of the year.
i think crop selection and distribution/marketing are going to be key areas for me to get right in order to have a good return.
Thank you for the comment and I wish you luck. Yeah, I remember organic carrots were hip among past engineers a few years ago. I’d imagine it’s pretty hard to figure out profit projections without lots of years of data. I think apprenticeship is the only way to get going, and you seemed to have done that.
Do you feel like you are “working” in a traditional sense? I myself think I will have some sustenance-level farming as a hobby but I don’t think I would commit to doing it as job; I’d probably do a bakery before then ;)
no it isnt like work at all. its very much like founding a startup (i did that and failed, because of poor personal life decisions). i have a vision and i am executing on it.
what i have going for me are the next to zero operating cost and the fact i am hardworking and i learn fast.
however this is not my only iron in the fire, i am starting a small web development consultancy and seeing if that takes. and im also framing houses right now. its all about acquiring the skills i need to make this work. even if that means im not making very much yet.
its an entire shift in lifestyle. different problems and challenges than you get in the city. throwing money at the problem isnt always the optimal solution here (for me), its much better to be able to do stuff yourself. then you dont have to make as much because you dont have to pay anyone to do anything for you. i can fix or build just about anything. eventually.
To give an example, I can buy a few pounds of potatoes for $5, and I cannot possibly see how I could do better than that myself.