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Starting Member
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Last Login: 4/24/2006 8:05:20 PM
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Hi,
Within the next 6 month's we will have moved into are land... It's quite large but the people who lived there previously said that the land is not farmable.... and of my (little) understanding of this means that no i cannot grow crops in large amounts on it... The land in situated in western Manitoba and hay grows on it. My husband works full time and i am willing to take advantage of the luck we have owning a property of this size. Now we were offered to get it hayed and we would make about 10000$ that we would slip 50% with the person willing to hay it and sell the bails. But i was thinking that maybe i could hay only half of it and with the other half start a hobby farm. I'm not looking for a large profit at this point but simply to start small and maybe grow as the profit grows. Now, of course all my friends give me ideas of what they think i should do... i would like to know more and some actual real idea's and costs and how it all works... anyways i thank you in advance
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 8/15/2006 9:28:56 PM
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| wow. please post updates. I'm so curious to know how you do and what you decide. I think that you have a wonderful opportunity to experience so very much. have you considered writing a blog as you go? I'd be a dedicated reader.
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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/15/2006 10:16:50 AM
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Hi,
I like your enthusiam for starting your own hobby farm. I am fortunate enough to have some land in the family that i hope to move to and farm soon. It is much like your land, we have 170 acres of agricultural land in Quebec, half of which is hayed and the rest is fairly dense bush. I am intereste in using about 20-30 acres of the this land for some sort of hobby farm. I am looking into the best way to make a hobby farm somewhat profitable but more for the feeling of self-sufficiency. My idea is to have a mix of livestock, vegetables and herbs and spices, keeping all of the above ORGANIC of course... it's a bit more work but the satisfaction of real fresh organic foods will far outweigh the extra work... not to mention the cost of fertilizers and herbicides.
Let me know how your land is coming along. I am curious to see what comes of your venture.
Thanks,
Craig
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 3/13/2008 10:53:36 AM
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| Is your land real hilly? I'm guessing when you were told that the land was not farmable, they mean not tillable, due to erosion concerns. If there's pasture, then you could raise most types of livestock, depending on water, shelter needs, etc. Or you could bale the hay, if there's hay and not plain grass. There's not much nutrients or palatability in dry old grass. Plant a hay field of alfalfa (it's a legume that's good for the soil), timothy, brome, orchardgrass, etc for a mixed hay field. I don't know much about hay - I've only helped with baling and feeding my whole life. I don't know what grows best northwest of Indiana. When you hire someone to custom-bale, you'll get more respect if you sound like you know what you're talking about. Therefore, "hay" is a noun, not a verb. "Bale" is the correct noun and spelling. Let us know if you make $10,000 on 70 acres of hay and every farmer in the country will produce more hay! I'm sorry, but I question the integrity of whomever quoted you that figure. Central Indiana, with a strong hay market due to all the horse people, averages $3 per small bale, 2-4 cuttings a year. The quality of hay varies with the cutting. I don't know what yield you can expect for 70 acres, or in your area.
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 1/14/2009 4:41:05 PM
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| I'm in southern manitoba and have almost 120 acres dedicated for hay production and have to question your earning potential. These parts will get about $25 for a 2000 lb round bale minus production cost, i might produce 70-80 bales per cut, maybe 2 cuts in the summer
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 5/10/2009 3:43:08 PM
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| Congratulations first off ! Secondly if I were you I'd be tempted to start very small - in fact in some wyas we are in a similar position. We have 107 acres - much of which is in hay. For next summer we will sell the hay standing to the same farmer who took it off this year. (we are not adverse to a long term deal along that nature either) There are a couple of fields that are unused - and we are starting small with those - planting a couple of fruit trees, starting a hive, starting a small herb garden for commercial purposes (Our house is actually not on the land but 3 minutes away - I have a large veggie garden there or I'd start a veggie garden too). I also run competitive agility so have set aside land for that purpose too. If I were you I might add chickens or a pair of goats to start with livestock. Honestly the bulk of the land can stay in hay and still give you an idea of small farming - perhaps a couple of acres right around the house might be a starting point? cheers, and welcome andrea www.vareharrifarm.blogspot.com
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 1/25/2009 9:23:02 AM
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| Look into grass based farming and rotation grazing. I am assuming they said it is not farmable, meaning it is not suited for row crops maybe because of poor drainage? What is the terrain? We had an 80 acre farm in which we raised grass fed beef, sheep,poultry in addition to milk goats and horses. There are lots of things you can do with a grass based farm but of course if you have the animals the expense goes into fencing and shelter. Joel Salatin has lots of books on grass based farming. Start small-- let the farmer make his hay. Learn and get your feet wet in small ways at first. Fence off a portion, build a small shelter if you don't have outbuildings and try out different types of livestock to see what works for you. A couple goats and some laying hens and a small garden for your family will keep you busy and let you see what is involved in the day to day care and maintence of a farm. good luck, sounds like a great place!
Sue Steiner
equine and animal art
www.suesteiner.com
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 2/15/2009 5:21:58 PM
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| first thing you need to do is to find out why it's labeled "not farmable" or some such. until you now that, you're not going to know enough to make an intelligent decision- and could make a disastrous deciion.
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Junior Member
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Last Login: Yesterday @ 2:58:02 PM
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We are also extremely interested in how this turns out for you. We are embarking on a similar venture and more than willing to share and learn from others!
M. and D.
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Average Member
Group: Banned Members
Last Login: 6/14/2009 6:27:31 PM
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I this land in a gov program?
Locally the state has given people the right to put land into programs that would require whoever uses the land in the end for something other than a brushlot, will pay the backed tax. This can result in a hard sale for the broker. It's nice to be able to hold onto your land via a lower tax agreement, however it is harder to bring that land back into production should the need show it's self.
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