Maybe you have had a small hobby farm for a while. But now you want to make some real money from your land. And you wonder how you can make your land profitable so you can buy more land or create a side business. Here are 12 ways to make money on a farm that we are doing or have seen others do that truly works!
12 Ways to Make Real Money on Your Farm
There are a lot of ways to make your land work for you . Before we get started though we do need to chat a minute about mindset.
If you are going to turn your farmland into a business then you need to think of it as a business.
A homestead may provide for self-sufficiency and even save some money. But homesteads can also be a hobby, where you keep animals just cause you like them. That is totally fine if you want to have a hobby farm or a homestead. But if you want to have a business then you need to think of your land as a business. This will help you immensely as you make decisions and investments for your farm business.
Sell Local Beef from Your Farm
Cattle can bring in real income by either caring for cattle during one stage of their life or by finishing out beef cattle and selling direct to local families.
Back in 2015, we started raising cattle. We went in on some cattle with a local business owner, doing all the farming labor. The next year, we bought some feeder calves. The following year, we bought out the other owner and added a few more. By the third year, we had cattle from our own herd that we finished out and sold to a few friends.
And by the fourth year, we were starting to see the multiplying power of raising cattle. We also saw the potential of raising Angus beef to sell to our local community! Cattle farming while still challenging to get into was easier to break into than grain farming. With cattle farming, you just need 2 cows and several acres to get started. But pasture land is cheaper to rent and you need far less costly equipment for the first few years.
So if you want to be farming for years to come, then look into cattle farming. Read here for 10 Things to Know to Start Cattle Farming.
Raising Hay is Profitable
Farm animals need hay! So when you raise hay you are raising a valuable commodity.
You will need equipment to get started baling hay, but once you have the equipment, you can start turning a profit quickly. You can make hay for your own animals. You can sell extra hay you don’t use.
And typically in a rural community there are a lot of unused pastures that many land owners want mowed and will allow you to either take all the hay or they will only request half the cost for the hay. For example, a neighbor may have 15 acres, but no hay equipment. They may be happy for you to come mow, paying them for all the hay at $20 a bale. You can then take those bales and sell them for $40 or $50 dollars a bale!
Sell at Farmer’s Market
Farmer’s markets are a fun way to connect with others in your community and sell produce and/or baked goods you made on your farm.
This year, I went through all the classes and learned how to sell at our the market. The main product that I was selling was our individual packaged beef. But I also sold jelly and jams, baked goods, and fresh produce. Some of the canned goods I sold, such as Redbud Jelly and Salsa came from flowers and vegetables raised right on my farm. And basically all the extra produce I raised in my garden, I easily sold at the market.
Plus, at the end of the season, I sold quarters to new local customers bringing traffic back to our main business!
Lease Hunting Rights
If you have a big farm, then you may want to look at contracting the hunting rights to your farm to a hunting guide.
Make sure to read all the fine print so you understand what rights the hunters have and how often they will be on your farmland. But hunters often pay a lot of money for out of state hunting trips. So if an organization offers guided hunting trips in your area, then you may be able to earn thousands of dollars for allowing hunters access certain times of year.
Start a Blog
In 2021, I started a website for our premium freezer beef business. I wanted to be able to share recipes and make a place where customers could find out more on how to buy beef from us.
As our business grew, I shared more and more recipes and even started sharing over on Pinterest. Presently, we bring in sales via our website. AND we also have traffic coming from Pinterest which allowed us to get ads on our website. Ad revenue can bring in hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on how much traffic you have coming to your site.
Share Your Farm Expertise
Have you learned a lot while homesteading or farming? You can create a blog or Instagram account and share that knowledge. You can then make printables or ebooks where you share your knowledge. Readers love to buy printables and books from accounts that they follow. So by setting up a simple checkout system such as SendOwl you can start sharing downloadable products and charging for your expertise.
You don’t have to know everything there is about your topic. You just have to know more information than some. What have you learned about in the past 5 years that you can share and teach others? What do you love to think about and talk about for hours and hours? Here are two examples of printables and ebooks I have made.
If you have a lot of followers you can even do sponsored posts where companies will pay you to talk about their products in exchange for free products or by paying you.
Make Beauty Products on the Farm
Several small businesses that I know create and sell beauty products. One business has a couple acres of land where she raises herbs and then sells her beauty products and herbal tinctures at her local farmer’s market.
Another business, has a farm where she raises herbs, goats and chickens and then uses the milk, eggs, and herbs to make baked goods and beauty products. She has a small building on her farm that she has turned into a bustling bakery shop where she sells all her goods!
Rent Your Farm Land
Do you have extra acreage that you are not using? You can rent the land to bring in some income.
Depending on what the land is suitable for will determine the price. If you have lots of flat farmland that is good for grain crops you can bring in a lot of money. If the farmland has not been tilled in years or fertilize needs added that will bring the price down. But that is something you can negotiate with a farmer. And having your land worked and fertilize added will also increase the value of your farm overall.
If you have hills and some woods, you could rent out the land to a cattle farmer. A cattle farmer does not pay as high a price as a grain farmer. But a good cattle farmer should keep fences in good repairs, may allow a few of your cows to run with their herds, and again the value of your land will increase with upkeep.
Raise Flowers on the Farm
We started researching about raising flowers since my daughter was interested in this. But since I have a habit of killing plant life, I have not personally done this one. But raising and selling flowers is becoming a popular way to use land.
If you love to grow things, and love flowers you may want to look into selling flowers. You could sell your flowers at a local farmer’s market, create your own flower farmstand, or sell a flower membership.
Create Your Own Farmstand
If you live in a low crime area, you could create your own farmstand. When we lived in Ohio, we had neighbors that had a little farmstand or garden shed where they sold eggs, vegetables, and flowers.
It has become pretty popular over time. They use every bit of their land to raise chickens, vegetables, and now flowers. Customers stop at their farmstand and pay on the honor system. Since the farmstand is out in the country on a high traffic road headed toward town it works well!
Start Your Own Excavating Business
Do you enjoy running equipment and now have several pieces of your own for your growing farm. Consider starting an excavating business on the side. We have had an excavating business on several occasions.
Digging out ponds, bushhogging, clearing down trees, and putting in yards is hard work that requires equipment. Most people that live in the suburbs or just outside of town do not have the equipment. So there is always a need for small jobs to be done.
There is an art to grading a driveway or yard and certainly to putting in a pond. So you may need to gain some experience. But instead of your equipment sitting in your yard during down times, get out there and use your equipment to bring in good money!
Apply for Farm Grants
Are you raising bees on your farm? Are you growing an orchard? Do you want to protect that ponds on your property? You can apply for and receive grant money for your farm.
Some grants just give you money for things your are already doing? Other grants require you to do a project that they may pay half when you complete the project. Other grants may be geared toward increasing youth involvement in agriculture.
Talk with your local extension office and look online for small grants for agriculture. We now live in an area that has a lot of cattle so we have been able to get grants toward some big cattle projects like building a feed pad. And I have been able to apply for some grants since I am newer to farming. Talk to others in your area and search online.
12 Ways to Make A Profit from Your Farm
Making your land and farm turn a profit can be a lot of work. But if you love the land you will want to have it in your family for years to come. So start thinking of your land as a business that can support itself and began a side hustle with your farm!
