I'm gonna be a farmer, ya'll
I'm sick of the economy, I'm sick of waiting, I'm sick of saying, "next year," "later," and "some day." This is officially my new career goal: I'm going to become a grass farmer.
I'm currently in major research and business planning phase, learning about the market, land, grants and loans, looking for hands-on learning opportunities, and dreaming, scheming, planning...
Who knew a pastured dairy could be so profitable? Turns out you save so much in costs by letting the damn cows eat grass like you're supposed to (and combine that with the hefty premium organic/pastured milk demands) and you can actually make major bank. After converting to a seasonal grassfed operation, Mike Wichman, a failed Nebraska dairy farmer, made $100,133 profit his first year. PROFIT. As in after all expenses. Joel Salatin, the king of grass-based farming, makes $700,000/year on just 550 acres (450 acres of which, one should note, are forest). Shit, son. But that's not my goal; my goal is to be financially stable, to be happy, to be self-sufficient, to feed myself and my family (both legal and chosen), and to make the world a better place. I believe in the power of management-intensive grazing to heal the environment, to produce exquisitely delicious food, to renew topsoil, to feed the hungry, to save the rainforest, to redeem us from the atrocities of the brutal factory farm industry... basically, to save the world. How can I not do this?
I need people, people I can trust to run a business with, to work hard every day, and ideally to help invest some capital so we can actually afford some land. Unfortunately the friends who have some money/a source of income and the friends who want to become farmers don't seem to overlap much...
But the big dilemma: where to settle? I want to be near a big city, both for cultural and market reasons, but there needs to be decent land with decent rainfall for a decent price. The bay area would be PERFECT, but like many perfect things, it's ass-expensive, and I'd like to go into as little debt as possible. The cheapest land by far is in Michigan (but who wants to live there?) and the South (where they REALLY fuckin hate the gays, and the only city that I think would create the kind of market I needed is Atlanta. Maybe Charlotte... Of course there's Oregon, which has probably the best market for this product in the country, but it gets too damn cold there and I'd much prefer a longer growing season. Same goes for land near D.C. and New York. I wonder what the market for premium organic, grassfed products is like in Naw'leans? It's this big catch-22: I need to be near the suburban hippies to sell them my shit, but suburban hippies drive up land values, so I can't afford to buy a farm there. Hm.
Perhaps I can start somewhere smaller and/or where I don't plan to stay and move once I start making a profit and building capital. I'd hate to have to start all over again, though, especially since profitability in this industry requires direct-selling to consumers and building a loyal customer base that you deal with one-on-one. That's almost as hard to rebuild as the farm is. May be what I have to do...
So far I have $250 saved.
Anyone want to join me? You may not have any money yet, but hey, neither do I.
I'm currently in major research and business planning phase, learning about the market, land, grants and loans, looking for hands-on learning opportunities, and dreaming, scheming, planning...
Who knew a pastured dairy could be so profitable? Turns out you save so much in costs by letting the damn cows eat grass like you're supposed to (and combine that with the hefty premium organic/pastured milk demands) and you can actually make major bank. After converting to a seasonal grassfed operation, Mike Wichman, a failed Nebraska dairy farmer, made $100,133 profit his first year. PROFIT. As in after all expenses. Joel Salatin, the king of grass-based farming, makes $700,000/year on just 550 acres (450 acres of which, one should note, are forest). Shit, son. But that's not my goal; my goal is to be financially stable, to be happy, to be self-sufficient, to feed myself and my family (both legal and chosen), and to make the world a better place. I believe in the power of management-intensive grazing to heal the environment, to produce exquisitely delicious food, to renew topsoil, to feed the hungry, to save the rainforest, to redeem us from the atrocities of the brutal factory farm industry... basically, to save the world. How can I not do this?
I need people, people I can trust to run a business with, to work hard every day, and ideally to help invest some capital so we can actually afford some land. Unfortunately the friends who have some money/a source of income and the friends who want to become farmers don't seem to overlap much...
But the big dilemma: where to settle? I want to be near a big city, both for cultural and market reasons, but there needs to be decent land with decent rainfall for a decent price. The bay area would be PERFECT, but like many perfect things, it's ass-expensive, and I'd like to go into as little debt as possible. The cheapest land by far is in Michigan (but who wants to live there?) and the South (where they REALLY fuckin hate the gays, and the only city that I think would create the kind of market I needed is Atlanta. Maybe Charlotte... Of course there's Oregon, which has probably the best market for this product in the country, but it gets too damn cold there and I'd much prefer a longer growing season. Same goes for land near D.C. and New York. I wonder what the market for premium organic, grassfed products is like in Naw'leans? It's this big catch-22: I need to be near the suburban hippies to sell them my shit, but suburban hippies drive up land values, so I can't afford to buy a farm there. Hm.
Perhaps I can start somewhere smaller and/or where I don't plan to stay and move once I start making a profit and building capital. I'd hate to have to start all over again, though, especially since profitability in this industry requires direct-selling to consumers and building a loyal customer base that you deal with one-on-one. That's almost as hard to rebuild as the farm is. May be what I have to do...
So far I have $250 saved.
Anyone want to join me? You may not have any money yet, but hey, neither do I.