Thread: Million Dollar Small Acreage Question

Check out Sandle wood.

I have only got two acres, but had to answer because we have two Dexter miniature cows as family pets.

We have divided our land into three areas approx 1/4 acre house block, one acre paddock and another 3/4 acre paddock .

My pasture is improved and I fertilize annually. However , as you guessed, I support it, it does not support me.

Sorry, I can't be more helpful,

best advice would be to have a chat to someone from the Deptment of Primary Industries and Fisheries (or whatever it may be called in your part of the country).
They can offer the best, free, advice and point you to the literature to do a bit of preliminary research.
With a small area, you'll need to look for intensive agriculture in a 'wankery' market... think wildflowers, lavender, cut flowers from rare native trees/shrubs, green house activities...

I noted you pretty much said "someone that has done it"... so I'll step on out now.

Have a talk to your accountant first, if you are thinking it may have tax advantages. The Tax man may not think 25 acres is big enough and call it a "hobby farm". Their attitude to small farms has changed in the last few years. If that is the case then you cannot claim any of the setup costs or running costs. I very much doubt if you could make money from that sort of acreage but good luck in your endeavours.

Cheers

To make money from a small area you need a high value and therefore (probably) a highly labour intensive crop. There's a place down the road that grows herbs and sells fresh to both the major chains, around the country, also all the local restuarants. They have maybe 1.5 - 2 acres under cultivation and a large packing shed with two cool rooms and employ a number of people. I doubt that there's much you can do to make money with a small block that isn't capital and/or labour intensive, if there was then everyone would be doing it.

Mick

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

To make money from a small area you need a high value crop.
Mick

Weed?

i,v been through the same process we looked into lavender, saffron, herbs, and a number of other high yield crops/products. as said above any common crop is down to shear volume and on small acreage you just cant do it.

the aquaculture idear is good but expensive and of course water is critical i know a company that specialize in design and setup of these systems. if you wont any info pm me

km

the other thing to take into account is how long can you wait until you get a return ie stone fruit, citrus, olives and the knowledge to run these as a going enterprise

Dont get dishartened there are people out there making a living off small blocks, go for it whatever you deside i say

km

Thanks for the replies,

It has given me a bit of food for thought.

I was born and bred on a 2000 acre sheep/cereal crop farm and I have always been involved in farming one way or another so farming is not anything new to me. After owning several 3 acre properties we bought this small farm for hobby but since moving here my desire to become a full time farmer has grown. (Parden the pun)

After looking at buying a 300 acre property for a measley $600k (land only) and working out the lack of potential income from running commercial stock I come to the conclusion its not viable. So my only option is intense farming on our 25 acre block and maybe another 3 acre property we have.

I have done enough research to work out that I can work away from the property and make a lot better income but my dream is making a living off the land. I think it is not
totaly out of the question.

Thanks....Mark

do some research into growing garlic , one of the large types

What about commercial scale aquaponics. You can start off small and see how it goes.

For in ground try something that travells well and has a high unit asking price like passionfruit.

What about selling "the farming experience", rather than just the farm produce?

Could you run a farm-stay operation?

Farming classes?

Hire out plots for folk who want to play at farming?

Run education classes?

Team up with a school/college/TAFE and provide the location for practical part of farming-related curriculum?

Space for solar energy experiments?

Cheers,
Andrew

(Whose qualifications are the 4 potato plants, 2 capsicum plants, and the worm farm down the side of the house)

I was pondering this very thing a while back, mainly to try and justify (in a financial sense) living out of town on 3 1/2 acres. The fuel bill for travelling to and from work was getting out of hand, let alone the extra running around with kids, and 2 going into high school within 2 yrs.
I brought up the issue at the last visit to the tax agent, and he dismissed the idea unless a turn over of around $50,000 is made. So with no tax incentives, and working in town which makes real yakka on the property a bit hard, it means any improvements or investments have to pay for themselves, directly and quickly.
I researched about 8 crops (attached) that would suit the scale and location, including some that have been "buzz" crops like jojoba, and really came up with zilch. Establishment costs can be very high, which is a bummer when nothing can be claimed back.
The crops that would tolerate both frost and drought are generally long term options, for instance Chinchilla white gum.
I got really interested in oil producing crops like Pongamia, even on a small scale to supplement fuel, but the inland conditions of regular frosts puts that to bed. Olives may suit, but there is a real surplus of that around here already, and irrigation is preferable.
I don't want any stock here, after seeing the condition of this place when we bought it. The previous owner had horses, the odd cow and pig too. Our nextdoor neighbour's 5acres is a dusty bowl from horses, which also kill the Euc's during drought, by stripping bark. The only advantage I can see to them is manure production, and a ready supply of glue!
I haven't found the answer, so its back to choosing between weeds and cactus, or fly breeding! Obviously my situation isn't the same as yours Mark, I seem to remember Bridgetown as green and lush. Are there any endemic plants worth cultivating, for flowers or extracts?

Cheers

there is n o money in fruit farming any more. we get less now than we got 10 years ago for our produce.

the price of fertiliser, spray and trees has skyrocketed its just not worth teh time and effort that is required to run it sucsessfully.

growing sompthing like tomatoes or peas/bean is a lot moer profitable but also a lot more work and needs more startup money.