I am curious if anyone has come across any farmers with a unique side hustle? I see a lot of the same with road side selling of eggs, flowers, veggies, farmers markets.....some farmers become dealers for smaller brand implements and seeds. Anything unusual or interesting that you saw as a good idea?
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Unique side hustles?
- Thread starter bjseiler
- Start date
Buckhunter10
5 year old buck +
I have always wanted to do a roadside tomato and firewood stand, but I have not yet. However, my son and I might in the future!
Daydreamer
5 year old buck +
How about the folks that turn their farms into fall harvest attractions, pumpkins, apples, corn maze, rides, blah blah blah.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
Building and selling furniture. If I had a workshop, I would mill lumber and build Adirondack chairs up in cabin country. You can easily get $100 for one.
I've seen people propagate flowers, shrubs, and trees for sale.
I know people who make beer, wine, and moonshine, but that has legal ramifications.
Pumpkins and Christmas trees are a neat seasonal side hustle with minimal effort.
My Dad plowed snow and built fences as a side hustle.
My sister did renovation work in houses until they moved to their own fixer upper.
I used to trade stocks online as a side hustle until it became my main job.
I've seen people propagate flowers, shrubs, and trees for sale.
I know people who make beer, wine, and moonshine, but that has legal ramifications.
Pumpkins and Christmas trees are a neat seasonal side hustle with minimal effort.
My Dad plowed snow and built fences as a side hustle.
My sister did renovation work in houses until they moved to their own fixer upper.
I used to trade stocks online as a side hustle until it became my main job.
Everybody and their brother seems to do pumpkins, eggs, and sweet corn now. Flower bouquets are becoming more prevalent too. I tried the pumpkins and flowers but too much dealing with customers. People suck!
Switched to growing dahlias and selling the tubers. All sales done online, and all orders shipped, almost no dealing with people.
Last year the 900 square foot dahlia patch grossed 1/3 of what my 40hr pays. A couple more years of expanding the field and it'll gross the same as my fulltime.
Switched to growing dahlias and selling the tubers. All sales done online, and all orders shipped, almost no dealing with people.
Last year the 900 square foot dahlia patch grossed 1/3 of what my 40hr pays. A couple more years of expanding the field and it'll gross the same as my fulltime.
Finding a niche like that is really neat.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
That's awesome. Congratulations.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
I've very briefly thought about selling chestnut, hazelnut, and persimmon seedlings that I grow out each winter/spring/summer under grow lights. I also grow many of these same seedlings outdoors in air-pruning boxes and gravel beds that I could sell as bare-root seedlings in the fall. I end up mostly just giving them away to hunters or property owners I know. Selling just a few can cover the cost of pots/media, but selling a bunch doesn't really make it worth my time unless I sell several dozen.
On a more serious note, I have a few different irons in the fire on one of my farms. I have started chestnut and hazelnut orchards and will be starting an elderberry orchard this spring. The idea being to gradually build these into a business to continue in retirement. Right now, I think elderberry has the most promise based on some early work. The pie in the sky other thing that I am looking to break into once I move closer to my property is black walnut syrup production.
On a more serious note, I have a few different irons in the fire on one of my farms. I have started chestnut and hazelnut orchards and will be starting an elderberry orchard this spring. The idea being to gradually build these into a business to continue in retirement. Right now, I think elderberry has the most promise based on some early work. The pie in the sky other thing that I am looking to break into once I move closer to my property is black walnut syrup production.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Farmstands are tough sometimes. Need consistent products for people to consistently come around. Canned and baked good as well as eggs keeps them coming in. Definitely selling apples when the orchard comes into speed. Might do a u-pick orchard out of the few acres I have at home. Both will put a dent in using the property for hunting. Selling seedlings in the spring can be a season extender too.
A person a few miles away has a u-pick flower field. Rototills rows for annuals and has rows of perennials. 4 acre-ish.
Was going to specialize in making pepper years ago. Sell to farm to table folks or can products, like relish or hot sauces. Land sale fell through, owners chose to keep the field in the family.
IF your near town, you can process leaf litter to topsoil. Surprising how much money you can make with using a tractor and a small dump truck.
Used to pop does at a person personal farm. They did the fall stuff. pumpkins, corn maze, hayride thing. Made enough money to make their 150 acre purchase viable for them. They used to let me harvest a doe or two muzzleloader season once they were through the pick of the bucks. They also sold other offerings from the farm to the large farmers market down the road. Did onions, carrots, sweet corn, think even some early salad greens. Some they did with their own equipment, sometimes the farmer market would lease their land and use their specialized equipment to plant.
MY brother in law does AG services. He grows and harvests his own stuff, but will do for hire things like spraying, planting, harvesting, or winter liming / fertilizing. Could probably make some decent Bucks buying 18 wheelers of lime and spreading it with a 3 or 4 ton tow behind with a pickup truck.
A person a few miles away has a u-pick flower field. Rototills rows for annuals and has rows of perennials. 4 acre-ish.
Was going to specialize in making pepper years ago. Sell to farm to table folks or can products, like relish or hot sauces. Land sale fell through, owners chose to keep the field in the family.
IF your near town, you can process leaf litter to topsoil. Surprising how much money you can make with using a tractor and a small dump truck.
Used to pop does at a person personal farm. They did the fall stuff. pumpkins, corn maze, hayride thing. Made enough money to make their 150 acre purchase viable for them. They used to let me harvest a doe or two muzzleloader season once they were through the pick of the bucks. They also sold other offerings from the farm to the large farmers market down the road. Did onions, carrots, sweet corn, think even some early salad greens. Some they did with their own equipment, sometimes the farmer market would lease their land and use their specialized equipment to plant.
MY brother in law does AG services. He grows and harvests his own stuff, but will do for hire things like spraying, planting, harvesting, or winter liming / fertilizing. Could probably make some decent Bucks buying 18 wheelers of lime and spreading it with a 3 or 4 ton tow behind with a pickup truck.
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Guy I work with has a buddy that sells Chestnut trees. I got 6 for free this last fall. They were about 18" tall and in 2 gallon pots. Hopefully the weekend at -20 with no snow cover didn't kill them.
Buck Nuttz Chestnuts
www.bucknuttz.com
SD51555
5 year old buck +
I ordered a hundred elderberry for this spring myself, and ten juneberry. I really want to make juneberry work.
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gurgalunas
A good 3 year old buck
I grow chestnuts, persimmon, and some other wildlife trees. Sell to mostly local property managers. I can get a chestnut to 36-48" in a year, 5-7' in 2 yrs, and 10-12' in 3 yrs. I use root pruning pots. Its all word-of-mouth sales, no ads or marketplace.
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
Are you growing them for consumption or for wildlife? If for consumption, did you order any cultivars in particular?
Hoytvectrix
5 year old buck +
That is very impressive growth, what is your seed source?
SD51555
5 year old buck +
Just the run of the mill common wild variety. Just for my own consumption. I'm planning on steam juicing them.
There are a few farmers that have planted sunflower fields by me. They charge people to go in and take pictures. I can't believe all the people that go there.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I forgot about that one. I have heard people doing that with buckwheat and rape as well.
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