tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post440349228338819115..comments2023-05-30T04:54:47.560-05:00Comments on a Girl on a Farm: Reflectionsagirlonafarmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12174293745917509072noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-86414562338702506282011-09-22T10:41:07.043-05:002011-09-22T10:41:07.043-05:00I haven't really been thinking about farming a...I haven't really been thinking about farming as a career up to this point. I'm looking at rural properties to get a sense of how we can make an artist retreat work. The idea of making some money off of the same acreage has skirted the edges of the idea, but when I saw a property with an established orchard (grapes, nuts, peaches, 9 varieties of apples!) I started thinking about that a little more. <br /><br />Trouble is, as probably with most every other person thinking along these lines, we have no capital. And working a day job while farming at night — which IIRC is what you guys are doing — doesn't sound like much fun off hand . . .The Aesthetic Elevatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13946849041991727607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-18205140086214057512011-09-21T22:44:02.251-05:002011-09-21T22:44:02.251-05:00That's exactly what we did too, we dove in hea...That's exactly what we did too, we dove in head first. I don't know how others do it. I feel that we are pretty fortunate and it's still going to be tough to get things to pencil out. Unless it's given to you, it takes a lot of planning, work and luck. And even then the odds aren't that great. Farms just cost so much money to buy and maintain. And hobby farms are just as bad. I think the key is to start small and start smart. Don't take on more than you can handle and/or afford.<br />It's tough though, because I feel that we took on a little too much this first year. But I felt that with our situation, it was best to ramp up efforts quickly so that we could be profitable sooner. It's now looking like 2013 will be our first good year, where we should be making a good bit more than we're spending.<br /> <br />Oh the Sandhills! I didn't realize how much I loved the Sandhills until this year. We (I) have been mulling over the idea of moving to western Nebraska someday. I really feel that we could add more value to lower priced/lower fertility land. Plus, it's so peaceful and beautiful. But that would be quite the change and we would be farther away from our primary markets.<br />Time will tell...<br />Thanks for the comment!Farmer Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06712838521549711077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7851574739661452863.post-60912043594761078392011-09-21T09:09:17.602-05:002011-09-21T09:09:17.602-05:00Thanks for this recap for a new reader, though I t...Thanks for this recap for a new reader, though I think both my wife and I have gone through most of the old posts. We were just wondering yesterday how someone goes about actually diving into this kind of thing, agriculture or a hobby farm, in this day and age as we drove north through the Sandhills . . .The Aesthetic Elevatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13946849041991727607noreply@blogger.com