2018 Farm Plan

We're pivoting slightly in 2018 to be more focused.
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RESOURCES / TOOLS

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SUPPORT FMS, SHOP FMS

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TOOLS I USE EVERY DAY

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VIDEO EQUIPMENT I USE

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KEEP IN TOUCH

NOTES:

[Homesteadhow]

Love the advice--your land will tell you what to grow. As a new homestead, going on year 3, we are learning this.

[ughuvuw]

John, I am highly impressed with you. Go with what works and makes money. I have been in retail, wholesale, and agriculture for 40+ years. I have often told these so-called Corp. buyers to buy the items that the customers want, not what they like. Buying what you like does not make money. Buying what you like is a hobby. Buying what people want is a business. In farming do what makes money. Do what you like is a hobby. I have always said that If I can't make money on my hobby, I change my hobby to something that has the possibility to make money. That is why my little hobby of propagating Muscadine vines make a large profit each year.

[iangehris]

Good for you, John. Take care of your family and yourself first and do what helps get you to your “why”.

Thank you for the honest insight into what farming really is and how it’s not always the romantic homestead people hope it will be. Way to be flexible and make good choices. A business is a business and I know you’ll do well.

[tyronefinks]

John you are optimizing the farm's enterprises just what Richard Perkins teaches, awesome!!!!

[CliffsideStables]

For those of us who don’t consume alcohol it is sad to see that be your primary focus of 2018. I have always watched your channel for the enthusiasm you bring to your work and the information you share about the livestock.

[Alex-ehgl]

Thanks for telling it like it is and being honest. We're in our third year of building our farm, and man it's a real rollercoaster, and we've made many mistakes, and hopefully we'll find our way towards a sustainable, profitable farm. We've tried most things, but our two main focuses are a microdairy (cows) and beef. Both of which we've got demand for. Now we just need to trim costs, become more efficient, and gradually as infrastructure is paid off it might become profitable long term...

[CiecieNewson]

I'm so excited to see you get your farm where you want it to be this coming farm season. ~Smile!

[xayatale]

I don't live on a farm but I do have a garden. The soil have a lot of rocks and works. Large tomatoes don't do well in our soil. They do get full sun and a lot of different plant can be grown. I have chickens too. They get to eat grass. I find that crumble is easier for my chickens to digest. Eating grass reduce my feed cost. I haven't calculate the cost of raising chickens.

[ChadwickHorn]

Pastured eggs' profits are realized on the second and third year. There is a reduction in egg production year-after-year, but it's not as much as some people say. It also depends on the chicks — we use ISA Layers from a hatchery in Rudd Iowa.

[lunethgardens]

Hi John, have you looked into keyline design principles to move some of that water around your farm to dry out some of the wetter areas? I know Richard Perkins touches on it but not sure how much. Good luck in 2018, ill be watching.

[tpfarm]

You have good business sense - I stumbled through farming for 30 yrs complaining there's not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done. I finally scaled way back just to breathe! Does your farm produce enough income to hire people and delegate the jobs out which would allow you to have your hands in everything without getting completely submerged? You have a very nice, well thought out map layout.

[CreatingEssence]

Looking forward to a great 2018 of development and growth for you!

[littlewhitedory]

Sounds like a great and enthusiastic plan for 2018. Good luck with executing it and best of luck in the next year, time will be the ultimate judge! Hope the colder weather brings out more beer samplers to the farm brewery and that you clear out the freezers of the last of your chicken harvest from 2017's efforts.

Man I would like to get up there for a brew!

[shiawasseehobbyfarmer]

if you got some grass areas, even 5 acres, but 10 would be better, put it into hay. avg 100 bales an acre on 3 cuttings per season.( maybe more maybe less where you live) but thats 1500 bales for 5 acres and 3000 bales for 10. If you have cheap hay prices at 3 dollars a bale, your talking 4500 dollars for 5 acres, or 9000 for 10 acres. Yes there is labor, but you can buy old balers for under 3000, a rake for around 1000, and haybine for around 3000. So you can pay off all equipment in first year. Then your talking a max of 9 days of labor over the summer. Then you can market the hay on craigslist, heck in your area hay might be 5 bucks a bale. It will also make your property look pretty, and will get mowed, so i would suggest, if you want to make money quick and change your cashflow into profit. ( i would say per cutting for fuel and labor 60 bucks for fuel, and maybe 8 hours of labor(10 dollars per hour for 2 people min. 160. so 220 bucks expense for 3000 dollars in gross bale sales.(on 10 acres). This is the quickest and easiest way to turn a profit in farming. Ya you have other expenses in twine, and taxes on land, but you would be paying those regardless. My other suggestion is to instead of pigs, or chickens go to beef. Feed them that hay, do grass fed and organic beef, the profit margins are better and your dealing with more meat. Chickens are hardly worth messing with for real farm income, why do you think they have large chicken barns. ( it sucks but thats the only way to make money.) I put more into feed for my chickens than i get for eggs, but i get farm fresh eggs and i enjoy it.

[Kowzorz]

If you were to pursue the egg layers, do you think there'd be a silver bullet that would make the operation viable if that one thing weren't as much an issue? E.g. not enough customers, less labor inputs, self-produced inputs, etc.

[TheApprenticeFarmer]

I wish you could go into more detail as to why your pastured broiler enterprise wasn't profitable even at $6/lb and your egg operation even at $8/dz. I understand it can be a lot of work running multiple enterprises, but haven't you guys looked into creating synergies between different operations? Instead of composting spent grain from the brewery, perhaps you could look into feeding it to the layers and pigs to offset feed cost etc...

[joenadeau]

We also live in CT, when do you do your farm and brewery tours, do you have a web page for the brewery?

[swinglineer]

I just subscribed, like what your doing. I'm interested in the chickens, do you have cows for beef?

[highviewfarms]

How many birds per 250 watt heat lamp do you use ? . I'm getting 150 chicks in a few days I have 4 lamps now but thinking about going with 2 more
I'm in northern ca . It gets cold here but no snow .

[whatthefungus]

Hey Man! Great focus! What's your brewery name?