Other Farm Income

[TN Cattle Man]

Other than cattle... Do any of you farm any crops in your operations or have any other viable incomes that you produce from your farm? For my farm, I grow around 20 acres of watermelons that I do fairly well on in a good year. There are three locally owned grocery stores in my area that purchase every melon we raise. So far this year, with all of the rain that we have been having, I have yet to get the first seed in the ground let alone get the ground prepared to plant! On a typical year, I start planing on May 1st... here it is the 5th already and they are talking about even more rain next week!!

Just curious as to what anyone else is doing...

 

[Bright Raven]

Raining a lot here too. Looks like a pattern. Hay is early but the ground is saturated. I wonder if it is going to be a difficult hay season.

 

[TN Cattle Man]

Raining a lot here too. Looks like a pattern. Hay is early but the ground is saturated. I wonder if it is going to be a difficult hay season.

I would say so... We have hay (grass... :lol: ) fields that I would say are 2-3 weeks ahead of a "normal" year. Typically we like to start cutting around Memorial Day, but I would like to start a little sooner if the weather would cooperate and give us some time to cure. I guess only time will tell!

 

[Bright Raven]

Raining a lot here too. Looks like a pattern. Hay is early but the ground is saturated. I wonder if it is going to be a difficult hay season.

I would say so... We have hay (grass... :lol: ) fields that I would say are 2-3 weeks ahead of a "normal" year. Typically we like to start cutting around Memorial Day, but I would like to start a little sooner if the weather would cooperate and give us some time to cure. I guess only time will tell!

I am glad Mike came through for me on the Hay/grass thread.

 

[skyhightree1]

Other than cattle... Do any of you farm any crops in your operations or have any other viable incomes that you produce from your farm? For my farm, I grow around 20 acres of watermelons that I do fairly well on in a good year. There are three locally owned grocery stores in my area that purchase every melon we raise. So far this year, with all of the rain that we have been having, I have yet to get the first seed in the ground let alone get the ground prepared to plant! On a typical year, I start planing on May 1st... here it is the 5th already and they are talking about even more rain next week!!

Just curious as to what anyone else is doing...

As a family we raise crops... Me personally I have been selling Hay, Feed Grains - brewers grain and DDG -MILK - Peanut hulls/Peanuts. I also offer an opportunity for folks to come out and pick an animal they want to process. I have turkeys chickens hogs ducks geese goats . Folks come out on weekends pick the animal they want to process pay me for them and I offer a space for them to clean their animal. I honestly make more off doing that then the cattle have in recent years. I love it however some folks are a PITA to deal with.

 

[Clodhopper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw6Fvox0HSg

What can I say, times are hard! ;-)

 

[Rafter S]

I sell a little hay, and I don't have the place anymore, but at one of my rent pastures I sold enough pecans to pay the rent several years.

 

[cow pollinater]

I'm also a beekeeper. Clover seed is pretty cheap when you get paid twice for planting it.

 

[TCRanch]

Do oil wells count? Hunting leases?

 

[TN Cattle Man]

Do oil wells count? Hunting leases?

Absolutely! Income is income!!

 

[M-5]

how about Gigolo as other income???

 

[shaz]

Do oil wells count? Hunting leases?

I trade the hunting lease for labor.

 

[Rafter S]

how about Gigolo as other income???

Only if you do it on the farm.

 

[M-5]

how about Gigolo as other income???

Only if you do it on the farm.

DAMit Man

 

[TexasBred]

Got oil and gas production on 3 different properties. Not work and not all on the farm but good to have. Price sucks !!!

 

[boondocks]

Got oil and gas production on 3 different properties. Not work and not all on the farm but good to have. Price sucks !!!

Have gotten approached by one of those companies to put up solar panel "fields"; ignored them. I'm all for solar and wind energy but don't want the fields ruined. Of course, if they'd offered more $... :lol:

 

[TexasBred]

Got oil and gas production on 3 different properties. Not work and not all on the farm but good to have. Price sucks !!!

Have gotten approached by one of those companies to put up solar panel "fields"; ignored them. I'm all for solar and wind energy but don't want the fields ruined. Of course, if they'd offered more $... :lol:

Solar farms usually take up large amounts of acreage basically limiting it's use to nothing but solar panels. I won't ever have any regardless of the money. Not worth the destruction of the property.

 

[boondocks]

Got oil and gas production on 3 different properties. Not work and not all on the farm but good to have. Price sucks !!!

Have gotten approached by one of those companies to put up solar panel "fields"; ignored them. I'm all for solar and wind energy but don't want the fields ruined. Of course, if they'd offered more $... :lol:

Solar farms usually take up large amounts of acreage basically limiting it's use to nothing but solar panels. I won't ever have any regardless of the money. Not worth the destruction of the property.

Exactly. We do have a few wind farms nearby, and the farmers are still able to use (most of) the fields

 

[TexasBred]

Have gotten approached by one of those companies to put up solar panel "fields"; ignored them. I'm all for solar and wind energy but don't want the fields ruined. Of course, if they'd offered more $... :lol:

Solar farms usually take up large amounts of acreage basically limiting it's use to nothing but solar panels. I won't ever have any regardless of the money. Not worth the destruction of the property.

Exactly. We do have a few wind farms nearby, and the farmers are still able to use (most of) the fields

Wind farm start about 50 40 miles west of me and continue to West Texas and Texas Panhandle. We have lots of wind but just no wind farms yet.

 

[TN Cattle Man]

Well, I got some watermelon seed in the ground today! Will plant again tomorrow before the rains come again on Thursday. My timing just might be OK this year.