5 Ways to Make Money Farming

5 ways you can make money hobby farming, check out the post for the full details and start earning income on your hobby farming property today!

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A few posts ago, I talked about 8 ways you could save money on your farm. Today, we are going to cover a few ways you could make money farming! Of course there are a ton more than what I am listing here but these will get your creative juices flowing.

Make money farming: Sell part of what you produce.

Eggs, meat, garden produce, animals. This is probably the easiest way to offset the cost of your farm. Most states will allow you to sell things like eggs and garden produce under the condition that it "does not appear prepared in anyway." What that means is you can't wash or sort anything, roots and stems must be attached, and eggs cannot be in cartons. Basically don't lead people to think that they are buying something "ready to eat." The easiest way to sell meat is to get it processed at a USDA approved facility. That way it has already passed the rigorous inspection all meat in the USA goes through and you know it is safe.

{Believe me, I have toured a slaughter house and they are tip top. Any sign of antibiotic residue, animal trauma, etc. and the meat is condemned and the producer flagged. This is serious business. Because of the intense and serious nature, large scale producers don't mess around with mistreating animals or breaking the rules - I promise! Don't believe me? Ask one yourself}

If you are processing it yourself you will just need to go through a few more steps that are going to vary from state to state. You will have to get a food handler's permit and probably have your slaughter area and technique approved by a state inspector. Like I said, this will vary depending on where you live. I haven't compared the two cost wise {if you have, let me know!} so I can't say which is cheaper {facility vs. yourself}. Regardless, following the rules your state has in place is really important. Even if you think they are a little excessive or silly {you probably will...} It's not worth your farm to break them and get shut down.

Make money farming: Create a co-op.

This is similar to above but gives you a little more flexibility and reliability. When you create a farm co-op, basically you are allowing people to purchase part of what you are going to produce before it's actually produced. This way, they own the product and all the rules we were worried about in {1} don't apply. For example, if I ran a beef co-op, people would purchase part of a live steer and when I was finished raising it, they would get their allotted portion. Often times it is a good idea to sell shortly before the harvest or slaughter so you don't run into problems with animal losses. Obviously you would need to come up with some sort of contract here and set clear expectations between yourself and your customers so they understand everything involved. There are a million possibilities here - pick your own produce, collect your own eggs, etc. Options to not only make money with your farm but also to teach someone else about farming!

Make money farming: Host seasonal activities.

You could plant a large pumpkin patch and let people come pick pumpkins in the fall. You could host a live Christmas nativity in the winter time. Create a giant slip and slide in the summer if you have a hilly property. Host a Baby Animal Day in the Spring. So many fun options! Look at what makes your farm unique and showcase it.

Make money farming: Become a farm stay.

If you have an extra cottage house or a loft above your barn, you could let people come stay on your farm. Often farmers will give a tour, demonstrations, or other actives specific to their farm. Again, look at what makes your farm unique and showcase it!

Make money farming: Make something from waste on your farm and sell it.

If you have the right tools, making things like compost {Make it correctly! No one wants your weed seeds!} or something out of old wood or wire or horse shoes...this list is endless! Country chic is so HOT right now, take advantage! Check out Pinterest for more ideas.

There are so many options for making money with your hobby farm. All it take is a little creativity on your part! Comment below with other great ideas you have!