How to make money with a hobby farm
Hobby farming ideas
I have my own personal hobby farm. It started out with just horses and now I have gardens, ponds, fruit trees and more. I enjoy growing living edible landscape that can provide my family with an income at the same time. I hope you can find something below that will spark something in side you.
Animal Boarding
If you already own a working vegetable farm, cow, chicken or milk farm. Providing workshops in a specific field and passing on your knowledge and mistakes to help up coming farms make less mistake would be an amazing thing to give back to the up coming farmers.
Homesteading Workshops
If you already have a hobby farm and you are really good at something are already have a business that is running pass on your learned skills by giving workshops to pass on your knowledge.
Farm Workshops
Dog boarding while on vacation business is one way to make a living if you have a small hobby farm. If you enjoy taking care of pet while the owners are on vacation this side business might be a good fit for you.
Animal Training
Animal trainer or obedience training along with dog boarding service would give two means of revenue in the same area of work.
Camping Locations
Camp grounds or RV Park, If your hobby farm has rivers, lakes or wood areas or beautiful view, providing camping spots or RV parking spots is a great business.
Bed and Breakfast
Bed & Breakfast can be a business if you enjoy hosting and providing a nice relaxing location for a couple to spend a quiet weekend.
Cabin Rentals
Cabin rentals, can be way to use beautiful locations to provide a way for people to get back to nature. Small cabins or tiny homes are very popular for couples to rent.
Wedding location
Wedding locations, Providing a nice outdoor back drop for wedding and other venues is a way to make a living that would only use the weekends. A weekend gig would leave the rest of the week to do other projects.
Growing Flowers
Growing Flowers, Many farms grow flower. Flowers are always great sellers. Cut flowers or flowers in a pot will sell with ease. If you like growing flowers see if this would be a great side business for your hobby farm.
Growing Herbs
Growing Herbs, Gowning herbs is another great idea to make an income on a hobby farm. Who doesn’t use herbs. Providing herbs to your local area and restaurants.
All Natural Soap, Lotions, Lip Balm, Shampoo, Deodorant
All Natural Soap, Making all natural soaps, lotions and deodorants can be a very profitable business. If making product like these is something you are good at, look into this business more.
Essential Oils
Essential Oils, essential oils can be made or turned into many products that can be sold from a hobby farm.
Mealworms
Mealworms, Meal worms businesses are growing everywhere. Mealworms can be farmed and sold to pet stores, reptile owners and chicken owners as a source of protein for their pets.
Earthworms
Earthworms, Earthworm farms can provide a income from many ways. Farmers will buy earthworms and or the worm castings. worm castings are worm poop and very profitable. Also worm tea can be produced and sold.
Compost tea
Compost tea, Compost tea can be made from different types of compost. The biggest is made from worm castings. Growing earth worms, their poop is called worm castings. Worm castings are one of the best all in one garden soil food you can get.
Farm Fresh Vegetables
Farm Fresh Vegetables, Having a vegetable garden provides you with a way to sell what you have too much of or grow more of what you know will sell in your area.
U-Pick, You-Pick, Pick-Your-Own
Pick-Your-Own, There are many types of berries and vegetables you can grow on a large scale. Offer a You-Pick patch and let families come in and pic what they want and pay when they leave.
Pickled and Fermented Foods
Pickled and Fermented Foods, is another way to take one vegetable you grow and packaging it in another way to sell.
Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables
Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables, If you already have fruits and vegetables and you are looking for other ways to make an income, try dehydrating them. This is a great way to increase the storage length of the produce.
Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin Patch, or other winter squash is a way to make an income in the fall. Pumpkins and other winter squash will be ready to pick in the fall.
Plantings Starts
Plantings Starts, growing starter plants to sell for home gardeners is a great business to start. Most home gardeners don’t have the time or equipment to start the plants they want to grow in their home garden. Providing this service would meet a big demand.
Heirloom Seeds
Heirloom Seeds can be a very profitable business. There are so many gardeners starting home and business gardens seed get low on demand. Someone producing vegetables just to save the seeds can help out many farmers providing a good income at the same time.
Farm Fresh Fruit
Fresh Fruit, growing fresh fruit on a farm will always make money. Their are many verities of berries that can be grown depending on your growing zone.
Grow micro greens
Grow micro greens is a big boom. Growing the nutrient packed, vitamin pack greens can bae used in smoothies, sandwiches, soup topper and salads providing a healthy ad on to any meal.
Beehives
Beehives rentals, If bee keeping interest you local farms will rent out the bee hives to pollinate their crops. You get paid to deliver the bees to do their job and then you have the honey in return.
Honey Bees
Honey, Raising bees to provide honey opens up many avenues of revenue.
Maple Syrup
Maple Syrup, is a big money make. If you are blessed with maple trees on your property this could be a big money maker.
Timber
Timber, Lumber companies will pay good money to harvest trees off of your land. They will also replant new trees for later harvest.
Milled Lumber
Milled Lumber, Have a lot of standing trees on your land, raw cut lumber business can be a great business.
Backyard Chicken Coops
Chicken coops, back yard chickens are a big thing right now. If you are handy with tools building chicken coops and movable chicken coops could sell well.
Bird House, Bird Feeders, and Bat Houses
Building bird houses can provide a side income. Cute decorated bird house are big sellers. If you are a handy builder bee hives are big sellers as well.
Nuts
Nuts, Nuts are always in demand. Depending on the where you live you could make a great living providing nuts.
Berries
Berry farm, Having a berry farm can provide a great business on a hobby farm. Pick your own or ready to by berries well sell.
Jams and Jellies
Jams and Jellies, growing your own berries? Make jams and jellies as your side business.
Growing Garlic
Growing Garlic is a easy crop to grow and is always in demand. I have been growing garlic for the past 10 years and truly enjoy it.
Mushrooms Grow Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms
Growing mushrooms has turned into a booming business. Growing mushrooms can be done in small control environment with a great return on investment.
Hops For Local Breweries
Growing Hops is a big and growing business that has a high demand for good grown hops. Learning how to grow high quality hops could be provide a very good living. If this is a something you would be interested in check into how to grow hops.
Christmas Trees
Christmas Trees farm is a great way to have a small business. Open land can be started with Christmas tree seedlings and over time you can have cut your own or sell to retailers when the season comes round.
Tree Nursery
Tree Nursery, open land can be planted with assorted trees that can be sold to local nursery’s to see to the public. This business will have a slow start up time.
Firewood
Firewood, If your hobby farm has a lot of hard wood trees, selective cutting of disease or damage hard wood trees can be sold as fire wood.
Hay
Growing hay, open fields can be use to grow hay for local horse farms. Farm land can be leased to local farmers to grow hay if you do not own the equipment.
Livestock Feed
Livestock Feed, If you have open farm land, Livestock feed can be grown on that fertile soil providing local famers with feed for their livestock. Your farm land can be leased to the farmer to grow his crops if you do not have the farming equipment.
Freshwater Fish Farming
Fish Farm, Have big natural or man made ponds on your hobby farm? Put them to use raising freshwater fish. Freshwater fish farming can provide your area with locally grown fresh fish.
Guinea fowls
Raising guinea fowl is a great small business. Many farmers like having guinea’s around on the farms. Guinea fowl unlike chickens don’t scratch the ground for their food. They hunt insects, rats and snakes. Farmer call the guard dogs. They always let you know when an on wanted predator is around.
Sheep for wool
Raising sheep for wool can be a very big business to be in. Wool is always in demand for it insulation properties for clothing. Natural resource unlike plastics.
Alpacas for wool
Alpacas for wool and they can make a great petting zoo. Alpaca wool is a great way to make an income. The wool is in high demand and the alpacas are just to cute!
Grass-Fed Beef
Free rang grass-fed beef is the new thing! Higher quality of life for the cows and better for the land. Proper land use by moving the herd helps the grass lands and lowers your feed cost.
Raw Cow Milk
Raw Milk, Having a small local milking business for local neighbor and restaurants could be a great side business.
Goats
Goat service, In the south goats are rented out to clear property of over growth in weeds. All you need is a portable solar shock fence and a watering setup and you are in business. Best thing is they eat for free while you get paid!
Raw Goat Milk
Milking goats for raw goat milk can provide an income. Goat’s milk is used in many areas from cheese, soap and creams.
Raw Butter
Raw Butter, If you have cows for milk, making raw butter and selling it to local restaurants as a local product would be a great way to help your community us local resources.
Raw Cheese
Raw cheese, Raising goats or cows will give you the opportunity to make raw cheese products as well as milk. The cheese business could be a full or supplemental business opportunity.
Pastured Chicken
Pasture or Free range chickens is a great way to raise chickens. Providing healthier chickens lower feed bills, keep insect populations down. This can be done for meat chickens or eggs.
Pastured Pork
Raising pigs on a pasture provides a more human life for the pigs. Allowing them to move around freely is better for them and your land. When pigs are kept in one area that area will become one big mud pit. Allowing them to change there areas will keep vegetation down and lower your feed bills.
Pullets
Pullets, If you already raise chickens and know how or are eager to learn to raise pullets. Raising chickens for eggs is a skill set. I my self have chickens that I purchased as pullets. If you are interested in raising baby chicks, so farmers like me don’t have to you will be providing a great service and make an income.
Boarding Horses
Boarding horses is right up my alley. I have been boarding horses for over 15 years. If you have eight or more stall you can make a living out of it or at least it will pay the bills if you have horses yourself. Boarding horses has payed for all of my expenses of my own horses.
Making Compost
Making Compost is become a very needed gardening supplement. With all of the small vegetable farms popping up the need for good compost is in high demand. If you have the property and natural recourses you could be in business.
Pastured Turkey
Raising Pastured Turkey is closely related to raising free range chickens. Some small farmers versify in chickens, ducks and turkey. Having a hobby farm that provides in more than one breed.
Free-Range Eggs
Eggs, Free-Range is a term you hear a lot. Letting chickens free range while they produce eggs for you to sell is a healthier alternative raising of chickens. Better life for the hens in turn will produce more nutritive eggs for you.
Petting Zoo and Pony Rides
Petting zoo can bring joy to kids that never have the chance to see and touch a animal in real life. If you have an assorted verity of animals on your hobby farm a petting zoo could be an option to bring adults and kids closer to nature.
Start Your Own Blog or Website Today
Starting a blog or website can help you grow your current business and help you make more money. Blogs and website are very easy to build now days with all of the drag and drop building options. Anyone can build their own website or blog. Make the jump and start yours here today. Check out Blue host here.
Here are 62 ways to make money farming on a small hobby farm:
- Growing and selling fruits and vegetables
- Starting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program
- Selling at farmers’ markets
- Selling to local restaurants and stores
- Raising and selling meat chickens
- Selling farm-fresh eggs
- Raising and selling livestock, such as pigs or goats
- Renting out pasture or farmland
- Offering farm tours and educational programs
- Starting a farm camp or kids’ program
- Hosting farm-to-table dinners or events
- Selling homemade jams, jellies, and pickles
- Offering farm-based catering services
- Growing and selling herbs and spices
- Starting a honeybee colony and selling honey
- Offering farm-stay or vacation rental accommodations
- Starting a farm-themed bed and breakfast
- Selling handmade crafts and gifts
- Offering horseback riding lessons or trail rides
- Starting a petting zoo or animal sanctuary
- Selling handmade soap and beauty products
- Offering farm-sitting or pet-sitting services
- Starting a farm-themed wedding venue
- Selling cut flowers and flower arrangements
- Offering horse-drawn carriage rides or hayrides
- Growing and selling mushrooms
- Offering on-farm workshops and classes
- Making and selling beeswax candles
- Selling handmade knitwear and clothing
- Starting a farm-themed summer camp
- Offering organic lawn care and landscaping services
- Starting a farm-to-school program
- Offering farm-based birthday parties and events
- Selling farm-raised fish, such as trout or tilapia
- Offering farm-based team-building activities
- Selling farm-raised oysters or clams
- Offering farm-based corporate retreats
- Starting a farm-themed art gallery or studio
- Selling farm-raised crickets or mealworms for pet food
- Offering farm-based cooking classes
- Starting a farm-themed brewery or winery
- Selling farm-raised snails or escargot
- Offering farm-based yoga or wellness retreats
- Starting a farm-themed bookstore or gift shop
- Selling farm-raised insects for human consumption
- Offering farm-based meditation or mindfulness classes
- Starting a farm-themed music venue or concert series
- Selling farm-raised worms for composting
- Offering farm-based photography classes or workshops
- Starting a farm-themed movie theater or outdoor cinema
- Selling farm-raised crabs or lobsters
- Offering farm-based art or writing retreats
- Starting a farm-themed bed and breakfast for pets
- Selling farm-raised alpacas or llamas
- Offering farm-based writing or journalism classes
- Starting a farm-themed distillery or moonshine operation
- Selling farm-raised alligators or crocodiles
- Offering farm-based birdwatching or nature tours
- Starting a farm-themed indoor playground or play area
- Selling farm-raised frogs or tadpoles
- Offering farm-based astronomy or stargazing tours
- Starting a farm-themed haunted house or Halloween attraction.
Remember to do thorough research and planning before deciding which venture to pursue, and to comply with all local and state laws and regulations.
Hobby Farm Basics 