The farmers market in our town started its season the first Saturday in May. It was a slow beginning, but things picked up nicely the second week. Going to the market is an important part of our life. We shop there, getting local things we don’t produce our selves. We also sell thing. Our goal is to some day have our farm completely supporting us. Being a vendor at the market is a big step toward achieving that goal. I don’t know if we will ever sell enough at the market to have that be our only outlet, but being there connects us with the wider community and has helped us build customers who also come to the farm for things.
Last week at the market I was chatting with a customer and he asked about our farm. “Was it a real farm?” I described our place and what we do, 5 acres, goats, chickens, vegetables, etc. He laughed and said “Oh, a hobby farm!”, then walked away. That got my dander up a bit. Later in the day I had the chance to talk with a “real” farmer. They grow corn, soy beans, and hay on about 1000 acres. He was worried because his wife’s job is a bit tenuous right now, and without it they couldn’t make it. The price of corn has dropped and he is just covering expenses. He said that he will probably only make a profit of $1.00 an acre this year. That really got me thinking. Last year was a pretty dismal year for us. We only made it to market about half the time, and the egg production crashed over the winter. But even with all of that we ended up with a net profit of about $250.00 per acre. We also provided all of our eggs, most of our milk and milk products, more than half of the vegetables and fresh produce, and some of the meat for our family. This year we should do considerably better than that. So, who’s the hobby farmer?
We are not quite making a living from the farm, but it will be close this year. If CC lost her job for some reason we could still pay the basic bills from farm income. Insurance would be a worry, and we would discontinue some less important services (like cable and possibly our land line). In the winter we may need to do some odd job things to supplement, but we could continue to live pretty much as we do now. That makes tiny farms a viable option as we go forward. There are some barriers to success. There is very little equipment available that is scaled to this size farm. There is no support from the government, researchers, banks, etc (that could be a good thing too.) Many of the current and pending farm and food related regulations don’t take tiny farms into account at all. There are differences in what is done and how it is done and regulations aimed at large production models don’t fit the small farm. (I promised I would not dabble in politics here. If you want more on that topic you can see my blog under the Food Safety Regulation topic.) Another barrier is attitude. People don’t believe in small scale production. Our model of civilization is built on the idea of growth. You aren’t successful if your business isn’t bigger this year than it was last year. Small farms have limits and don’t fit that way of doing business. That is a really hard thing to overcome.
So, what do you think? Are small (tiny) farms viable as a way of making a living as well as a way of having a life?
Not Dabbling In Normal 
I think you make some excellent points – esp. the one on ‘who’s the hobby farmer’. There is a need for all types of farms and I admire your efforts to be both self sufficient and productive.
I think the small farms will be doing better but there will always be a place/need for larger farms.
One of my favorite farmer’s market vendors has only a 1-acre ‘farm’. Yet they are the only vendor at the market that sells medicinal herbs. I think there is definitely a place for small/’hobby’ farms.
I think you described the situation well. Small acreage is a good way to supplement your income and provide a fall back position in the event of job loss.
It would be very hard to live off of 5 acres. But remember there have been many families that did and in some cases still do totally live off as little as 40 acres. Providing all of the family foods and living expense monies for the family.
I believe that small farms are both a viable way of making a living AND having a life. In my recent trip to Lancaster PA we spoke to some of the Amish. Their way of life is changing as some cannot afford to keep the farm due to taxes or younger members moving away. We are talking about 1000 or so acre farms that are sold to developers.
Very sad. =/
Annette, I grew up in Gettysburg and all the Amish sold out and moved when I was in High School (early 90s). I was really sorry to see them go, but fully understood why (combination of cultural preservation and price of property) and can’t imagine how the Amish in other local counties have managed.
Our apple farms have been really hurting around here lately, and some have tried to sell out to developers. A very few succeeded, others were blocked either by township rules/regs or locals having a collective cow. There has got to be a better way than developing.
Jody in PA
Jody, I totally agree. Developers are sometimes the easy way out; not always the best financial or emotional move. Having good money managers in places of power is key to keeping taxes low so people can afford to stay on the land.
I heart Lancaster PA!
Great post! Small diversified farms that direct market their products are much more able to weather economic storms than the big mono-cropping farms.
There are 1 and 2 acre herb farms and other specialty crops in our area and they are doing very well.
Plus, raising a good share of your own food is priceless. Good job!
Yes, small farms can make it. I’m a one acre farm. We’re just starting out but on this one acre I can produce one heck of a vegetable garden, herbs, tap about 20 trees for maple syrup should I choose, raise 50 hens per summer (most will go to freezer camp in the fall), carry two goats for milk, have a beehive, 8-10 trees for a dwarf orchard, a small pond and some angora rabbits. All of this is in our five year plan. We’ll have to purchase some feed but since I grow the high dollar crops for sale at our farmer’s market and supplement with baking and my fiber business in the winter my numbers are telling me I can definitely make about $10K off this one acre if I manage it well. With just a little bit more from our fiber business (I dye and blend batts for spinners) we can eke our living out on about $12K a year.
To be fair we have state health insurance, Vermont is amazing with this, and we own our home outright plus have no children.
Is it easy? No. It’s 50-60 hour weeks from April to November and a more normal week in the winter. We try to take “off” between Christmas and Valentine’s day to recharge ourselves and hibernate a bit but there are winter chores too.
I chose this life and the hard work it takes is my choice. It’s not for everyone and definitely wouldn’t be workable with children but for us old farts it should work out just fine *g*
I completely support the position that small farms are very viable! Because a smaller area can be more closely controlled by the farmer, more delicate and refined things that can be grown. These fill food and herb niches that no large farm can fill. High end restaurants around here pay a premium for heirloom tomatoes of unique flavor with complex profiles. Ditto for eggplant, peppers and other veggies that just can’t be matched in large scale production. Even unusual carrots go for 3x the price in the local grocery, but people now know about these wonderful flavor profiles and will pay for it.
By choosing wisely and well, a small scale farmer or gourmet gardener can support themselves in the basics and have a very happy life doing it!
Very much! So many of the vendors at the farmers markets here are from small farms, and they have such a variety and quality of product that I just don’t see from the larger operations. As Christy said, they can take more care with their crops and are more invested in them. Often they are able to provide more unusual items/species of veg. Plus, just based on my experience, they are more connected with their purchasers. When I went to the market last week, one of the larger farmers actually snarled at me as I began looking at the veg 3 minutes before the market “opened” and looked at me with an irritated glance when I said I was not looking to buy the bread she tried to foist on me. Sigh. While not to this extreme, this and other experiences make me think that there is a huge difference in the lives of these groups that makes them interact as they do.
As for whether a living can be made, I think it depends on the *type* of living. People who think smaller farms aren’t enough for a living might be expecting to live in a large house, have multiple cars, rotate fashions with the seasons, can’t imagine life without the “necessary” 500 channels on tv. A life without that can’t support a “living” they may think (note, this is based on the sentiments I’ve seen in my area, attitudes will of course differ and I’m not saying everyone is like this). So they make conclusions about smaller farmers. But on the other hand, a “living” seems quite possible and even likely to me, even though it might not be the life others expect. If it is a living and life that the individual is content with, can support, and can sustain, it sounds like a great living to me.
I love small “hobby” farms. I feel like the farmers really care more because they don’t have so much to worry about.
I buy my milk/eggs/beef/poultry from a small farm. They aren’t very big, but I really appreciate that I actually know them. I don’t want to buy my food from a big nameless place where I don’t know where it comes from. I want to think about my farmers every time I enjoy a glass of milk and I want to be able to make a difference in my local community by supporting small local farms.
I agree Chiot’s Run. I am friends with the family from whom I buy my milk and eggs. We even helped to corral Maybelle for milking and have held the chickens. I am willing to a little more to buy from people I know than to pay those $$s to Wal-mart.
Here in NH small farms are the norm. While there are some larger ones, the average around here is 5-10 acres. Farmers can’t afford the taxes and have sold out.
A 10 acre strawberry farm does WELL! A 5 acre apple orchard does WELL! Its not always relying on just their land, many maple producers, tap trees they lease or are given permission to use. The hay being sold isn’t from the farmer’s field but from field needing to be cared for by someone other than the home owner, who want to live in the big fancy house but don’t want to mow the 100 acre field and are happy to give the hay to the farmer for cutting the field.
Many sellers at our local farmers market are small farm owners and they do well. Keep in mind selling garden veggies isn’t going to make a living unless you have LARGE amounts and can sell in LARGE amounts. Our growing season is just to short.
A Christmas tree farm down the road is 5 acres and they make enough each season to pay their $7,000 a year tax bill. This is making it to me…
A friend of mine has only 1 acre in a sub division and sells enough fresh and dried herbs and crafts to support herself and her 3 children. This is making it to me…
🙂 Karyn
Wow! Thanks for all the feed back. I wrote this post after a long day at the market facing people who wanted gourmet greens at Wal-Mart prices. I’m betting the farm (literally) that micro farming will work. Thanks for all the positive support. I’ll post from time to time about how this is playing out in my slice of the world.
Perhaps it should be looked at thus: small farms are a way of having a life!