When I moved from an apartment into my first house, a vegetable garden in the back yard was my priority. My goal was to plant vegetables in season, then can and freeze any extra for use later. While the goal was lofty, it was clear that I had a lot to learn. Take fertilizer for example. I had no idea that one kind was any better than the other. Fortunately, a kindly neighbor helped me to learn the value of soil analysis, reading the information on the packages before buying any product, and how the nutrients found in the product would affect the growth of different plants. If you are a novice gardener, let me help. I'll tell you what needs to be in that fertilizer, how to spread it properly, and what it will do for your vegetables.
If you have always lived in a city but have family members who have been lifelong farmers, then you may find yourself one day the recipient of an incredible gift and responsibility. That gift, of course, is an inherited farm. On the one hand, farm land is an excellent real estate investment and can be a wonderful connection to your family that you can foster and maintain. On the other hand, farms are also a substantial responsibility that will require your care and attention. If you are wondering what you should do with your inherited farm, get to know some of the ways that you can put your newly inherited farm to use so that you can make the most of an unexpected situation.
Use Some of the Farm Land to Start a Sod Delivery Business Operation
One way that you can make decent money on your newly inherited farm without a great deal of farm experience is to start growing and producing sod for delivery in more urban areas. Sod is grass that has already begun to grow in a thin layer of soil in a farm or agricultural environment. This thin layer of soil is not in the ground as a permanent fixture, however.
Instead, it is on a biodegradable netting material that holds the soil and the grass in place. Once the grass is healthy and thriving, the sod can then be laid for permanent rooting into the earth. Many people in city areas and elsewhere prefer to purchase sod for their lawns rather than grow grass from seed because sod already has established growth and will begin to thrive and look beautiful quicker than putting down seeds.
With a bit of practice and minimal equipment and training, you can begin growing sod on your new farmland and begin a sod delivery operation that will bring in a revenue stream almost immediately. This will ensure that you are able to afford to keep and maintain your farm land as you adjust to the responsibilities of farm ownership.
Consider Renting Out Portions of Your Land
The amount of farmland in many well-established rural areas is quite finite and limited. This means that family farm operations often have a hard time growing and expanding because of space limitations. Rather than sell your land to those farmers, you may instead be able to rent portions or plots of your inherited farmland to more skilled and established farmers on a temporary basis.
Essentially what you will be doing is making money on the land, either by means of monthly rent, a cut of the profit from the yield, or both (depending on the contract you will negotiate) without having to farm that part of your land yourself. The farmers will be able to work more land than they would otherwise and reap the benefits of that yield, helping to improve their bottom line as well.
This arrangement is ideal if you are not ready to commit to farm life or if you are not sure you are interested in ever becoming a farmer yourself. The rental will offset your maintenance costs on the land as a whole and ensure that valuable fields and soil do not go to waste.
With these ideas in mind, you can get a better handle on your options for what to do with your inherited farm and how you will proceed. For more information, contact local professionals like B & B Hoffman Sod Farms.
Share23 January 2017
