Through out the last 2 posts, we have decided that yes homesteading is for us, figured out ways to financially afford the homestead, planning, designing and we even started getting into some of the larger expenses- buildings, barns, fencing and even solar energy, this post is going to focus on ways to make some money from our homestead.
Homesteading is going to be great, but besides just growing for myself and my family can I make money from it?
To answer this question, we are going to let our friend Joel Satalin's tell you in his YouTube Video. Now while we won't all be able to do what Joel did, it does offer some hope for making a profit off our hard work.
What are some other ways to make money from our homestead?
There are many ways, to gain financially from your homestead. If you are growing and raising your own food, you can always sell the surplus to neighbors. This is often referred to as "Over the fence" sales. A word of warning though, some towns/cities do have restrictions through Zoning and Health Departments which you should look into before advertising on Craig's List or Facebook. Our city, likens these postings as advertising and limits it to 4 advertised sales per year per household on residentially zoned lots.
Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture or CSA sales are a great way to sell your products. The major benefit of CSA is that your produce and animals are pre-sold in the form of shares. This gives you a great guide for how much you need to produce each season.
Community Supported Agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture or CSA sales are a great way to sell your products. The major benefit of CSA is that your produce and animals are pre-sold in the form of shares. This gives you a great guide for how much you need to produce each season.
One Green Planet shared these articles on CSA's.
Community Supported Agriculture: What it is, and Why it’s Awesome
Community Supported Agriculture: What it is, and Why it’s Awesome
Mother Earth News published these articles and blogs on the subject.
Local Food: Help Community Supported Agriculture
How to Start and Run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Group
Kevin T. Ford, Community-Supported Agriculture Farmer
Local Food: Help Community Supported Agriculture
How to Start and Run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Group
Kevin T. Ford, Community-Supported Agriculture Farmer
Grit Magazine has these useful and informative articles on CSA's:
Community Supported Agriculture a Win for Farmers and Members
Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting with Food and Farmers
Community Supported Agriculture a Win for Farmers and Members
Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting with Food and Farmers
Mother Earth Living share this with their readers on the subject:
From Farm To Table: 5 Reasons to Join a CSA
Cultivating Community: Community-Supported Agriculture
How to Build a Local Food Community
Farmer's Markets
Farmer's Markets, are another way to make money from your homestead. These are more like flea markets in that you purchase a table or booth for the day and sell your surplus produce to anyone coming by. The big differences between Farmer's Markets and CSA's is that you are not committing to your customers to produce certain varieties or quantities for a season or certain number of weeks and you are not paid ahead of time. The main drawbacks are that there is likely to be several others selling the same produce you are and you should be willing to haggle over prices like at a flea market.
Mother Earth Living shared How to Organize a Farmer's Market if there is not one already in your area. Grit offered this advice on how to be profitable Selling Produce at Local Farmers’ Markets and Mother Earth News provided this advice, Local Self-Reliance: Inner City Farmers Markets.
Mother Earth Living shared How to Organize a Farmer's Market if there is not one already in your area. Grit offered this advice on how to be profitable Selling Produce at Local Farmers’ Markets and Mother Earth News provided this advice, Local Self-Reliance: Inner City Farmers Markets.
That's all great if I'm growing crops but what about if I am raising animals?
The honest answer is that it depends. There are County, State and Federal Regulations that apply to the selling of meat and food. Now, we do not are not advocating skirting the law in any way, shape or form. I will share how we do it though and it's all perfectly legal.
Our chickens are not yet producing eggs, but we have applied for a Nest Run Permit, which is free. The permit is good until we produce more than 750 Dozen eggs, so that's a long way off, it does not allow us to state a grade or quality on the eggs and does NOT entail USDA Certification or Inspections. The drawback is that there are certain words we are prohibited from using when selling our eggs like Organic, Fresh or Local, without upgrading permits, inspecting and getting USDA Certifications. Here at least, there are no restrictions as to who we can sell Nest Run Eggs to.
Meat sales are also heavily regulated. For example, we can process 20,000 chicks for our own personal use but can not sell one without USDA Inspection and Permits. Selling meat from Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Ducks, Turkeys and any other farm animal requires USDA Approval and Permits. However, if you sell a live animal and they process it themselves or take it to a sanctioned, legitimate processing plant that is totally legal and you do not require any USDA inspection or Permit. For us,The University of Arizona Meat Lab, is a licensed & inspected USDA Facility that will process an animal any way you tell them. There are also 2 other local processing facilities. You can check with your local University if they have an Ag Program, post an add on Craig's List or even check the Yellow Pages for Meat Processors in your area.
Our chickens are not yet producing eggs, but we have applied for a Nest Run Permit, which is free. The permit is good until we produce more than 750 Dozen eggs, so that's a long way off, it does not allow us to state a grade or quality on the eggs and does NOT entail USDA Certification or Inspections. The drawback is that there are certain words we are prohibited from using when selling our eggs like Organic, Fresh or Local, without upgrading permits, inspecting and getting USDA Certifications. Here at least, there are no restrictions as to who we can sell Nest Run Eggs to.
Meat sales are also heavily regulated. For example, we can process 20,000 chicks for our own personal use but can not sell one without USDA Inspection and Permits. Selling meat from Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Ducks, Turkeys and any other farm animal requires USDA Approval and Permits. However, if you sell a live animal and they process it themselves or take it to a sanctioned, legitimate processing plant that is totally legal and you do not require any USDA inspection or Permit. For us,The University of Arizona Meat Lab, is a licensed & inspected USDA Facility that will process an animal any way you tell them. There are also 2 other local processing facilities. You can check with your local University if they have an Ag Program, post an add on Craig's List or even check the Yellow Pages for Meat Processors in your area.
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