How Can I Diversify My Farm to Make Money?

The USDA has compiled an extensive list of alternative crops and services to help diversify farm income. The main general areas include:• Field crops (including those used for feed, forage, fiber, fuel, edible and industrial oils, food grains, pseudocereals and legumes)
• Specialty and ethnic vegetables (includes everything from truffles and mushrooms to heirloom variety plants and seeds)
• Fruits and nuts
• Horticulture / nursery enterprises (bedding plants, cut flowers, field-grown mums, flowers for drying, greenhouse or hydroponic production, organic plants and trees, potted annuals, native plants, wildflowers and seeds, hardy shrubs, perennial flowers)
• Agroforestry / forest products
• Livestock / animals (these may be game-related, exotic livestock, minor breeds or special use animals, poultry, aquaculture, fish farming, pet and medicine-related enterprises)
• Farm and home enterprises (such as services, recreation and education, value-added products or on-farm processing)
Think Outside The Box
Just because his grandfather and his father grew only tobacco and corn, it does not mean the modern farmer must continue the tradition even in the face of a falling market. Farm diversification is possible with thinking that is outside the box. The farm is a wonderful recreation opportunity waiting to happen. From fishing ponds to nature tours, and petting zoos to hayrides, pumpkin patches and old-fashioned singing and dancing hoedowns, there are hundreds of opportunities from which to choose.With the onset of Colony Collapse Disorder and focus on the plight of diminishing honeybees and other pollinators, many are turning to the old-fashioned art of beekeeping. Bees can earn income for the farm by the farm renting them out to other farmers for pollination of their crops, from honey sales to consumers or industries that use the honey in products. A focus on organic certification and all organic products will net the farm a large segment of consumers actively looking for healthier foods.Themed farms are an option. Several farms operate as 'pizza farms.' They grow or raise everything required to make a complete pizza. Gimmicks such as these work for other companies, so why not for a farm?Along with the trend of returning to the land and green living, many people would love to buy their produce as local as possible to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure healthier food for their families. Opening the farm to visitors for educational tours, classes in homesteading and farming, gardening, beekeeping, horticulture or the like may be an excellent source of extra income.
Create a Plan of Action
Once the enterprise is decided upon, it is time for research and planning. Among the questions to be asked are:
Is there a consistent market for this crop or service?
Is there a profit to be made?
Can I market this service or product locally?
Is it a cash crop or rotational crop?
How do you ship this product?
What equipment will be needed?
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