The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
    • Durable Trades
    • Audio Recordings
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  About Us
The Grovestead
The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
    • Durable Trades
    • Audio Recordings
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  About Us
  •  Blog
  •  Events
    • Farm Camp
    • Workshops
    • Internships
  •  Publications
    • Durable Trades
    • The Grovestead Newsletter
  •  Farm Stand
  •  About Us
  • Farming

How to lose money farming

  • April 1, 2014
  • 2 comments
  • 77 views
  • Rory

When we moved to The Grovestead, half the property was being rented to a neighboring farm. I usually don’t turn down free money. But in this case, 8-foot tall cornstalks made it hard to enjoy our land. We also didn’t know what chemicals or fertilizers were being sprayed or if the soil nutrients were being depleted–not uncommon for rented farmland.

So we decided to stop renting the land and start farming it ourselves. The only problem: we didn’t know what we wanted. The field is too small for row cropping, too big to leave be. We wanted to replenish the soil but still have access to the land and enjoy it. We thought about putting in an orchard or grazing sheep. But not sure exactly when or if. In short, we needed more time to make up our minds.

A friend suggested planting alfalfa. It was in demand, should be easy to sell. And one planting could last 3-5 years. But due to the Long Winter and desperate search for a farmer to work such a small plot, our seeds didn’t get planted until way late in the season. Of course, to be followed by a drenching rain that washed out half the planting.

By the time of our first cuttng in the Fall, the farmer who was helping us shared the bad news that we would likely have to replant next year. This was hard to swallow given the substantial amount of money we had invested. There’s the seeds, the labor to plow, plant, and harvest the field. It all adds up. But we were expecting to recoup this cost over the next 3-5 years. The thought of replanting one year later was dispiriting.

I told him, “I went from making money renting my land to losing money farming it.” He laughed and said “Welcome to farming!”

So we’re replanting this year. The whole field will have to be tilled up again. Instead of alfalfa, we’ll put in pasture grass which is a more versatile crop than pure alfalfa. We can sell to our horse-owning neighbors. If we get animals, we’ll have pasture for grazing. At a minimum we’ll have a scenic few acres to enjoy.

0
0
0
Total
1
Shares
0
1
0
Avatar photo
Rory

Rory Groves moved his family from the city to the country several years ago to begin the journey towards a more durable way of life. Rory and his wife Becca now reside in southern Minnesota where they farm, raise livestock, host workshops, and homeschool their six children. He is the author of Durable Trades: Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time.

Tags
  • Our Field

Durable Trades is Now Available!

Our book about historical, family-centered professions is now on sale!

DETAILS & PURCHASE


Receive our Print Newsletter!

We publish a free quarterly newsletter to encourage Christian families and cover articles about farming, family, and faith.

DETAILS & SIGN-UP

You May Also Like
View Post
  • Farming

A Very Photogenic Winter

  • February 27, 2023
  • Becca
View Post
  • Farming

How Much to Grow?

  • January 14, 2023
  • Rory
View Post
  • Farming
  • Food

What we do with all of our Pumpkins

  • November 11, 2022
  • Becca
View Post
  • Farming

For the Birds

  • October 28, 2022
  • Becca
View Post
  • Farming

Some Goat

  • October 27, 2022
  • Becca
View Post
  • Family
  • Farming

The Festival of Tents

  • October 12, 2022
  • Becca
View Post
  • Events
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Farming

Gathering Again

  • July 26, 2022
  • Rory
View Post
  • Events
  • Farming

Farm Open House

  • April 29, 2022
  • Becca
2 comments
  1. Pingback: Replanting our field | The Grovestead
  2. Pingback: Farming woes | The Grovestead

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • A Very Photogenic Winter
    • February 27, 2023
    • 105 views
  • Working Together
    • February 20, 2023
    • 201 views
  • How Much to Grow?
    • January 14, 2023
    • 631 views
Popular Posts
  • Where’s the Beef? It’s time to build our own supply chains.
    • April 25, 2020
    • 23.5K views
  • Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing for Sheep
    • December 27, 2016
    • 14K views
  • Boiling maple sap over home-built evaporator
    How to Build an Evaporator (from stuff laying around)
    • April 12, 2014
    • 11.6K views
Mailing List

Be notified of events and goings on at the Grovestead!

Contact
The Grovestead
  •  Blog
  •  Events
  •  Publications
  •  Gather & Grow
  •  About Us
Copyright © 2022 by The Grovestead. All Rights Reserved.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.