Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance
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ISSN 2161-5543
A
Digest of Urban Survival Resources
How this
couple earns a six figure annual income with 1.5 acres of land
Editors Note: We’ve been developing
our own mini-farm, something we plan to retire to and have been researching
which crops to grow and which small farm animals are easiest to maintain to for
eggs and meat. So far, rabbits, ducks,
chickens and sweet potatoes rank very high.
We’ve been storing various seed stock as well while building up our
inventory of building and fencing materials [all of which seem to increase in
price daily…we purchase as much as possible from area auctions to save but
prices at auction have increased substantially in recent years as well].
(Natural News) Can small-scale farming in the modern age really
generate enough income for the average family to make an honest living? For
Jean-Martin Fortier and his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches, it does. The Canadian
couple grows beets, broccoli, salad greens, carrots, and various other types of
produce on their modest 1.5 acres of land, from which they generate
an average of at least $140,000 per year in sales –
not too shabby!
They tell all in their
new book The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-Scale
Organic Farming, sharing many of the secrets they’ve uncovered about the
local nature of food production. There’s no need for large agricultural
organizations to “feed the world,” as goes the mantra, when everyday people are
feeding themselves and their communities, they explain. And those who do it
right have the potential to reap a financial windfall as well.
While the general
perception is that farming, and especially the “backyard” variety, is more of a
hobby for most people than it is a source of income, Fortier and his wife
believe otherwise. Their own successful farm serves as living proof that it’s
more than possible for people to get into the agricultural business and do well
if they possess the drive and wherewithal to make it happen.
Born and raised in
Quebec, Fortier started farming with his wife when he was still an intern at
WWOOFers, a worldwide organic farming movement that promotes cultural and
educational experiences to help people form communities around
locally-grown food. They started out by renting some land to grow food, and
gradually worked their way up to owning their own land and launching a
full-scale business out of it.
Today, they grow an extensive mix of produce
that requires them to work the land for nine months out of the year. From their
bounty, the feed 200 families a week that subscribe to their
community-supported agriculture program, also known as a CSA. Members of a CSA
typically receive a fresh box of produce weekly or bi-weekly as part of their
subscription.
“I felt that there was a
need for [a book] like this,” Fortier says, referencing these and other
concepts as he covers them in his book. “I have been involved with growing the
food movement. My response was to tell people that they can grow and
here is how.”
Growing
better, not bigger, can still be highly profitable
But what about organic growing methods?
Foregoing the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides oftentimes comes with
added costs and labor, not to mention the possibility of lower yields. Does
growing organic food specifically still bode well in the profit department?
According to Fortier and his wife, absolutely.
When they first started
out, the couple adopted unique
methods of growing food that Fortier describes as being “biologically intensive.”
Many of these natural methods of permaculture they still use today, including
conservation tillage, permanent growing beds, and crop rotation, all of which
have proven to be a huge success.
Fortier and his wife also
do much of the work on their farm by hand rather than use expensive equipment –
and yet still generate impressive sales numbers. They apply organic fertilizer,
save seeds, manage weeds, insects, pests, and disease, and even harvest their
crops using simple, traditional methods of old that still allow them to remain
competitive in the agricultural marketplace.
“We could have followed a
route similar to that taken by all other growers we knew: invest in a tractor
and move towards a more mechanized growing system,” Fortier says. “Instead, we
opted to stay small-scale and continue relying on our hands and light power
tools.”
Sources for this article
include:
Get the 4 tips here: "Become a Better Homesteader Using These 4 Tips"
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15
Ways Your Family Can Save Money This Holiday Season
If you try these tips, your family just might end the year with more money in the bank, a spirit of gratitude, and learn to enjoy the beauty of the season without spending any money.
If you try these tips, your family just might end the year with more money in the bank, a spirit of gratitude, and learn to enjoy the beauty of the season without spending any money.
Related
posts:
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