What business would you start if you had a ranch?

[AFMKelvin]

Do to circumstances I will be moving back to living at home with my parents. I moved out from my parents because I got tired of living in the middle of nowhere. Also because I needed the internet to learn about web design, freelancing, SEO etc. This past years that I have lived in the city have taught me so much. I have a better idea on what to focus on and finally take action. Also internet services have greatly improved with the introduction of 5G. There's now unlimited internet available where I live.

My parents have a small 7 acre farm next to a small lake. That means I have access to land and water. Two of the most important things needed to survive.

With water and land I can either:

Raise Cattle, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, bees, mushrooms etc. Basically any animal. What animal is the most profitable?

I can also grow any crop but the weather in North Texas is very extreme. During winter one moment you're freezing and next thing you know you're sweating. So crops are out of the question. Also me and my family tried growing herbs before and that didn't work out.

I'm also trying to think outside of the box. When people think of a ranch they think about agriculture. But what if I turn it into a camping area, retreat, or special events center?

If anyone has any experience on the most profitable way to monetize farmland your input will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

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[Johnny boy]

My moms dream is to run a tourist ranch because she originally grew up on a large dairy farm owned by my grandparents and wants to share the experience of a farm/ranch with others in a fun way. My goal is to become successful enough to put enough money into her idea for it to become a reality.

I think now more than ever, experiences have a much higher value in the marketplace compared to the profit from selling a commodity or anything else. The example would be the giant dairy farm my grandparents own that isn’t very profitable despite having 500 acres of Washington state farmland and woods. (My grandparents are stubborn and don’t want to change. So it will have to wait until the farm is no longer theirs for something to change)

If you could turn the ranch into an experience other people can come enjoy, and you utilize some good marketing strategies for spreading awareness of your ranch to the world, you’ll do fine. The cooler you make it the more success you’ll have. Make it something people would want to brag about doing on social media. Pretty views, fun activities, etc. Your best customers would likely be families or married couples.

You could also use the ranch for a regular commercial purpose and use the “experience” aspect as a way to 1. Make money and 2. Get labor for the work. So now your “employees” working on the ranch are paying you for the experience of working. It’s better than child labor. lol

 

[flower_girl]

We have a small farm and I'm from generations of farmers so this is something which really interests me.

Is your aim to make as much money as possible or are you prepared to have a more enjoyable lifestyle and less money?

What expertise and experience do you have?

What do you enjoy doing?

Is the land irrigated?

A lot of activities would cost quite a bit of money to set up so that's also a consideration.

How close would you be to any markets or how would you sell what you produce?

It can be really hard to make money farming, especially on smaller acreages, so I'd really recommend you consider some plans and especially crunch numbers.

A few ideas which I know can be good earners for some people in some areas:

Flower & bulb farm.
Seeds.
Dog boarding.
Fruit and/or nuts.
Plant/ tree nursery.
Christmas trees.
Dairy goats and products from them - cheese, milk etc.
Plant oils e.g. lavender.

Course it doesn't have to be one thing, you could have more than one e.g. bees with an orchard.

As suggested above another possibility is some kind of hosting or entertainment.

I know a few people who had very popular sunflower mazes and one had a corn maze.

Retreat or conference centre? Wedding venue if you have nice gardens?

 

[MHP368]

Yeh throwing events immediately came to mind even before I learned it wasn't great for farming (and if memory serves northern texas is the ogallala aquifer thats drying up anyway)

But that seems like it depends on what major cities you're near , so...amarillo? Lubbock? Forth worth? Dallas?

Any retreats go on nearby? Hows the club scene? , Does the ranch have any amenities or guest houses?

 

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[amp0193]

Depends on how close you are to the city... but these "you pick" places in the area take in money hand over fist during season.

1) People pay to enter
2) They pay for the things they pick


We've got a berry place nearby, there's a new tulip place run by a Dutch family. Typically long lines to get in and lots of families/kids.


Lots of opportunities for upsells while people on the property. Food, drinks, memorabilia.

 

[Mike S]

My brother owns a ranch (we call 'em farms here in Kentucky) and he's married to that piece of dirt. No friggin way would I even consider anything like that. You're not only trading your time for money but you are literally chained to the ground due to the amount of work it takes to maintain it. In no way is this a fastlane pursuit.

 

[1step]

What about a wedding venue? Sounds like the type of place people like to get married (at least here) maybe it’s the same there?

 

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[Rabby]

I would just enjoy the view and do information marketing or software. What kind of business do you want to do regardless of the ranch?

 

[Bertram]

Do to circumstances I will be moving back to living at home with my parents. I moved out from my parents because I got tired of living in the middle of nowhere. Also because I needed the internet to learn about web design, freelancing, SEO etc. This past years that I have lived in the city have taught me so much. I have a better idea on what to focus on and finally take action. Also internet services have greatly improved with the introduction of 5G. There's now unlimited internet available where I live.

My parents have a small 7 acre farm next to a small lake. That means I have access to land and water. Two of the most important things needed to survive.

With water and land I can either:

Raise Cattle, horses, pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, bees, mushrooms etc. Basically any animal. What animal is the most profitable?

I can also grow any crop but the weather in North Texas is very extreme. During winter one moment you're freezing and next thing you know you're sweating. So crops are out of the question. Also me and my family tried growing herbs before and that didn't work out.

I'm also trying to think outside of the box. When people think of a ranch they think about agriculture. But what if I turn it into a camping area, retreat, or special events center?

If anyone has any experience on the most profitable way to monetize farmland your input will be appreciated. Thank you.

Look at the funeral alternatives business. Some customers like pyres, some wish their bodies to become a nursebed for trees, some wish for their bodies to be consumed by predatory birds. It'a becoming a big business.
Summer camp is easy and very lucrative too.

 

[spreng]

owning a ranch sounds like a dream. There are tons of ways you could monetize this.

Think of what you are close to:
-Colleges: event space for date parties, mixers, formals
-City: tourist retreat, company retreat

Growing:
-Also, is growing weed legal in Texas for distribution in California/Colorado? I know you can get a license to grow here in North Carolina which is also a conservative state--there would be huge money in that.
-Bamboo? Don't believe that needs fresh land or any one climate to grow, although it takes a long a$$ time
-Timber?

 

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[SteveO]

You're not only trading your time for money but you are literally chained to the ground due to the amount of work it takes to maintain it.

Some people like that environment.

 

[Ernman]

I would just enjoy the view and do information marketing or software. What kind of business do you want to do regardless of the ranch?

I'll take Rabby's post another step. While you're enjoying the view and making millions via the web, create a shared, live in, work place where other entrepreneurs can "get away from the noise" and concentrate on new projects BUT still have the bandwidth they want. Might require some investment in access points and cottages, but you can do that slowly over time.

 

[Kak]

I have always wanted to get into thoroughbred racehorses.

 

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[SEBASTlAN]

This might give you some ideas

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6OdiIeFPI

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

Drive through Christmas light ranch when it’s too cold for @amp0193 ’s “You Pick It” idea.

$10 a car. Average 100 cars a night easily for 25 days in December. Volume depends on how big of cities you live around.

Offer free hot cocoa and WiFi.

$25,000 ain’t too bad for one months work though.

The one closest to me has cars lined up and down the street with cops directing traffic.

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

owning a ranch sounds like a dream. There are tons of ways you could monetize this.

Think of what you are close to:
-Colleges: event space for date parties, mixers, formals
-City: tourist retreat, company retreat

Growing:
-Also, is growing weed legal in Texas for distribution in California/Colorado? I know you can get a license to grow here in North Carolina which is also a conservative state--there would be huge money in that.
-Bamboo? Don't believe that needs fresh land or any one climate to grow, although it takes a long a$$ time
-Timber?

Weed is definitely 100% illegal still in Texas.

Bamboo actually grows very very fast but is invasive and probably illegal to plant and farm without strict controls.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

We have a small farm and I'm from generations of farmers so this is something which really interests me.

Is your aim to make as much money as possible or are you prepared to have a more enjoyable lifestyle and less money?

Yes

What expertise and experience do you have?

No farming experience at all.

What do you enjoy doing?

Online things.

Is the land irrigated?

I don't even know what that means. Let me check google. Yes there's water available.

A lot of activities would cost quite a bit of money to set up so that's also a consideration.

You're right. I did some research and you need a large upfront invesment to farm.

How close would you be to any markets or how would you sell what you produce?

20 minutes to a small town and 1 hour to the city.

It can be really hard to make money farming, especially on smaller acreages, so I'd really recommend you consider some plans and especially crunch numbers.

That's why I started this thread. It seems that I should just forget about it.

A few ideas which I know can be good earners for some people in some areas:

Flower & bulb farm.
Seeds.
Dog boarding.
Fruit and/or nuts.
Plant/ tree nursery.
Christmas trees.
Dairy goats and products from them - cheese, milk etc.
Plant oils e.g. lavender.

Course it doesn't have to be one thing, you could have more than one e.g. bees with an orchard.

As suggested above another possibility is some kind of hosting or entertainment.

I know a few people who had very popular sunflower mazes and one had a corn maze.



Retreat or conference centre? Wedding venue if you have nice gardens?

 

[AFMKelvin]

Yeh throwing events immediately came to mind even before I learned it wasn't great for farming (and if memory serves northern texas is the ogallala aquifer thats drying up anyway)

But that seems like it depends on what major cities you're near , so...amarillo? Lubbock? Forth worth? Dallas?

Any retreats go on nearby? Hows the club scene? , Does the ranch have any amenities or guest houses?

40 minutes south of Dallas. There are no guest houses.

 

[AFMKelvin]

Depends on how close you are to the city... but these "you pick" places in the area take in money hand over fist during season.

1) People pay to enter
2) They pay for the things they pick


We've got a berry place nearby, there's a new tulip place run by a Dutch family. Typically long lines to get in and lots of families/kids.


Lots of opportunities for upsells while people on the property. Food, drinks, memorabilia.

This sounds cool.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

My brother owns a ranch (we call 'em farms here in Kentucky) and he's married to that piece of dirt. No friggin way would I even consider anything like that. You're not only trading your time for money but you are literally chained to the ground due to the amount of work it takes to maintain it. In no way is this a fastlane pursuit.

After reading the responses from actual farmers I'm rethinking it. You're right.

 

[AFMKelvin]

What about a wedding venue? Sounds like the type of place people like to get married (at least here) maybe it’s the same there?

Weddings wouldn't work where I live. Our neighbors from across the like lake have an obsession with blowing things up. I wouldn't want grenades and explosive targets going off while someone is getting married.

 

[AFMKelvin]

I would just enjoy the view and do information marketing or software. What kind of business do you want to do regardless of the ranch?

I'm getting into the cryptocurrency space. I'll make a thread about it once I sell the first item. You're right I don't think I'll do it.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

Look at the funeral alternatives business. Some customers like pyres, some wish their bodies to become a nursebed for trees, some wish for their bodies to be consumed by predatory birds. It'a becoming a big business.
Summer camp is easy and very lucrative too.

There's no way I'm dealing with dead bodies.

 

[AFMKelvin]

owning a ranch sounds like a dream. There are tons of ways you could monetize this.

Think of what you are close to:
-Colleges: event space for date parties, mixers, formals
-City: tourist retreat, company retreat

Growing:
-Also, is growing weed legal in Texas for distribution in California/Colorado? I know you can get a license to grow here in North Carolina which is also a conservative state--there would be huge money in that.
-Bamboo? Don't believe that needs fresh land or any one climate to grow, although it takes a long a$$ time
-Timber?

Weed is not legal here. And even if it was the best weed comes from indoor growing.

I thought bamboo was the fastest growing grass.

 

[AFMKelvin]

I'll take Rabby's post another step. While you're enjoying the view and making millions via the web, create a shared, live in, work place where other entrepreneurs can "get away from the noise" and concentrate on new projects BUT still have the bandwidth they want. Might require some investment in access points and cottages, but you can do that slowly over time.

I was actually thinking about this too. Something along the lines of a back to nature retreat for those who are tired of the noise from the city and the digital pollution. But it requires too much up front. I think I'll just stick to marketing.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

I have always wanted to get into thoroughbred racehorses.

Too much work for little profits. You have to be on watch for the horses 24/7. Get insurance for the horse just in case it dies in a freak accident or natural disasters. Medicine, feed, and maintenance. There's so much work that goes into raising livestock. I'll stick to marketing thank you for your input.

 

[AFMKelvin]

This might give you some ideas

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6OdiIeFPI

After watching this I think I'll stick to marketing. It's funny the farmers making the most money now a days are the YouTube farmers. They make more money uploading videos about tractors and farm life than what they make on actual farming.

 

[AFMKelvin]

Drive through Christmas light ranch when it’s too cold for @amp0193 ’s “You Pick It” idea.

$10 a car. Average 100 cars a night easily for 25 days in December. Volume depends on how big of cities you live around.

Offer free hot cocoa and WiFi.

$25,000 ain’t too bad for one months work though.

The one closest to me has cars lined up and down the street with cops directing traffic.

7 acres is too small for that thanks anyways.

 

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[Kak]

Too much work for little profits. I'll stick to marketing thank you for your input.

Get that out of your head.

That is the thing about leadership. You can dabble in race horses and not feed them or clean up after than one single time.

I happen to know a retired oilman that breeds racehorses with triple crown blood line. It is a very lucurative and exciting business for him.

It is as much work you plan it to be.

Now... How many millionaires that call themselves "marketers" have you met?

 

[AFMKelvin]

Get that out of your head.

That's is the thing about leadership. You can dabble in race horses and not feed them or clean up after than one single time.

I happen to know a retired oilman that breeds racehorses with triple crown blood line. It is a very lucurative and exciting business for him.

It is as much work you plan it to be.

Now... How many millionaires that call themselves "marketers" have you met?

I get it but to breed horses you need a large upfront investment. You're talking about $50k plus for one horse.

I was looking for something