November 2, 2022 Farm Business

 

Our Mini-Barn Produce Stand.

We closed the Produce Stand last week. The Summer came late, the Spring was a long and wet one. We had little luck with sprouting in our Greenhouse too.  But we somehow got plants in the ground and the Summer heat came on strong, so things went very well in the gardens. So well in fact that we found ourselves building the Produce Stand in August. The Summer went on nice and hot so we put quite a bit of our produce into the Stand and by the end of the season had sold enough to cover all of the costs for building the Produce Stand. All in all we had a very good Summer season. We were able to put Tomatoes, Peppers, Corn, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Pumpkins, Acorn Squash, Gourds, Watermelons, Cantaloups, and even some flowers, in the Stand. Quite a good year considering it all started off a bit rocky at first.  

Our main goal, following the finishing of the Farmhouse (Phase One goal) was to begin to make money on the Farm as a business.  Phase Two is building the Farm business and this is well under way now that we have found a good means for growing things to sell. But there are many parts to the Farming business, some which still need figured out. 

The first way we make money is by raising Basset Hound puppies for sale. This is something we've done for many years now, but once the house was finished we were able to do the job much better than what we could do in the tiny home. Our Pantry converts into nursery quickly and I built some enclosures which go together quickly and are effective in keeping the little monsters penned up. 

In the years since we went into business the business itself has changed. True to economic form we were making good money, so a few others have jumped into the business and customers are a bit harder to come by. We've had another way to sell our fur babies since the beginning so there really isn't any hold up in moving them on to new families, just the profit margin is a bit tighter. Still and all, it is a fun business and we are delivering another litter next week. Another solid addition to an already good year.  

We also have boarding for some of our puppies throughout the year too. We don't put a price on it since we aren't really set up to do proper dog boarding, but the families which trust us with their dogs chip something in and it all adds up. 

Puppies are a happy business.

We delivered a litter earlier in the year too, giving us the money we needed to finish the Farmhouse and buy a few new tools. And about a month ago I found a red and white female to bring into our kennel. Four month old Rocketdog Dulche DeLeche (Lilly) comes from Oklahoma, by way of Blackfoot, Idaho. A friendly breeder there is leaving the business and didn't need her, so we were fortunate to be able to bring her here. She is very pretty and fits right in with our tangle of hounds. We still need one more female to keep things going because we are taking two of our females our of service this coming year and we need three to satisfy our goals. 

We also do a brisk business in eggs from the forty hens we have kept for many years.  Since we no long have to leave the Farm to deliver eggs, because people come visit, we no longer have the high expense of labeling and buying new cartons. This means we can make a small profit on eggs and still get out eggs for free. Not a big add to the bottom line, but no longer a loss either. 

My Dog Coat Design
is simple and robust.

Despite all of the above, most of it good news this year, we are always on the lookout for other opportunities to add to our bottom line.  One thing I did last year, which is looking pretty good, is making coats for our dogs. We spent quite a bit of money on coats for our hounds in past years, most of these things simply never worked out. Most had Velcro straps and materials too light to survive the pounding a Basset Hound gives a coat, so I designed one myself and last year figured out how to build them. Our Rocketdog coat is tough, washable, and looks great. It's not cheap to make, but the way it's made means they should last for years. Our dogs line up to get their coat on once the weather starts to turn cold. So far this year I have sold four, so it is well worth doing in the context of building a Farm business. 

Between eggs, dogs, produce, and coats, we're doing all right. Not going to spend much time spending money frivolously, but we're not spending savings either. All part of our plan to stay here for the rest of our lives, so we're happy with the results.

The Farmhouse is finished.

Phase Two of our plan is to build a Farm business. One where we have people come and visit. A business where people take our goods and produce and are happy about supporting us while receiving good stuff. I'd say we are well under way.  Still to come: a cafe, more produce, and value added stuff -like canning and baked goods. All in its time.

In  other news . . .
My younger brother came to stay with us as he figures out where he wants to be in his retirement. He has a very nice camp trailer which sits next to the tiny home (which we have rented out to our son). So we have quite a bit of family here now. We also have quite a few visitors too. Last week we had nineteen visitors come for one reason or another. We've always meant to have a lot of visitors here in the plans we made. It seems funny to have all of these people here now after being alone together for the most of the past five years. It takes some getting used to, but we like it even if it is complicating.