Farming full-time for income
Updated Oct 16, 2025
Seeking
- 6-10 Total acres
- 0-5 Acres of cropland or tillable land
- 0-5 Acres of pasture
- 0-5 Acres of hayland
Desired locations
Looking for 5-20 acres, mix of cleared and wooded for a mix of vegetable and livestock farming
Plan
I am seeking land to both live on and farm. I envision a farm that is based around small-scale vegetable production for market combined with a small amount of livestock and perennial fruit crops for home consumption to diversify and create ecologically sustainable cycles of land use.
Desired infrastructure
Equipment and infrastructure details
I anticipate slowly building the infrastructure of the farm myself as I have the money to develop and expand. These are the items (in order of priority)
-small living space for myself
-water source + pump and lines
- array of digging forks, hoes, shovels, etc. for hand scale vegetable work
-A small greenhouse for starting vegetable seedlings for transplanting
-fencing both for livestock and to keep out deer
-small barn for storage and sheltering young animals
-small walk-in cooler for cold storage of produce
Preferred type of opportunity
Opportunity details
I am looking for land to live on and run my own farm for the long term (hopefully lifetime) though I am open to this process developing slowly. As such, I am open to it taking the form of some long-term owner financed sale or gradual transferal agreement.
Desired farming practices
Practices details
I believe that farming should be carried out in such a scale and manner that it is oriented towards providing for the needs of a local area and is in harmony with the cycles of nature. Though I do not ascribe to the whole of biodynamics, I similarly believe in the principles of creating systems that are closed loops of resources flowing through the ecosystem of the farm. To the extent that produce from the farm is sold at taken away, this can never be fully realized, but I aim to strive in that direction, using compost from on-farm sources (hay, straw, leaves, manure), cover crops, and rotations between different types of crops to create the needed fertility for vegetable production.
Production goals
Goals details
To some extent the farm I would create is dependent on the land that I am able to find, as responsible farming pays attention to what the land is naturally suited to sustain. I would like to be able to find land that would allow me to have around 1-2 acres in vegetable production and a few acres in pasture or silvopasture to support a small population of livestock (likely cows, pigs, chickens). Ideally there would be enough land so that the vegetable production could by rotated with grain/forage/hay and pasture on a 2-3 year basis to rest land from the intensity of vegetable production, create diversity in the soil, and build fertility with minimal need for off-farm fertilizers.
Farm experience
Years of experience
6 total years of experience
5 years employed as a worker (non-manager)
1 years as a manager
Education, training, and employment experience
Experience details
Six years ago I began working part time on a diverse homestead scale vegetable and livestock farm that sold a small amount of meat and produce at markets. After that year I spent one year doing a formal apprenticeship on a medium sized dairy and vegetable farm learning both theoretical and practical elements of farming. In the years since that I have worked on a number of small vegetable oriented farms, each with its distinct methods of production. Currently I work near full time as a field crew manager on a vegetable farm here in orange county as well as part time a sort of jack of all trades person for a grain farm.