Farming full-time for income
Updated Apr 13, 2026
Seeking
- 6-10 Total acres
- 6-10 Acres of cropland or tillable land
Desired locations
Hello, I'm an aspiring farmer with a strong desire to grow sustainable, organic, local flowers, fruits and berries.
Plan
My dream is to build my family farm with healthy, organic, sustainable, cover crop, green manure, zero till, and healthy ecosystem practices that can be adapted for minimal impact and disturbance on the natural flow to sustain my family needs and to provide best quality produce to my neighbors. In terms of production my preferences are to sustainably grow fragrant old and modern roses for cut flowers, and rare fruits and berries (like Quince, Sea Buckthorn and Elderberry). In the first years of farming I'm planning to start with short cycle crops on permanent beds with a low cost budget, using efficient human-scale tools on small acreage, and that should help me to get started in my way.
Desired infrastructure
Equipment and infrastructure details
Farmer housing and water source are preferred. Other infrastructure, like barn, cold storage, and other facilities will be nice but are not critical.
For the surface cultivation and to grow cover crops/green manure I prefer a compact/subcompact tractor and key light tillage equipment: rotary power harrow (for small-scale regenerative farming - stir the top 1-2 inches of soil, creating a fine seedbed without creating hardpan), flail mowers (pulverize cover crops into small pieces, creating a uniform, easy-to-work-in mulch layer), disc harrows/disc bedders (used for shallow, 3-5 inches, post-harvest cultivation to break up stubble, destroy volunteer seeds, and form bed).
Preferred type of opportunity
Opportunity details
My idea of rose, fruits and berries production implies high input soil preparation and long term usage of land, and that's why I want to own land, so I could care for it and protect it for many years to come, and even pass it on to my children. With my current finances this is too hard to achieve. I have a good credit score but can't save up enough money for a proper down payment, at least not anytime soon, even though I am so eager to get started Once the farm production is established in next 3-5 years, I believe I will be able to payout the credit for the farm.
Desired farming practices
Practices details
Applying sustainable, humane, organic, no-till, cover crop, and green manure practices to maintain a productive farming system that regenerates soil fertility, supports ecosystems, and ensures a thriving farmland for generations
Sustainable: Replenish natural resources that are used up in the process of plant production
Humane: Minimize the impact on, protect and provide support to establish a flourishing diverse natural habitat for soil microorganisms and beneficial insects
Organic: Completely exclude the usage of harmful, for humans and nature, chemicals
No-till: Replacing the destructive tilling practices that lead to soil erosion with surface cultivation, cover crops, and green manure
Production goals
Goals details
In the first years of farming I'm planning to start with short cycle crops on permanent beds with a low cost budget, using efficient human-scale tools on small acreage. To my knowledge, this should help me get started and cover part of the expenses for the purchase of the planting material of fruits and berries for the farm.
At the same time, on the larger plot I will be implementing site prepping for permanent establishment of berries and fruits.
Part of the work on the farm I'm going to delegate to my daughters.
And there's also my husband who is great with setting up and managing irrigation systems, as well as any human-machine interfaces, which is a great gain for the farm.
Farm experience
Years of experience
5 total years of experience
5 years employed as a worker (non-manager)
0 years as a manager
Education, training, and employment experience
Experience details
I grew up on a homestead farm, where I cared for cows and chickens, and helped to care for a small orchard with Cherry trees, Apricot trees, Walnut trees, Plum tree, Grape vineyard and vegetable garden. We applied sustainable, organic methods in crop production, using only organic compost in an ecological way. I also cared for a beautiful flower garden with roses, dahlias, lilies, tulips and various other plants at my parents family farm until the age of 27. In recent years I have grown a few dozen houseplants and some rose plants when the landlords allowed it. Last year when our family moved to NC, its picturesque greenery reignited my dream and had inspired me to start farming again.