What does it cost to maintain a hobby farm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

Right so assuming I have 11 acres including a garden and some small animals and I don’t want to do much of the work. Am I talking 3 employees? 1 full time and a bunch of contractors? $100k/year or $300k/year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

Right so assuming I have 11 acres including a garden and some small animals and I don’t want to do much of the work. Am I talking 3 employees? 1 full time and a bunch of contractors? $100k/year or $300k/year?

Are you investing in feeding/milking equipment or hand feeding/milking the animals? Will you have a tractor, plow, etc. for planting? Will you be monocropping or planting a variety of crops?

With appropriate capital and techniques, one employee (or yourself) is more than feasible for 11 acres. If you're running it like a petting zoo, 3 people may not be enough.

You need to focus on figuring out the specifics of the plan and the capital outlays first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

Right so assuming I have 11 acres including a garden and some small animals and I don’t want to do much of the work. Am I talking 3 employees? 1 full time and a bunch of contractors? $100k/year or $300k/year?

We did most everything ourselves, which was hard freaking work, so I can't comment on the labor market. But even if you DIY the equipment is really expensive, like good tractors. It's also a pain because if you want to go anywhere for vacation, you need to find people to take care of stuff, feed the animals, etc.

At the hobby farm level, there are also arrangements people make, like oh, you can board your horse with mine on my property but you have to take care of my horses, too. That kind of thing.

But that assumes you know people in the community really well. I feel like that part of Western Loudoun is a place where a lot of stuff still runs on "knowing people" if you want to run a hobby farm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

Right so assuming I have 11 acres including a garden and some small animals and I don’t want to do much of the work. Am I talking 3 employees? 1 full time and a bunch of contractors? $100k/year or $300k/year?

For 11 acres- 3 employees!? you have no idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks. I’m thinking of this more as a luxury project, and 10 years feels about right. I like to daydream about moving to the country and while I was out near Round Hill recently I watched a small army of guys with mowers turning into a small farm and it made me wonder. Like I can guesstimate what it takes to maintain a big house and an acre in Bethesda, but not a small farm property. I thought maybe someone here would share a benchmark. I’m not trying to make a profit from goats.

I grew up on an 11 acre hobby farm in Round Hill. It is a ton of work.

Right so assuming I have 11 acres including a garden and some small animals and I don’t want to do much of the work. Am I talking 3 employees? 1 full time and a bunch of contractors? $100k/year or $300k/year?

For 11 acres- 3 employees!? you have no idea

Yeah that is literally the point.

[Anonymous]

If you have to ask then you should probably spare yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have to ask then you should probably spare yourself.

Jeez Louise people I’m not submitting offers. It’s clear that none of you has the answer or you would just give it instead of lecturing me on chicken prices.

[Anonymous]

My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

That's not a hobby farm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

This is so helpful, thank you!! -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

This is bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

This is bizarre.

I don’t think so, I think a lot of “ranches” are like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have to ask then you should probably spare yourself.

Jeez Louise people I’m not submitting offers. It’s clear that none of you has the answer or you would just give it instead of lecturing me on chicken prices.

Sorry OP - ripping into silly or poorly-researched questions is also DCUM guilty pleasure of mine, but I think a lot of folks are being not funny and bitter on this topic. Glad you're getting some bits of information though. Enjoy life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a hobby farm. It is managed by a farm manager and 4-6 men. The outlay for payroll and regular equipment maintenance is roughly $500-600,000 a year. This is on top of any other unusual outlays (another field truck, another tractor, replace the barn generator, reroof the stock barn). It is a complete money suck. On the other hand it provides a huge amount of pleasure to them and it is hard to argue with that. They do not live there fulltime so these expenses are all on top of their regular expenses.

This is so helpful, thank you!! -OP

I know nothing about this topic, but am curious about whether OP is actually willing to pay a half million or more per year for an 11 acre farm. I would watch that reality TV show.