Posts by Joseph Allen87

Anonymous said:Thanks for the input.
So, if I'm looking for some decent land right off a main road, I should probably budget somewhere between $3,200 and $4,300 per acre...
Assuming you can even find anything like that out in the Midwest...

It’s not actually as bleak as people think. On average, acre prices hover around $2,000–$3,000. If you’re grabbing a few acres in one go, you won't pay more than $2,000. You'll mostly be buying from retirees...
Look at it this way: buy 5 acres on credit—obviously. You get a 25% tax credit as a capital investment in the first year. Plant an orchard and grab a subsidy that covers your planting and sapling costs. Once the orchard is in, you convert the farmland into orchard space and start collecting an annual subsidy of
$0.83 per acre. 5 x 2,500 = $4.25. Loans run for about 20 years. My point is, investing in land pays off because the subsidies basically pay for the dirt you bought. Right now, the government is handing everything out—you just have to commit to planting. If a 20-year loan sounds too long, you can realistically pay off the land within 2–3 harvest seasons. And no, it’s not true that you need hail netting or fenced acreage to qualify for the subsidy. It’s simple—just plant the orchard.

On the subject of walnuts—don't assume you can just plant them, let the grass grow, mow it occasionally, and wait 10 years for a payday. Like any other crop, walnuts require actual work.

Cheers!

lonesurfer13 said:MicroStrategy, thanks so much for all the advice. I’ve got a few more questions, but I don’t want to bug you too much! I was wondering what your take is on the Rexel variety, and where can I find some high-quality seedlings at a decent price? Also, what exactly is a pneumatic tiller, and could a wood chipper handle the job instead? I’m assuming you mainly use that tiller to clear out weeds and chop up any branches you prune off... As for equipment, I’m pretty well set up—I actually picked up a brand-new tractor last year, and I’ve already got a plow and a sprayer ready to go. One thing though: what kind of pH level should I be aiming for to grow cherries? Mine is sitting at 4.9 right now. Finally, is it possible to sign a production contract with a company to secure income, or is it just a guessing game every single year? I ended up passing on hazelnuts because I feel like you can make way more per acre if you just pick the right crop...

Tomica026,
hit me up at glazbenik@yahoo.com.....
I'm not on the forum all that often.

Best,

Hey there. I’m really interested in planting Cherry trees, but I can’t find any decent literature on them anywhere. Do you get a decent buyback price for Cherries? I heard prices are around $1.25. You mentioned having issues because your plots are small—I have the opposite problem. I’ve got a massive 22-acre plot, but I have no clue which orchard setup is actually worth the investment.

Right now, average buyback prices for Cherries sit somewhere between $3-$1.25. There’s also the option of putting the fruit in alcohol barrels—in that case, you're looking at about $7-$2.75 per kg. Specifically, we're talking about the Oblačinska variety. Just assume you’ll get maybe 15 to 25 kg per tree after year five. For Oblačinska, you plant them at 4 x 2 meters. You could fit about 11,000 saplings—so 11,000 x 15 kg = 165,000 kg x $1.00 = $165. That’s basically your worst-case scenario: low yield and low prices. If you own the land, go for the orchard; government grants should pretty much cover the cost of the saplings. Once planted, you reclassify the land as an orchard and pull in an annual subsidy of $0.83 per acre. As for gear, you’ll need a tractor around 60 HP, a pneumatic tiller with a specialized attachment (it handles the rows between trees too), a wood chipper, a plow, and a sprayer. Budget about $15,000 for equipment, assuming you're buying used machinery. The tricky part is sourcing the right saplings; our local nurseries only sell grafted trees rather than growing them from rootstock. Trees grown from rootstock tend to be less vigorous, meaning you can cram more into an acre. Since these are grafted—usually onto sweet cherry rootstock—you get highly vigorous trees that require a wider spacing of 4 x 3.5 m.
For reading material, check out www.bookstore.com and www.usfood.com.
Personally, I’ve gathered quite a few articles from "Double Morning" and one book: *Cherry*, by Prof. Dr. Evica Mratinić, 2002 edition—New York City.

Regarding profitability—it really just comes down to how much capital you have to sustain it. Apples and pears are the most profitable, sure, but the upfront investment is massive. Blackberries are incredibly lucrative, but you need a ton of manual labor, which is becoming a nightmare here—it's getting harder to find people willing to work for decent wages. We went with Cherries because the buyback is more or less guaranteed and there isn't nearly as much handiwork involved. Harvesting is done with mechanical shakers.

Best,

Hey, I'm new here—just jumping into the conversation.
My family went all-in on fruit farming about three years ago. We started with plums and moved into cherries (specifically the Oblačinska variety, which is strictly for processing; we’ve got about 7 or 8 different plum varieties). We’re planning to expand our cherry production to about 12-15 acres, which would bring our total orchard size to around 25 acres—pretty much the standard average here in the States. The biggest headache with scaling up is that large plots are incredibly rare; everything is broken into tiny 5-acre chunks, so finding anything bigger is a struggle.

Finding decent literature in America was a nightmare because there's so little out there—most of what exists is just "General Pomology" or something equally vague. Specialized books for specific varieties are almost non-existent. If you decide to go with apples, pears, or olives, you'll probably find enough info, but for anything else... good luck.
Most of my useful resources actually came from Mexico, and honestly, I was surprised by how much more expertise they seem to have regarding fruit cultivation compared to us. I’ve visited a few plantations there and was genuinely impressed.
In my opinion, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries are the most promising crops right now. The only downside is that (except for cherries) you have to pick them by hand—which is perfect if you have a massive family helping out. Bulk prices for blackberries average around $2.25, though at the start of the season, you might see $6.00 per pound, and the harvest drags on for two months.
Apples and pears are way more profitable, provided you have a cold storage facility, which is a massive upfront investment for a beginner.
Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with fruit farming in America.
Cheers,
M.