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A lot of folks here have started jumping on the bandwagon regarding hazelnut and walnut orchards, but honestly—let’s be real for a second—unless you have endless acres to just throw away, or you don't mind being stuck constantly maintaining them instead of actually growing things like apples or pears, it's a tough sell. I mean, if you aren't running a full-scale commercial farm, you're basically just a hobbyist, and most people won't actually see the payoff from walnuts or hazelnuts before they're long gone.
It’s the exact same story over here—I actually made the same mistake once by leaving a bottle of corn herbicide sitting right next to my bell peppers, and now the whole thing is a mess. It’s just lying there, totally broken, and it won't even let me copy anything from the tag anymore.
honestly proud to ask
If you’re thinking about jumping into the agriculture game, my first piece of advice—and I mean this—is to look at your bank account first. You really need to sit down with your local commercial bank and figure out what kind of capital you actually have to play with.
Honestly, the smartest move is to start with something that offers a quick turnaround. Don't go out and dump all your cash into orchards or hazelnut groves right off the bat—that's a trap! Those aren't really "investments" you can touch anytime soon; those are more like legacy projects you plant for your grandkids to deal with later.
It also totally depends on where you’re settling up. You’ve got to scout out the local market and see who’s actually buying what in your neck of the woods. Talk to the locals, get the lay of the land, and pick a crop that’s going to put some cash back in your pocket within that first year.
And just a heads-up? Forget about large-scale grain farming unless you’re sitting on at least 120 acres of prime land.
Honestly, the smartest move is just to keep an eye on the neighbor—if they’re making bank doing something specific, you should probably be planting those same seeds too. It’s way easier when you can just look over the fence, see exactly what’s working for them, and then go ahead and mirror that success. 🤷
Looks like you’ve got a pretty hefty workload on your plate here.
Where exactly are these sites located?
First things first—whereabouts in Canada are you located? What’s your religious background, and what’s the vibe of your local community? I’m asking because, let’s be real, if you’re Muslim or living in a heavily Muslim area, trying to market pork is going to be an uphill battle.
But if that’s not your situation, man, listen to me...
Get into pig farming. Why?
It’s pretty straightforward. Pork prices are climbing, while corn prices shouldn't see any massive spikes for a few years. Plus, pigs reproduce incredibly fast, and honestly, they aren't a ton of work once you get the hang of it.
A single sow can litter about 2.5 times a year. On average, you're looking at maybe 10 piglets per litter, which means one sow can pump out around 25 piglets annually. Right now, those little guys are fetching about $6 each in Canada—actually, even more if you're down south near the border $1.25. The strategy is simple: sell whatever you don't keep as piglets up to 30 lbs, then move them as feeder pigs up to 120 lbs. Whatever is left over—maybe just a tiny 10% margin—you sell as hogs.
There isn't a mountain of labor involved, and the profit is reliable. Since you have access to corn, you're already halfway there—it's everywhere in the Midwest, and I've got plenty of my own sitting in storage, maybe about four railcars worth. Just mix in some soy, a bit of barley, and a little concentrate, and you've got a guaranteed paycheck. If you have the barn ready, just go for it.