How to get started with agtech and farming investments?

..... so I've been doing some deep thinking and scrolling through a ton of stuff lately ....

The price for farmland out here is actually pretty reasonable, so since I’ve got some decent cash sitting around and I’m definitely not the type to just sit on my ass all day, I started wondering why the hell I wouldn't just dive into agriculture
..... My big idea is to set up some permanent walnut orchards.... once they're established, they don't require an insane amount of daily grind, which means this doesn't even have to be my main hustle, yet it could still pull in some serious profit after a few years.... so my plan is to snag maybe 12 to 25 acres of land and plant a massive WALNUT grove ....

Now look .... I'm no professional farmer, but I know how to handle a shovel, and with a bit of reading and some solid advice, I think I could make it work .... but honestly, I just can't get the math to make sense in my head ....

I heard that USDA subsidies for walnut orchards can go up to about $13333 per acre ....

Come on, let me hear what you guys think about this!!! ☕ 🙄

I’ve actually heard from two different, independent sources that this makes sense and is worth the investment. They weren't even really talking about person specifically. Especially once we fully integrate into the USA and start dealing with all those regulatory restrictions that just don't exist right now.

jadebear9 said:I've heard from two different sources that this actually makes sense and is worth the investment. They weren't specifically talking about the person... especially once we join the USA and start dealing with all those new regulations we don't have right now.

True, but it takes the person about 30 years before those trees really start producing properly.

So yeah, it's definitely a looooooong-term investment...

Man, I had the exact same thought immediately... Seriously, how long does it take for a person to actually see a return on this...

Honestly, there’s a better chance an interstate highway gets built right through your orchard before you even hit your first harvest...

Just kidding... it's a solid plan if you've got nothing but patience on your hands! 👍

Investing in those walnut orchards might end up costing you more than it's worth in the long run, though if you're truly committed to farming, you might find much quicker returns by planting cantaloupes... once the harvest is finished, you could always follow that up with some seasonal cabbage or broccoli. 👍

Just go ahead and plant yourself a little forest... it doesn't take much effort at all, and even if you don't turn a profit, you'll at least have plenty of wood for your fireplace in the winter... everything else just ends up requiring way too much money and more hands than one person can provide...

Buying land might actually end up being your biggest headache, especially when you're looking for those massive acreage parcels you mentioned.
A buddy of mine is trying to scale up his nursery business, but he’s hitting a wall because there’s zero land available. Small plots? Sure, you can find those. But finding one massive, contiguous stretch of good soil? Forget about it. It's basically impossible.
Local farmers aren't exactly clueless; they know damn well that property values are only going up. Plus, let's be real—people out in the sticks can be pretty stubborn and territorial. I guess they'd rather just let a field go to seed than deal with the hassle of selling it to someone else.

Tuco-il brutto said:Buying land might actually be your biggest headache, especially when you're looking for the massive acreage you've described.
A buddy of mine is trying to scale up his nursery operation, but he’s hit a wall: there’s zero land available. You can find tiny little plots if you look hard enough, but finding a decent, contiguous stretch of usable soil? Forget about it.
Local farmers aren't idiots; they know land value is only going up. Plus, let's be honest—small-town folks can be incredibly territorial and stubborn. They’d much rather let a field sit fallow and overgrown than see someone else move in and take over.

🤔 Fair point.👍

gentlecanyon65 said:..... been doing some thinking and reading up on stuff ....

Farmland prices aren't too crazy right now—so I was thinking, since I've got some cash on hand and I'm not exactly lazy, why not dive into agriculture?
..... For instance, setting up a permanent walnut orchard.... wouldn't require insane amounts of daily work, so it doesn't even have to be my main gig, but it should bring in some decent profit after a few years.... so my plan is to grab maybe 12 to 25 acres and plant WALNUTS ....

Now .... I'm no farmer, but I can handle a shovel, and with a little reading and some solid advice, I think I could make it work .... but man, I just can't quite wrap my head around the math ....

Let me know what you guys think about this!!! ☕ 🙄

I heard government subsidies for walnut orchards per acre are around $13333 .....
The idea isn't bad if you're looking at nurseries ...but walnuts are 👎 because they take forever to fully canopy .... these days in the US, pears and apples are where the money is..... apples are everywhere, but pears only hold about 10 percent of the market share ...that would be a killer business for you... I was actually planning something similar ...except with strawberries ...strawberry nurseries that yield twice a year, where one plant gives you maybe 10 lbs.... this year I'm just taking it on as a hobby.
The key is timing the planting so they hit their peak right when the season starts ...because the early bird price is $5.00 ...if you're late to harvest, the price drops fast .... your biggest payday is basically those first two weeks ...after that, everyone else shows up and the price tanks from $10 down to $2.25 per unit ...and you aren't even getting full weight in every unit, maybe just half that ...so think about it .... Pears, strawberries 👍

Look, you're a smart kid and you actually have the drive to get things done, which is half the battle right there. So, do me a favor and dig around first—figure out which crops are getting the biggest subsidies and what kind of payouts we're looking at under the USA programs. 👍
Then, just plant the damn thing. Doesn't matter if it's corn, grapes, apples, or even some organic herbs—whatever's healthy or medicinal. Just get it in the ground.

gentlecanyon65 said:..... I've been doing some thinking and reading ....

Agricultural land prices are relatively low right now. Since I have some liquid capital and I’m not exactly lazy, I’ve been weighing the idea of investing in farming.
..... For instance, establishing a permanent walnut orchard.... the setup doesn't demand an excessive amount of manual labor, which means it doesn't necessarily need to be my primary income stream, yet it should yield a profit after a few years.... My plan was to pick up roughly 12 to 25 acres and plant WALNUTS ....

Now .... I’m not a professional farmer, but I know how to handle a shovel, and with a bit of reading and some decent advice, I think I could manage .... However, I can't quite make the math work in my head ....

I heard that government subsidies for walnut orchards are around $13333 per acre ....

Please share your thoughts on this! ☕ 🙄

As someone else already pointed out, you have to account for the number of years it takes before those walnuts actually start producing. Your grandkids will probably build you a monument if you plant 12 to 25 acres of walnuts, because they’ll be the ones reaping the real rewards—assuming market trends, USA policy, and similar variables remain favorable.
I personally have two walnut trees; half the harvest goes into my pantry and the other half gets sold. Just imagining that scale over 25 acres is significant. 👍

Have you considered hazelnut groves? I know two guys who specialize in that, and they expand their acreage every single year. It’s a thriving business for them.

Walter Myers4 said:Look, you're a sharp guy with a great work ethic, which is really what matters most in the end, so just go ahead and look into which crops get the biggest subsidies and what the specific rates are within the USA... just plant whatever you want, whether it's corn, grapes, apples, or even medicinal herbs, it doesn't really matter as long as it's solid stuff...👍

If you just get it in the ground yourself, everything tends to grow just fine, and then you can collect your profits along with those government incentives... honestly, those subsidies are really just one part of the capital you need to get things moving, because when the subsidies are higher, it usually means you should be investing more heavily... though, of course, the payout isn't the same for every single crop since the government has its own specific interests to look after, and if people are going to push for it, they might as well find out which crops have loopholes where someone could claim they planted something they didn't actually grow just to pocket the cash...

Oh, you think you're such a genius, huh? Look, all I'm saying is watch what you're planting. Because let me tell you, there's no guessing game here—everyone knows exactly what's going to be profitable in the USA and what's just a waste of time.

So, I’ve been thinking about all these government incentives and how they actually tie into profitability... does having massive subsidies mean that's where the best returns are going to be? And what exactly defines what's going to be most profitable within the USA...

... man, I’ve been going absolutely ham on this whole idea over the last few days, just diving deep into the research....
....Some people are telling me "go with walnuts," while others are swearing by hazelnuts... saying it's a killer business because they grow way faster and don't require you to babysit them constantly....

But honestly? It feels stupid to just play around as some tiny-time amateur in this market when I actually have the capital to pull the trigger and plant up to 25 acres of either walnuts or hazelnuts all at once....

..... As far as the land goes, I’ve already tracked down and reached out to a few folks selling large tracts in one go..... heheh, and get this—it’s all in prime, high-value territory too.....

I don't know, man, but I'm starting to lean heavily toward the hazelnuts for my acreage, mostly because the ROI hits much faster....

👍 👍 😁 😕

Haha, looks like we’ve got someone else here who thinks farming is just a walk in the park and that crops basically grow themselves while you nap 😈

PS Just a heads-up, if you're looking for the quickest return on investment, you'll want to look into commercial greenhouses, orchards, or vineyards—but fair warning, those are some seriously grueling, hands-on ways to make a living.

And one really ought to consider that hazelnut trees, much like most worthwhile investments in this weary world, require an agonizingly long period of patience before they ever think about yielding a single crop.

If you have the drive, just start planting whatever you can—you'll finally get some clarity on what you're actually working with once the land purchase is finalized.

Hi there,
I'm writing to you from California, and lately, I've been getting quite interested in strawberry farming.
If anyone here happens to have some insight on the subject, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.

ghigo said:hi
I'm writing in from California, and lately, I've been thinking a lot about strawberries.
Does anyone have any insight on this?
thanks

Strawberries can be quite profitable. They yield heavily and spread easily, but...
The catch is their shelf life. They don't stay fresh for long, so you have to deal with them fast. You really need a perfectly organized supply chain—ideally moving them straight from the field to a local farmer's market or something similar.
Walnuts, for instance, can be stored for ages. You can just wait for the right market price to sell them. The downside there is the patience required; you're looking at 10 to 15 years before you see a single harvest.