Starting a home business, in order to keep it sustainable, it must be profitable, so you might begin by asking which are the most profitable livestocks for small farms. The choices vary, depending on your preferences and the amount of time and dedication to be invested, whether the goal is the animal itself or its by-products.
Good market research is one of the most important starting points because a farmer is entirely dependant on market demands. In the beginning, for example, you might ask local restaurants what kind of meat they prefer, so you can make long-term agreements with them. The price of your livestock and products will be much higher if they are considered organic. Organic livestock is the one that spends most of the time outside, feeding on non-chemically treated food, which means no artificial pesticide and fertilizers can be used, only natural manure, which can be obtained from the livestock you keep. Since keeping livestock usually implies producing you own livestock food, and it also leaves some space for plant cultivation, you might check out some suggestions for 11 Most Profitable Horticulture Businesses to Start.
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Having a self-sustainable farm means having enough space for keeping animals and growing food for them (optional but preferable). Depending on livestock, starting investment includes building or buying huts or barns or another kind of housing for animals. And, last but not least important is the knowledge about the animals you are keeping. That includes knowledge about diseases, behavior, environmental and food preferences and much more. Having met the requirements and risks, you can start building your small farm business.
We’ve gone through advice and suggestions on best profitable livestock for small farms from UC Small Farm Program (University of California Cooperative Extension), Morning Chores, FarmersCreed and HobbyFarms. FarmsCreed, for example, gives us the comparison of food invested and the final product (meat in this case) between certain animals, while Morning Chores and HobbyFarms give us experiences from farmers. Out of those suggestions, we have then balanced profitability, capital investment, and skills needed to maintain a certain farm. So, go have a look at what livestocks are most profitable livestocks for small farms.
