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I want to start an organic farm and greenhouse business in northern michigan. Possibly to succeed?

I want to start a greenhouse and organic farming business. Is it possible to be successful at this in northern michigan. Have a career/make enough money to live? What is the estimate profit someone could earn at this?

Public Comments

1. NO MICHIGAN SUCKS. i hate michigan, (i live in michigan that in my opinion) and michigans weather here is so bipolar, so it will not help you, or the economy. no michigan is the worst state to grow and start a company because its having the worst econmic time, and anyways it will take longer, and take more time from you, and a lot more money. hope this answers you question!
2. $12
3. I don't know about No. Michigan but a greenhouse and organic farm could definitely succeed. Food prices keep going up and you would have no problem selling your produce if it was cheaper than grocery store prices. All you would have to do is set up a stand to sell your goods and people would buy them. You just have to know what you're doing, how to run a greenhouse, etc. Plus, a lot of people like organic food. And you would save on your own grocery bill.
4. http://www.growingpower.org/ this guy here does it in Milwaukee so it should do well , he has even one a $500,000 genius grant because of it, hes doing quite well , some of his gardens are also grown in water with fish swimming in them for aeration. take a look. yes it is possible for you to be very very successful in that business.
5. Unless you possess unlimited sources of power to heat and light the grow areas, you're better off trying hay, and cattle. The grow season is very short there, move south,maybe Indiana.
6. I have worked in the greenhouse / nursery industry for 18 years now. Now would be the time to start a business like this. I would start an organic vegetable start company, selling to garden centers and also to agriculture. I work with organics and sustainability and this will be my best year ever.
7. FIrst, hopefully you have enough capital to survive for 5+ years before you turn any profit. The credit markets are dried up, so getting loans for farm equipment, feed, land, buildings, etc will be very difficult. Next, you'll need to pull out all the stops to make this farm succeed. Renewable energy sources, wind, solar, solar water heating, careful selection of your land for the best chance of using green energy... all should play a big part in helping keep down your energy costs. Greenhouses are a good way to go. How will you manage pests inside the greenhouses? Northern Michigan is not as fertile as the southern and central part of our state. The short growing season will make your crop choices critical. In order to be certified organic, you must comply with strict rules; no pesticides, inorganic fertilizers, growth hormones or antibiotics, etc for a certain number of years. In short, do your research thoroughly. Look for grants and government help. Find niche markets and develop clientele. How will you sell your product? This will be a complete lifestyle for you and your family, so be prepared to devote 110% of your time to making it work. And even then, there's no guarantees. Whatever "estimate" someone comes up with is completely inaccurate because you won't make any profit for quite a few years. Farming is hard work. Good luck!
8. You can definitely make a career of organic farming in Michigan. Michigan State has one of the leading programs in the country developing more profitable and sustainable methods. There is no way to estimate what your profit could be because it depends on the type of growing you plan on doing, what you want to grow, and how you're going to sell it. You don't have to get the organic farming certificate to be successful, but its helpful to know that the staff at MSU and the Student Organic Farm are always more than willing to help someone get started and keep going once they begin.
9. I have two examples for you. The majority of tomatoes in Michigan come from southern Ontario. and there is a greenhouse growing roses in Traverse City. ( I believe it's called the four season nursery) I suggest looking here for more help. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/viewpoints/willcarlson/?storyid=30 You might also consider working with the Small Business Administration to develop a plan and obtain loans. http://www.sba.gov/index.html Can you make a profit and a living? That would depend upon how smart your choices are. The business combining plants and fish sounds good, but I saw a program about a fish farmer in Colorado that imported alligators to eat their losses.
10. Being from Northern Michigan myself I would caution you that this might be a labor of lover rather than a money making venture. While the organic produce market is increasing in popularity, it would most likely be a hard sell locally. I know around my area there is Pond Hill Farm, they do the organic meat and veggies/fruits. I've posted the link to their page to get an idea of their offerings. I would think to really make a go of this you would need to align with either a grocery store, restaurant or be willing to frequent the farmer's markets on the weekends to sell your goods. If you live here you know that the winters here are harsh and that the growing season is usually threatened by a late spring freeze or an early fall freeze. Good luck in your endeavor should you decide to make a go of it.
11. Yes, it would be possible but expect to pay a fortune to heat a greenhouse in such a cold climate. Don't jump in feet first and start building a greenhouse first thing. That would be the worst mistake you could make. (Just ask my ex-husband who did exactly that in SW Wisconsin, and then lost his farm because he couldn't pay the bills.) Start with the outdoor organic vegetable business and learn the ropes, such as what produce you should be growing and selling, where you're going to sell your produce, etc. Once you've got that system figured out and working for you, then take the next step and extend your growing season with cold frames, row covers, mulch and all the other nifty tricks for extending growing seasons. Then after you're making a nice profit, look into the cost of building and heating a greenhouse. Visit another greenhouse operation to learn from them. Ten years ago it cost my ex-husband $25,000 to heat his greenhouse for the winter. Fuel costs were much lower at that time than they are now! Imagine how much produce you'd have to grow and sell just to make enough to heat the greenhouse. Yes, you will have to provide supplemental heat for the greenhouse, especially at night. It's impossible to answer your last question without knowing more details, such as how much acreage you'll be growing and what the specific crops will be, along with the estimated price you'll be asking for your crops.