Learning how to earn income from your small homestead can be a game changer. From affording you the ability to expand and fund your projects, to simply being able to cover tax bills, utilities, mortgages, or groceries, extra income is always a plus.
This post is all about unique ideas on how to make money from your homestead!
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First, let’s break down this list into 4 categories: Animals, Garden, Online, and Miscellaneous.
Animals
- Sell your extra chicken/duck/geese eggs. Pros: can be a very steady income for you. Considerations: may need to invest in egg cartons and/or look into local vending laws. Do the math to make sure you are selling at a profit and not a loss.
- Hatch and grow out laying hens (or pullets nearly ready to lay) to sell. Pros: you can plan to hatch in the fall in order to sell laying hens at a competitive price in the spring when everyone wants them. Considerations: May need to invest in an incubator or order chicks from a hatchery.
- Sell hatching eggs for specific breeds. Pros: some breeds are very hard to find and quite sought after. Customers may pay $75+ for a dozen hatching eggs! Considerations: shipping can be a challenge and you want to make sure they are packed well to avoid damage.
- Sell chicks. Pros: some breeds are very hard to find and quite sought after. Customers will often pay a premium for unvaccinated chicks and you aren’t taking the risk of losing them to predators as they are growing out. Considerations: you may need an incubator
- Raise pastured poultry for meat to sell. Pros: If you are doing this for your family anyway, it may be convenient and worth it economically to raise extra to sell. Considerations: you’ll have to find the right customer willing to pay what the meat is truly worth. It may be better to part them out to achieve the price you need per pound for your birds.
- Sell raw cow, goat, or sheep milk. Pros: most homesteaders end up with more milk than they can use themselves, so you may as well make the best of the abundance and sell the excess. Considerations: local laws may be tricky and require you to sell creatively.
- Sell soaps or lotions made made with milk or animal fats. Pros: They are great for your skin and milk soaps or tallow soaps are a hot market right now. Considerations, make sure you find a mentor to do so safely for your safety and that of your customers and abide by all labeling requirements.
- Raise and sell more hard-to-find animals like heritage turkeys, guinea fowl, or homestead-sized pigs. Pros: many such animals are sought after and people will eagerly pay well for them. Considerations: Make sure to connect with local homestead groups on Facebook etc. to be sure you have a way to share what you have to offer.
Garden
- Sell your extra produce. Pros: this can be a great way to easily make some extra money while getting the word out about what you offer. Maybe put up a small stand or cooler with a sign and a cash box at the end of your driveway. Considerations: it may be helpful to post what you have when you have it so the people know to come get it. If you aren’t in a higher traffic area then are market may be a better option for you to join, buy you are tied into that time commitment then.
- Grow garlic and onions. Pros: neither are hard to grow at all as long as you keep on top of the weeds. You can even braid the garlic (if it’s soft neck) and braided garlic sells for a significant amount. Considerations: do some price research on Etsy or marketplace and be sure to watch some good videos or read up on how to properly cure, braid, and store the garlic so it’s ready for sale. You can even do this with dried chili peppers!
- Plant a large wildflower patch and sell bouquets. Pros: plant perennials or self seeding annuals and you can have an income source that comes back year after year! You are helping the pollinators and increasing your other rops due to driving more pollinators in your yard. Considerations: think about how you want to sell them, in burlap, in mason jars, in brown paper, tied with a string. And where – maybe a roadside stand or a local business or marketplace.
- Grow sunflowers to sell individually. Pros: Large sunflowers bring a hefty price tag in the marketplace. They may be a great plant-it-and-forget-it type of income. Considerations: Be sure to protect them from deer and plant a variety of colors that produce large enough heads but not too large. Sunflowers also can be toxic to other plants so plant them away from your other crops. I learned this one the hard way!
- Sell aged compost with your chicken/cow/rabbit/goat manure. Pros: easy to come by on most homesteads and you’re probably composting for yourself. Considerations: think of how you will sell it – in bags or let people come and shovel it into their own containers. Do market research to see what the going rates are.
- Sell foraged herbs or greens like dandelion, ramps, or wild lettuce. Pros: if you’re able to find some highly valued plants growing naturally on your property, they can be a very profitable item to sell. Considerations: be sure to do your research and properly identify the plants before offering them for sale.
- Sprout fresh chicken fodder to sell in winter. Pros: so simple to do and you can get a large return on investment. Considerations: look into getting some fodder growing gear to make the operation run efficiently.
- Grow micro greens to sell. Pros: this is a very popular profitable start-up idea and you can use the same equipment as you do the fodder. Considerations: to make a consistent profit, be sure to be ready to commit time and energy to marketing and possibly delivery.
- Plant a medicinal garden and sell the dried herbs. Pros: very simple to do. Considerations: be sure to plant and harvest enough to dry, process, and sell.
- Turn herbs into salves to sell. Pros: Holistic healing methods are in high demand. Considerations: You may need to be careful with any wording you use and make sure you aren’t making claims or benefits that will get you in trouble with regulatory agencies.
- Save your heirloom seeds and sell them in starter garden bundles. Pros: seeds are freely given by the plants you’re growing anyway and if you have enough extra you can make a great ROI. Considerations: make sure to have seed envelopes on hand and charge enough for your time.
- Grow plant starts in early spring to sell as mature, ready-to-plant vegetable plants. Pros: again, youre probably doing this anyway, so throw in some extra seeds and keep the seedlings potted well to sell when the others are ready to plant. Considerations: a nice, ready to go tomato or pepper plant will earn you a great return on your investment in soil, seed, water, and little pot. Be sure to get the word out well about a week before they are ready!
- Make elderberry cuttings and sell them in pots. Pros: elderberry (sambucus nigra) is a sought-after plant for its medicinal value and many homesteaders are looking to start their own orchards. Considerations: it’s best to take cuttings from a more mature tree, so if you haven’t already, be sure to plant them on your property ASAP to take advantage of this idea in the future. You may be able to make elderberry or elderflower syrup to sell too. Check your local regulations.
- Grow potted flowers like mums or pansies. Pros: simple to do as long as you start them easy enough in the season. You can make a great return of investment on each pot. Considerations: start early enough to have them mature at peak popularity. A greenhouse may be helpful.
- Grow pumpkins to sell in autumn. Pros: potentially a great ROI on seeds and watering time. Considerations: plant early enough to be ready for the season, protect them from animals and powdery mildew, and make sure they have enough space to spread out.
- Save your dried corn stalks to sell as fall decor. Pros: so easy to just let them sit in the sun after harvesting your corn. Considerations: make sure you do market research to find out an appropriate sale price and think about wats to market them before the season is upon you.
- Dry or press flowers while they are in abundance to make fall and winter wreaths and bouquets. Pros: This is a great way to take advantage of the abundance that you will have in the summer and carry it over instead of simply losing the perishable goods. Considerations: This can be a space eater.
- Sell herbal infused honeys. Pros: these are a set it and forget it think most of the time. Some popular ideas are cranberry and garlic infusions. Considerations: these usually need to be burped as they are infusing. Make sure they don’t blow the lid off on you!
- Infuse fire cider. Pros: this is in high demand for those who are looking for natural options and still learning how easy some things are to do yourself. Considerations: you have to plan ahead on this one as it takes 6-8 weeks for this infusion to be ready to use/sell.
Online
- Amazon videos. Pros: No marketing needed, use Amazon’s own traffic, upload videos of products you already own and like and then let them continue to earn you income. It’s a simple way to earn an extra $500-$1000+/monthly. Considerations: it can be competitive and the best way to work around that is to learn the tricks of the trade. A friend invested in the Simple Profit System – $97 – It can help you learn to get approved faster, get your videos seen more, and earn you way more than you would trying to figure it out on your own, we make pretty comparable income, but it could also be that in conversation she shared some of the tips she learned in this course without either of us realizing.
- Network Marketing. Pros: Most network marketing companies have amazing products and offer great long-term passive income opportunities. Considerations: be sure to choose a company that aligns with your values and prepare to put in time and energy. My husband and I started with Young Living in 2009 and it was our first experience with earning passive income from home. We are deeply grateful for the income it still provides for us to this day.
- Affiliate Marketing. Pros: the income strategy of the future, affiliate marketing allows for a great work-from-home(stead) income opportunity. Considerations: again, there’s a lot to learn to be successful. I recently invested in a program that was significantly more affordable than other training out there, and it has truly offered the step-by-step guidance I was looking for to start. Check it out here.
- Create and sell a homestead guide. Pros: digital products are very popular now and this allows you to share your knowledge and get paid for it! Check out an example here. Considerations: make sure you have a way to market and sell your product. To pay back your initial investment, it may be good to have several digital products at different price ranges. This program taught me how to do this one well.
- Create a YouTube with DIY videos. Pros: DIY are the most watched category on YouTube. You can help others and also receive monetary compensation from ad sponsors and Adsense as your channel grows.
Miscellaneous Ideas
- Process poultry for others. Pros: most people will gladly pay a friend or neighbor a decent amount to process their chickens for them, rather than invest in all the equipment and skills needed. Charge by the bird and you’ll get a great return on your time. Considerations: make sure you know your stuff well, you don’t want to mess up working on others’ animals. Also, consider taking in business on days when you have the equipment set up for your own processing anyway. Be aware of local laws.
- Rent out your poultry processing equipment by the day. Pros: for most of us, our equipment sits unused most of the year save for a few processing days. Make the most of your investment by renting it out and earn some of that well-spent money back into your pocket. Considerations: consider wear and tear on your equipment possibly by people who are inexperienced with how to use it. Also, consider charging an upfront deposit for damages. Be sure to drop it off so you know where your equipment is located.
- Lease out unused paddocks/land for animal grazing. Pros: maybe you don’t want to own your own horses/cows/sheep/goats/pastured poultry, but you have room for someone who does! Maximize your land by allowing another homesteader to graze or run their animals on your property. Pros: Animals will build your pasture beautifully when properly managed! Considerations: make sure you discuss any responsibility on your end ahead of time so both parties are clear on what to do as far as feed/water/protection/rotation/etc.
- Make and sell natural gifts for the holiday season. Pros: this could be a fun and relaxing way to earn money from your homestead! Forage for natural items on your property and turn them into decor, gift items, ornaments, and more. Here are some ideas for Autumn. Considerations: Again, marketing these items ahead of time is crucial so people know to come to you before the season is upon them, so think ahead when it comes to prep and getting the word out! If you already have a farmstead, these would be great to offer there too.
- Teach a class or workshop. Ideas: Floral arrangement, how to use herbs for cooking or other purposes, how to garden more successfully, how to process chicken/beef/goat/swine, how to build various tools like waterers, shelters, rain catchment, etc. Pros: People are looking to learn these skills and you can make profit from that while also helping them learn a needed skill and build confidence. Considerations: You’ll need to have a space and knowledge to teach whatever you are choosing to cover.
I hope you gained some ideas and considerations from this list of 37 ideas for making money from a homestead!
Do you have ideas to add?