Other productive use for a marijuana farm?

[srimes]

So my neighbor's house just went up for sale. 10 acres, house is 5/3, carport and shop. Irrigated 5 hillside acres, terraced for marijuana. It would be a HUGE upgrade from our current house, and the price a bit out of reach just as a house. But if the property can produce some income we could possibly swing it.

But the wife says "no way" to growing marijuana commercially, so I'm investigating other options. Are there any other crops that would do well with a similar setup (large grow bags), and have a remotely similar return on investment?

 

[Potomus Pete]

Seems to me if the wife says, no way, It's no way.

 

[Zorba]

Heroin poppies?

 

[TJ4Jim]

So my neighbor's house just went up for sale. 10 acres, house is 5/3, carport and shop. Irrigated 5 hillside acres, terraced for marijuana. It would be a HUGE upgrade from our current house, and the price a bit out of reach just as a house. But if the property can produce some income we could possibly swing it.

But the wife says "no way" to growing marijuana commercially, so I'm investigating other options. Are there any other crops that would do well with a similar setup (large grow bags), and have a remotely similar return on investment?

I imagine Hemp would produce under similar conditions.

 

[P man]

Heroin poppies?

Somebody has been watching Ozark lol

 

[tdrudd]

Hops for beer?

 

[diggerwolf]

Irrigated, terraced, hillside? Grapes.

 

[WestCoastDan]

Grow your own vegetables; you might even be able to get ow enough to sell at the local farmers market.
Maybe some of that devil’s lettuce could help you turn a profit in the non-commercial market.

 

[JP_in_STL]

Short turnaround: Pumpkin Patch? Truck Garden? Contract with a local Plant Nursery for ornamental trees and shrubs? Long Term: Christmas Trees? Grapes? I guess it depends on how well the irrigation setup is? If its just a bunch of drip tape hacked together? Or is it zoned irrigation with timers, a decent well, etc. Was it just potheads or a commercial pro install.

 

[BlueC]

@srimes Do you have any agricultural experience?

 

[srimes]

@srimes Do you have any agricultural experience?

Not really. I've been around it a little and I've grown a few things as a hobby. Accidentally made $8k off my garden a couple years ago but that was unrepeatable dumb luck lol.

My background is engineering and manufacturing. I'm not afraid to learn. But I have a more than full time job right now and am not looking for a big time sink.

I've done some research on tree farm/nursery and believe that could be a good fit. Can provide good return/labor. Biggest issue there is startup cash flow as it'd be a MINIMUM of 1 year before any sales and most likely 2-3 for better profitability.

 

[srimes]

Short turnaround: Pumpkin Patch? Truck Garden? Contract with a local Plant Nursery for ornamental trees and shrubs? Long Term: Christmas Trees? Grapes? I guess it depends on how well the irrigation setup is? If its just a bunch of drip tape hacked together? Or is it zoned irrigation with timers, a decent well, etc. Was it just potheads or a commercial pro install.

Commercial pro install. Irrigated. There are a lot of vineyards in the area.

 

[BlueC]

I've done some research on tree farm

Five acres is nothing for a tree farm. In my state, for tax purposes, you can't even claim land as a tree farm until you have 50+ wooded acres.

A nursery might be viable, but it would be a full time, 7 days a week kind of job, which honestly any kind of production ag work will be.

Commercial pro install. Irrigated. There are a lot of vineyards in the area.

If there are local vineyards, it would likely be in your best interest to lease to one should you get the property. Let someone who knows what they're doing produce stuff and pay you for the area. Of course, finding that customer might be challenging.

 

[InOmaha]

I was thinking, lease the land to someone else. Hopefully, it would break even after taxes and paying on a loan for the property. Zero work on your side other than landlord stuff.

My parents lease out their farm now that they are retired. Dad only puts in 2-4 hours a day after this part time job. I think it's to get away from mom.

 

[Apparition]

I was thinking, lease the land to someone else. Hopefully, it would break even after taxes and paying on a loan for the property. Zero work on your side other than landlord stuff.

This is also the conclusion that I came up with.

 

[Renewindi]

Late to the party, but have you thought about leasing those irrigated terraces to a local farmer for seasonal crops? Some places grow berries, lavender, or even hops on old grow sites. Could bring in steady income without much work on your end. Wonder if anyone nearby might be looking for irrigated hillside acreage like that.

 

[Renewindi]

You could rent the terraced acres to local growers of legal crops that like irrigation, like berries or specialty herbs, or even try a U‑pick setup to bring in weekend traffic. I’ve also seen folks use similar land for solar rows or small-scale flower farming. If you ever explore health-focused angles, info like copd medical cannabis treatment uk shows how varied the cannabis space can be, even outside growing.