5 Ways to Make Money From Trees on Your Homestead

If you look On Etsy or other similar sites you will see a vast array of wood crafts that people sell for a mint. I’m constantly blown away by how much people will pay to decorate a table at a wedding with materials all too common to the average farmer or homesteader. While browsing this site myself I stumbled on a fellow who sold 12“ wood slices. His price was $12 each and he had over 1000 reviews, most positive from recent buyers. Most of these were undoubtedly purchased for weddings, for centerpieces. It would be safe to say that each buyer bought 10 or more. If the average customer bought 10 then this guy made $120,000 from cutting wood slices. How many can you cut in a week? I feel confident I could have filled his orders in no more than 2 weeks. So peruse some of these sites How can you make some of these ideas more unique? There is big money to be made here

Firewood can be a money maker only if you think outside the box or there is a good market in your area. You can sell it buy the cord, truckload, or bundle. Consider the market in your area; do you have large campsite close by? Are there subdivisions where people gather around fire pits at night? Can you sell bundled wood at a local market? These are questions to ask before you cut the first stick. What size will you need to cut? Can you take multiple loads when selling by the truck? People in my area usually buy more than one load. The most profitable way in my opinion is cutting in bulk and selling small quantities. People expect to pay more when they buy smaller quantities and that can put large profits in your pocket. At the very least trading firewood for other things you need on your farm or homestead can save money; and a penny saved, well you know the rest.

Small portable bandsaws are much cheaper today than they used to be. Where I grew up there was a sawmill up every holler‘, as it was a common thing for homesteaders to do. Big box stores have smothered out this business much like they have others. But there is still a profit to be made. It is increasingly hard to find rough sawn lumber at a reasonable price anymore. This is because of supply and demand. The few places left in my area are cutting pallet lumber. When I have barn project I have to pay a premium. There is a big demand and you could make a huge profit if you have the lumber to sell.

Do you have cedar, locust, pine, or even oak on your property? Cedar and locust can be put in the ground in their natural state, but pine and oak must be treated to last any time at all. Locust post in Kentucky fetch up towards $8 and cedar around $6. If treated, pine and oak could bring as much as $10. As the price of cattle increase this product will continue to generate more demand. Most of the work can be done with an ATV and chainsaw, so the overhead is minimal if you already possess these tools.

If you decide to do any of the above four, and you have goats, check this out. It’s common knowledge that goats prefer to browse and love tree leaves. So while cutting those post or logs don’t forget to pile the branches up on the trailer and feed to your goats. It will decrease the amount of hay or grain you feed. Goats will even eat pine or cedar. You can even mulch up the leftovers and use it for bedding in the barn for livestock or chickens.