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Saturday, February 15, 2014

Ideas to make money

I've been rather busy for the dead of winter. Lots of people who need me. Not so much in productivity.
I've been attempting to figure out how to get a steady income in the winter. This has not been quite as successful and I had hoped.
It turns out there are a lot of regulations concerning making feed. Those regulations are centered around larger business which make a standard product out of the same ingredients and then do more retail sales.
I wanted to sell ground grain with no additives according to ratios found in pre-twentyfirst century books and sell it to a reduced cost to people who don't need a certified feed analysis. The key to this was my ability to get small amounts of different grains and screenings and to make small batches.
I have refined this to a point where I eliminated the screenings and now use mostly whole grains which I grow myself.
The basic mix in 2000lbs is 1400lbs barley, 400lbs wheat, 250lbs flax, 150lbs camelina. I have the option of substituting in oats, peas (I really like to use peas), clover screenings, and alfalfa hay, with a gallon or so of molasses to keep down the dust. Sometimes I get various other types of screenings which I add to maintain a consistent density.
This basic mix works well for chickens, pigs, goats, and cows. I tweak it a little for individual customers. If the customer wants additives I make them add it themselves to the mixer.
I am going to have to change how I do this to meet regulations. I think I am going to give customers a sheet where they can check off the grains they want and the lbs they want in the mix. Then I will make a batch to their specifications.
This will be a custom grinding operation which I suppose will mean that everyone gets a 1099.
Here's the deal...
If I screw up someone's feed they won't come back. I will lose money. I don't advertise and so rely on word of mouth. If I don't make a quality product then I don't get any work. I have no intention of cheating anyone. If anyone is unhappy I make it right.
In fact it would be a lot more work to cheat someone than it would be to just do it right.
But there are the regulations. I'd be more upset but I realize it is the regulation that gets me a business opportunity.
I think I am almost at the point where I could make a standard product which I could get labeled.
The main problem is lack of funding.
I need at least $50,000 to buy better equipment and set up a system to weigh and unload grain without moving boxes and pallets for half a day to make a ton of feed.
But.... if I borrow then I have to raise my prices and I have to have regular customers.
Nothing is ever simple...

5 comments:

  1. No, and it keeps getting worse. You have to remember that regulations aren't really there to protect anyone, their purpose is to protect large operations from competition from smaller ones.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorges is right. That's what kept my business small.

    Question: How could you screw up the feed?

    ReplyDelete
  3. There certainly must be some options like www.kickstarter.com for the ag world for people with ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Regulations are strangling our creativity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too many regulations end up tailored for the convenience of regulators as well as the gain of large players. Much easier to govern a few BTO's than a horde of small and independent farmers.

    They see you as the barbarians at the gate.

    ReplyDelete

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