50 Small Agricultural Business Ideas

President-elect Donald Trump’s recent appointment of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as ambassador to China serves as a reminder. High tech products aren’t the only thing of importance in today’s global economy. Iowa farmers supply huge quantities of corn and pork to China. So agriculture remains an important business here in the U.S., and produces important products for export as well. Though you may not be exporting to the world’s second largest economy any time soon, here are 50 small agricultural businesses you might consider.

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Agricultural Business Ideas

Urban Agriculture

You don’t need a huge space to get into the agriculture business. If you have a city or suburban home, you can still plant some crops in small or vertical containers to get the most out of your space.

Farmer’s Market Vending

Whether you live in the city or country, you can take the food that you grow or produce and sell it at local farmers’ markets to earn an income.

Herb Growing

Herbs like basil, parsley and mint can make for great agriculture products. So you can grow it at your home or farm and sell it.

Vegetable Farming

You can also plant a variety of different vegetables and harvest them to sell or make into different products.

Livestock Feed Manufacturing

Even if you don’t have enough space to actually farm livestock, you can still contribute to the industry by manufacturing feed for livestock.

Fruit Growing

Or you could grow and harvest various types of fruit to sell or make into other fruit based products.

Field Crop Farming

Soybeans, cloves and other types of crops require a fair amount of field space to grow. But if you have the land, you can harvest specific crops to sell to food producers.

Nursery Operation

You can also start your own nursery where you grow and sell different types of plants to consumers or businesses.

Dairy Farming

If you have the space and the ability to care for cows or other dairy animals, you could start your own dairy farms where you produce milk, cheese and similar products.

Poultry Farming

Or you could focus on caring for chickens and other poultry animals to supply food production companies.

Fish Farming

Fish farming is also a growing sector of the agriculture – or in this case, aquaculture – industry. The process requires raising fish in large tanks or enclosures.

Rabbit Raising

You can also raise rabbits for a variety of different purposes within small pens or similar enclosures.

Snail Farming

If you’re looking for a very small type of animal to raise, you might consider snails. It might sound strange, but you can raise snails for use in escargot. And snail slime can also be used by companies for a variety of different purposes.

Mushroom Farming

You could also start a farm where you focus specifically on growing various types of mushrooms.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is an activity that can lead to a variety of different product-based business ventures.

Honey Production

For example, you can harvest honey from beehives and sell it to consumers or processors.

Beeswax Processing

You can also collect and process beeswax and sell it to companies or individuals that use it to make candles and similar products.

Soy Production

Soy is another popular substance that can be used in a variety of different products. So if you can harvest and process it, you can sell it to companies for various uses.

Food Delivery

If you grow or process food items, you can also build a business around delivering fresh food items to local consumers who want to buy local products.

Bulk Foodstuff Wholesaling

You could also harvest food that can be sold in bulk, like rice or corn product, that you can sell wholesale to food production companies.

Weed Killer Production

Or you could start a B2B business that produces weed killer specifically for farmers or other agricultural businesses.

Fruit Canning

If you grow or process fruit, you can can it to sell to consumers or food companies.

Jam Production

Or you could process various fruits even further to make into canned jam or jelly products.

Juice Production

Juice is another popular fruit based product that you could potentially make and sell at farmers’ markets or other venues.

Meat Packing

You can also start a business that processes meat products to sell to consumers or grocery markets.

Hatchery Operation

Or you could focus on collecting and selling chicken eggs.

Florist Business

You could even start a florist business where you grow your own flowers to use in different products and arrangements.

Spice Production

There are also plenty of different plants you can grow that will allow you to create various spices that you can process and sell.

Nut Processing

Or you could grow peanuts or similar products that you can package and sell.

Organic Gardening

You could also specialize in organic gardening practices so you can market your products to health and eco-conscious consumers.

Sustainable Farm Consulting

Or you could even offer your expertise to other farmers or agriculture businesses that want to utilize sustainable methods as a consultant.

Agricultural Equipment Rental

If you have the capital to purchase farming or agriculture equipment, you could start a business where you rent or lease that equipment out to farmers.

Worm Farming

Compost can be a useful tool for food growers. So you can make compost to sell to farmers and gardeners by starting your own worm farm.

Goat Rentals

People who have a lot of land and don’t want to spend the time to mow it could potentially use the help of goats. So you could start your own business where you care for goats and then rent them out for that purpose.

Christmas Tree Farming

You could also grow pine trees on your property and then sell them to nearby customers around the holidays to use as Christmas trees.

Firewood Production

Or if you have other types of trees on your land, you could use sell the firewood to those who need it. Creating a long term sustainable business would depend on expanding the amount of land on which you can harvest trees and also systematic replenishment through continuous replanting.

Tree Seed Supply

You could also harvest seeds from different trees and sell them to people who want to plant new ones.