I have some acreage and would like to do something with it. What should I do?

This is another question where there is no one correct answer. Different things work for different people depending on a number of factors. Consider all of them and thoroughly investigate all of your options before making a decision. Here is a list of factors (in no particular order):

• How much time do you have to devote to a new business or enterprise?
• What are your skills or areas of knowledge?
• What are you passionate about? It’s likely that you will work harder to see something become a success if you are passionate about it in addition to it being a viable business venture.
• What is your land suited for?
• Where is your land located? The statement “location is everything” is true. If you want to produce fruits and vegetables on your land and sell those from an on-farm market, but you are located in a very rural area with little drive by traffic you need to seriously consider the viability of the enterprise. That is not to say that this could not be successful, but it may require more work on your part to attract customers than if your land, and hence the market, were located someplace with more traffic.
• Are there any restrictions on the use of your land? Make sure you know the zoning and any other applicable regulations on the use of your land before starting your enterprise.
• Is there a market for products that you may produce?

Finally, choosing not to do anything at the current time can be better than jumping into something ill-informed or unprepared, so don’t view this as a failure.