How Much Money Can You Earn On 1 Acre Of Land?

There is a long list of creative ways to earn money off 1 acre of land.

One acre is 43,560 square feet. An acre can be measured in any shape, from rectangles to circles, or even hexagons.

Those seemingly endless fields of farmland you picture in your mind are fairly accurate. The average farm is 444 acres. So keep in mind, one acre of land is a relatively small plot.

What Does 1 Acre Of Land Cost?

Before you can even think about earning money from your investment, let’s talk about what you will have to shell out to buy the single acre.

How much an acre of land costs varies a lot by location, economic influences and overall appeal.

According to the USDA, the average cost of farmland in the U.S. is $3,160 per acre, but that number quickly rises once you start looking at land in popular metro areas. Not to mention, that cost is based on purchasing a 100+ acre plot of land all at once. The cost of one single acre could be significantly more, especially if it includes water access.

Once you find your land, here's a few ways to make money from it.

Invest In Farmland Today!

1. Timberland

If you are interested in buying one acre of timberland, you should look for land with productive soil and in a good location. Since it takes years to grow, it is best to buy land with existing trees on it.

One acre of timberland comes with a price tag of around $1,800.

2. Christmas Trees

Those Douglas Fir and Balsam trees that are purchased by millions of the country’s families can rake in a profit – but it will be a longer-term commitment.

The average holiday tree takes 6 to 8 years to mature. You can raise between 1,200 to 1,500 trees per acre and sell them for around $150.

You will need to be consistently planting new trees to replace the ones sold at Christmas. In the right climate, this is a solid way to earn money on one acre.

3. Raise Chickens

You can raise anywhere from 400 to 500 chickens on your one acre of land.

A good egg-laying hen will give you about 5 to 6 eggs per week. You can sell the eggs for an average of $3.00 per dozen. Keep in mind the costs for building the coop, chicken feed and other expenses, primarily at the onset.

4. Honey

You can have 1 to 2 colonies on one acre of land.

Purchasing bees, equipment and protective wear can cost you several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Of course, you will need blossoming trees, shrubs, or flowers for the bees to thrive.

The amount of honey produced by a single hive is dependent on the strength of the colony and type of hive box used. With a traditional 10 frame deep box, a strong hive will produce 80 to 100 lbs. of honey. A medium box is likely to produce 40 to 60 lbs. of honey since its smaller than a deep box.

According to National Honey Board, one pound of honey is worth $6 on average.