Diversifying your income or choosing to grow various non-food agricultural ornamentals and products can be viable business ventures. In this section, we discuss details pertinent to support nurseries, cut flower production, fiber production, and christmas trees.
Local zoning laws might include regulations which govern the sale of these products in your area. Selling plants requires the purchase of a license from NYS Agriculture & Markets.
Ornamental Horticulture
Woody ornamentals, namely shade trees, fruit trees, evergreen shrubs and bushes, vines and groundcovers, can be low-maintenance options for making a profit with garden plant production. These options are popular amongst homeowners or landscapers who might be interested in creating attractive outdoor spaces either at the residential or commercial levels. Ornamentals are also oftentimes sold at the wholesale level- to a local nursery or landscaping company. Woody ornamentals are more tolerant to dry conditions than herbaceous perennials and other flowering species. Varieties can be grown with relatively little maintenance and can be grown outdoors year-round with minimal care. Some of the most common woody ornamentals include:
Trees: apple, cherry, pear, oak, hickory, beech, birch, maple, spruce, sycamore, willow, black locust, ash, walnut
Vines: grapes, kiwis, hops, blackberries, raspberries, kiwi berries
Ground covers: jasmine, junipers, geraniums, rhododendrons, primroses, phloxes, tulips, bleeding hearts, petunias
Shrubs: mock orange, viburnum, Japanese maple, butterfly bush
Before you decide whether or not you’re going to grow a particular type of plant, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the factors that will affect its success in the garden. Naturally-grown, native varieties of fruits and flowers from your local nursery will produce better quality than an artificially-bred specimen from catalogs or online gardening stores.
While it’s relatively simple to start your own nursery from scratch, it may take several years before you can generate a high enough sales volume to make a profit from your plant sales.
More information regarding permitting can be found at the NYS Agriculture and Markets website which includes the following documents: the Nursery Grower Application and Nursery Dealer Registration and Certification. A list of regional inspectors by county can be found on their website.
Cut Flower Production
Like woody ornamentals, selling cut flowers is becoming increasingly popular amongst small- and medium-scale mixed organic production farms. Cut flowers are a value-added specialty crop that can be managed like many other row crops while generating increased income per acre compared to most vegetables. Cut flower varieties are selected based on stem length, vase life, and sensory attributes like color and smell. Many growers choose to cultivate over 100 varieties so it’s important to optimize growing conditions and sources of material to support a healthy crop. Growing, processing, and marketing cut flowers can be a labor-intensive undertaking. Consider starting with a small area to gain experience and establish customer bases before committing to a larger area of floriculture production.
Common cut flower varieties include:
Hardy Annuals: Centaurea, Larkspur, Nigella, Scabiosa, Snapdragon, Mignonette
Half Hardy Annuals: Canterbury Bells, Didiscus, Saponaria, Stock
Tender Annuals: Ageratum, Celosia, Dahlias, Gomphrena, Marigold, Sunflowers
Easy-to-Grow Perennials: Asters, Coreopsis, Delphiniums, Echinacea, Heliopsis, Nicotiana, Phlox, Lamb’s Ear
Resources:
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Ornamental Horticulture Program
New York State Nursery and Landscape Association, Inc
Cornell Greenhouse Horticulture
Cornell Controlled Environment Agriculture
New York State Flower Industries, Inc
Cornell Small Farms Cut Flower Production Course
Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG)
UC Santa Cruz Organic Cut Flower Production Guide
Fiber
Fibers are some of the oldest materials used by humans and can be found in many things we interact with daily from clothing to seat belts. On a farm, fiber production might include raising animals including sheep, angora rabbits, goats, and llamas for their fleece. While fiber farming makes up a small percentage of agricultural production across the Northeast- there are just over 800 sheep farms producing wool in New York State and about 700 of those are small flocks with fewer than 100 heads of sheep- it fills a valuable niche for both farmers and consumers. Most fiber-producing animals prefer land that is hilly, rocky, and shady- not ideal for field crops but ideal for animals. Many farmers may incorporate fiber production into diversified operations. While fiber production has many benefits from a business standpoint, raising animals takes a significant amount of work and access to facilities and supplies.
Many fiber farmers sell their wool by coordinating with wholesalers to sell to a local wool pool. The other option is to direct market fiber and might have value-added products made with this product. There are about ten fiber processing mills across the state and six knitting mills. There are no large-scale dye houses. The wait for a farmer to receive their finished product back from a mill can be up to 12 months or more. Coordinating this schedule with the annual shear or harvest schedule can be tricky and serves as a barrier for farmers entering the market. It is also very expensive to ship wool. More information and resources can be found here.
There are requirements for importing sheep and goats into the state including a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and identification of each animal by a USDA approved scrapie ear tag or assigned flock ID tattoo. There is no permit number required for importation into the state but scrapie identification is required for all sheep and goats upon change of ownership, unless they are sold directly to slaughter. Farmers who buy or sell sheep or goats are considered to be an animal dealer and must have a Domestic Animal Health Permit.
There are a variety of diseases that sheep and goat owners should be aware of including scrapie, Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE), Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) and more.
NYS Ag & Markets Natural Fiber Textile Development Workgroup
Cornell Sheep and Goat Production
Empire Sheep Production Association
Christmas Trees
Like production of other crops, the first step in christmas tree farming is planning. Christmas trees require less consistent care each day and are a long-term agricultural investment. Despite the fact that most sales will happen in the fall and early winter months, year-round marketing for Christmas trees is vital. There are many small to medium-sized Christmas tree growers across New York state, mostly concentrated in the central part of the state.
Christmas trees are not currently covered through traditional crop insurance policies. However, they are insurable through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). More information can be found on Farm Insurance Fact Sheet or through your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) views Christmas trees as a long-term investment meaning that land preparation and establishment expenses must be capitalized and not immediately deducted as operating expenses.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Christmas Tree Production
Michigan State University Planting Guide
