Are you tired of city life?
Commute got you down? Feeling claustrophobic about having a dozen neighbours in range of your golf swing? In the great Rat Race, are the rats are winning? This letter is for you.
I hear from a lot of people in the city that they are tired of the daily, hour-long commutes in rush-hour traffic. That they want make a bigger difference than pushing papers and are looking for better ways to contribute. To live a lifestyle that's more sustainable (financially and ecologically). Many want out of our rat-race society but don't know what else to do.
My name is Sherwood Botsford and, for the last 15 years, my wife Laura and I have run a tree farm located 75 kilometers south-west of Edmonton. (about 45 minutes outside of Edmonton's south and west city limits.)
In the beginning it was a hobby.
I wanted something that would keep me busy when I retired. We decided that we weren't going to borrow money for this venture. That way, we'd never have to do something underhanded to make the loan payment. The first few years we sank about $10,000 a year into the farm. Pots, trees, pipe, tractor bits etc. From 2007 to 2010 we broke even and all the gross profit went back into the farm. More pipe. More trees.
In 2016 we made a gross profit of just over $30,000 on sales of just under $80,000. This was a slight decrease of 3.0% from last year. Not bad for an economic slump. Our inventory, on the other hand, increased in value from $275,000 to $315,000 (retail) in the same time period.
In 2017 we matched last year's total sales by the first of June. That's not quite as wonderful as it sounds. May and June are our busy months, and we work hard at preselling.
For 2018, we were aiming for $150,000 but only made $130,000
2019: We were planning to move, and didn't place much of a set of orders. We were marking time, waiting for the real estate agent to find a buyer. "Screw this. I'm running a farm." Laura handles the notion of selling it. It's a too large a distraction from what I do well.
July 27, 2020. Our total sales this year so far have been $212,000
May 5, 2021. Our total orders to date are $174,000. Our theoretical inventory retail value is $880,000
Let me save you some time:
Up through 2018 this was not a viable business. That is, it won't cover the mortgage payments, and pay you a livable wage at the same time. It has a huge amount of potential. To use an analogy, the engine is running, the checklist is complete, and you're cleared for takeoff.
But you can't quit your other job just yet. This year we may make 100K on sales of 300K. Could be more.
This is an ideal opportunity for someone who has gotten their 20 year pension. Policeman, fireman, military. If you can live on your pension during the first 3 critical years, this may just be what you are looking for.
We have never borrowed money for the farm. Think about that. Every nickel has come out of our discretionary spending. It's been self supporting since 2007.
Remember too: A tree doesn't grow overnight.
Of course, we would say that our business has a good reputation but, perhaps, you might want to hear from our customers.
”Excellent service, very knowledgeable. He really knows his stuff, very good prices and I'm very happy with my apple trees!” -- Cory Peters
”Sherwood and Laura have been so kind and patient with us, our daughter and all of our questions regarding planting, pruning, and general growth of the trees. We will be back again!” -- Herald and Stacey Sundar, Stony plain.
Lodgepole Pine in our front yard.
Got something to say? Email me: sfinfo@sherwoods-forests.com
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Want to talk right now? Talk to me: (8 am to 8 pm only, please) 1-780-848-2548
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Copyright © 2008 - 2018 S. G. Botsford
Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.