Civil Eats has this piece on Jesse Frost, who operates a .75 acre no-till farm in Kentucky.
It all sounds good, except when he says his operation grosses $70K, and apparently uses 2+ person-years of labor--i.e., one paid employee and Jesse full time, and some contribution from his wife.
I can accept that his out-of-pocket expenses, assuming he owns the land outright with no mortgage, are low. But $70K divided by 2 is $35K each, which isn't much over the minimum wage progressives would like to see. I can also accept that food costs for his wife and him would be relatively low, especially if they freeze and/or can a lot. But I'm not convinced that the cash returns are sufficient for a lifetime supporting a family through all the ups and downs. It may well be enough with the wife's outside income, likely providing health insurance and covering SS.
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