Thinking of starting a small lavender farm

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Fri, 09/07/2012 - 20:35 #1

Member for

12 years 2 months
syoleen
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 09/06/2012 - 20:45

Thinking of starting a small lavender farm

No action yet, just thinking of buying a small lot (1-2 hec.) near melbourne to grow lavender.

I know nothing about farming or planting.

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Sun, 09/09/2012 - 19:40 #2
charlie
Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44

Hi Syoleen,

Welcome to Farmstyle great to have you join the community. Most people here are just starting out, we are all here to help each other.

There is a bit to learn when it comes to growing lavender, including site selection, the lavender market, lavender species and products. The best lavender returns come from agri-tourism, so you will need to look to purchase a small farm on a main road to attract visitors. 

The article 'Starting a lavender farm' will provide you with a good starting point. Included in the article are links to further lavender resources.

Be sure to let us all know how your journey progresses and if you can share some of what you learn along the way.

Have any other Farmstyle members been involved in a lavender farm?

Charlie 

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Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:03 #3
mmm….shiney
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 08/31/2012 - 21:35

Welcome syoleen, I know nothing about lavender as well, and you can include farming in that. Embarassed

But if I was starting a lavender business, or any ag business, I would make sure I fully understood the potential market for which I would be supplying. As far as I understand the farming sector, there are 2 types of operations, those that contract to suppliers/distributors (wholesalers) and those that supply restaurants, markets and domestic users. In my line of business (restaurant) we are fortunate to deal with both. We buy from both the farmer direct and from the wholesalers. We prefer dealing with the actual producer, but it must be pointed out, these producers have been operating for a v ery long time and we've developed a good rapport over many years.

The first thing you need to decide is where you fit into the scheme of things. Who buys lavender? How much does it cost/hectare? etc etc It's a limited market, you'd want to make a shedload. Or if I can put it another way, why lavender?  :)

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Mon, 09/10/2012 - 15:32 #4
mmm….shiney
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 08/31/2012 - 21:35

Edited for double post :P

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Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:30 #5
elf
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 09/22/2011 - 21:04

Syoleen,

If the Farmstyle lavender farming article is correct and the best way to make money out of lavender is through agri-tourism I would be very cautious. From my experience niche agricultural markets (like lavender) get over supplied very quickly. If the market (demand) does not continue to grow with the supply there is no market for the product.

Conduct thorough research regarding the supply and demand before planting any lavender. 

Jen 

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Tue, 09/11/2012 - 19:27 #6
syoleen
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 09/06/2012 - 20:45

Thanks to Jen's advice, I changed my mind to have a Chilli Pepper farm.

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