How Much Does a Strawberry Farm Owner Make on 2 Hectares?

Track Sellable Fruit, Not Plant Count

Measure marketable yield per acre = sellable units ÷ planted acres. Track total picked, culls, loss rate, and the reason for loss by block and by pick day. A 1-point change in loss rate moves cash quickly because it affects every unit planned for sale.

• Log culls by cause.
• Compare yield by block.
• Pick before quality drops.
• Fix disease hot spots fast.

If output slips below 2,597 units per acre in year one or 3,230 units per acre in the mature year, slow expansion and fix field performance before adding acreage. No sellable fruit, no revenue.

Track Rejection and Sell-Through Speed

Measure harvested units, loss rate, days to sale, and rejected volume by field and channel. The key input is the gap between picked fruit and fruit actually sold, because that gap turns into lost revenue and wasted labor. If berries sit too long, quality drops and margin disappears.

• Track loss by picking day.
• Separate damage from overripe fruit.
• Move high-grade berries first.
• Use cold handling right after harvest.
• Cut slow-moving inventory fast.

Here’s the quick math: if loss worsens by 1 point, the farm gives up about $1,603 in first-year revenue before loss and about $14,432 in the mature year. That makes field checks, harvest timing, and same-day channel routing a direct profit control, not a nice-to-have.

Track crew speed and spoilage risk

Measure units picked per hour, labor cost per marketable unit, and same-day pack-out rate. If a crew misses peak harvest, cash drops twice: you pay labor and lose sellable fruit. Here’s the quick math: labor is not just a cost line, it is the gate between gross revenue and owner pay.

• Track pick rate by crew
• Log wage and piece-rate costs
• Count packed, rejected, and spoiled fruit
• Flag any crew gap within 24 hours

Track Margin by Channel

Measure each channel by units sold, cash collected, packing hours, customer-service time, and shrink. That shows which mix funds the owner after labor and handling. Track fresh direct, U-pick, wholesale, jam, and frozen separately so the best-selling channel is not hiding the weakest margin.

• Log units and dollars by channel.
• Track labor and packing hours.
• Separate shrink from sold volume.
• Test mix changes before scaling.

If direct sales take more work than expected, shift volume toward the channel with the best cash per hour. Keep higher-price channels only when they cover their own handling cost and still leave room for debt, reserves, and owner draw.

Keep Acreage in Line With Sales

Track planted hectares, weekly sell-through, harvest hours, and cold space. The quick test is simple: do not plant more than you can harvest and sell in the same window.

Watch these inputs closely so acreage helps income instead of straining it:

• Planted hectares by block
• Buyer demand by week
• Harvest labor availability
• Cold storage and packing capacity
• Working capital for payroll and transport

Protect Owner Cash

Track the inputs that hit cash first: lease per hectare, loan payment, insurance, equipment spend, irrigation cost, and reserve draw. If you do not model these monthly, you can overstate what the owner can safely take home. One clean rule: do not treat operating profit as salary.

• Test cash after fixed charges.
• Set a reserve before owner draw.
• Match debt terms to harvest timing.
• Delay land expansion if cash is thin.

Use a simple cash test: revenue minus fixed overhead, debt service, and reinvestment. If that number is weak, owner pay should stay low until reserves build. That matters most when acreage expands, because more land brings more lease or debt before it brings more usable cash.