This Side Hustle Is Helping Farmers Earn Up to $60,000 a Year While Connecting Outdoor Lovers With Untouched Wilderness If you've got some land, why not make some extra cash while letting others get out into nature?

For most farmers, it's "damn near impossible" to make a living on the land, according to Matt Graham. His family has owned a 700-acre farm in Eagleville, Missouri, since 1886, but today he describes their small cattle and crop operation as a "full-time hobby."

Graham says making a living from farming is prohibitively expensive, so he has a separate career in the energy sector. To raise cattle full time, he says you'd need a few hundred cows, about four acres of grazing land per cow, and a few tractors — all of which lands at around $15 million in startup costs. "There's just no way it pencils," he says. "And there's a lot of risk in it. It's weather- and market-dependent, and you can't control either."

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But Graham wanted his two sons to grow up on a farm, and he still keeps an eye out for ways to make extra money from his land. So when he heard about LandTrust, he was intrigued. LandTrust is an online marketplace that functions like an Airbnb for outdoor recreationists. It connects land owners with people looking for places to hunt, fish, birdwatch, camp, and more.

LandTrust currently offers exploration of 1.25 million acres across 40 states. The average landowner makes $6,000 to $12,000 in their first year on the site, but LandTrust says its highest earners make over $60,000 a year.

This is Graham's second year on the site, and he says it's been fun. "We get guys coming in from all over the country — Louisiana, California, everywhere. I enjoy it because I know everything about the place. I know exactly where the turkeys are roosting and where the deer flow. That saves [visitors] quite a bit of time, and makes it a better experience for them."

Graham likes that LandTrust handles the logistics and provides insurance. "We had managed some hunters before on our own," Graham says, "but insurance was kind of an issue. Now I don't have to worry about somebody coming in and hurting themselves. I still have my own insurance for it as well, but it's comforting to know that I won't lose the farm over somebody coming in and breaking their leg."

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Graham also likes that LandTrust makes pricing recommendations based on the market rate. Currently, Graham Farms offers fishing at $75 a day per guest, and turkey hunts for $400 per guest, for two days. "I would say most folks are looking for a specific experience," Graham says. "Turkey hunters, for instance — most of those guys are coming from the South. Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi. They have small turkeys down there, and our turkeys here are huge."

Graham says he needs to be relatively available on email and text to respond to questions from potential guests, but, "It's not much of a hassle." And recently, he's been building a cabin to offer guests the premium farm experience. "We're out here in the middle of nowhere, so lodging is a bit of a challenge," Graham says. "And the guys at LandTrust said, you know, you have chickens and a milk cow, and you're raising Wagyu cattle. Why don't you stock the fridge with Wagyu steaks and eggs and fresh milk and cheese and butter that you make there on the farm, and all they've got to do is show up."

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So far, Graham guesses they've hosted about 10 to 12 groups a year and brought in about $8,000 in additional income. But he's still just getting his feet under him. "This LandTrust stuff is fun," Graham says. "I've hunted here my whole life, and my boys have too. There's more than enough land for us to share with others."