Every figure on this page is the template's own, an extension estimate and not a measurement of any farm. Your own hours and harvests calibrate it once you log them.
Where the numbers come from
- TN · University of Tennessee Extension, Sample Budget for Blackberry Production (D154), 2022 primary
- KY · University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2017 Kentucky Blackberry Cost and Return Estimates for Thorny, Thornless Erect, and Thornless Semi-Erect Blackberries (ID-149), 2017
Figured at 1210 plants, the size of operation the primary source describes. Season 3, the first at full production; earlier seasons earn less.
Hours by week
1210 plants of Blackberries in 2026, week by week. The dashed line is 40 hours, one person's week. The busiest week holds 50 h (Jun 15 to Jun 21).
Weeks that cannot move
Biology or a booking sets these; nothing can reschedule them.
- Blackberry picks: Jun 1 to Aug 16
Where it lands on a mixed farm
Each pair of templates is run together on a made-up farm of one person at 40 hours, the way Farm Draft runs a plan. A week is listed when the scheduler finds work that cannot move, at least 8 hours from each, adding up to more than 40. The weeks are computed, not written: change a template and they change.
| Collides with | Weeks | Worst week | This template | The other | Fixed work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberries | 4 (Jun 1 to Jun 28) | Jun 1 to Jun 7 | Blackberry picks, 12 h | Raspberry picks (summer), 88 h | 288 h |
| Blueberries | 7 (Jun 1 to Jul 19) | Jun 1 to Jun 7 | Blackberry picks, 12 h | Blueberry picks, 48 h | 169 h |
| Honeybees | 1 (Jun 15 to Jun 21) | Jun 15 to Jun 21 | Blackberry picks, 12 h | Honey extraction and bottling, 121 h | 157 h |
| Market garden (mixed vegetables) | 3 (Jun 15 to Jun 21, Jul 6 to Jul 12, Jul 27 to Aug 2) | Jun 15 to Jun 21 | Blackberry picks, 12 h | Market day (shared by every bed), 5 h | 45 h |
| Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf) | 1 (Aug 10 to Aug 16) | Aug 10 to Aug 16 | Blackberry picks, 12 h | Harvest, 17 h | 41 h |
Not checked, because their sources state no size of operation: Cut flowers (bunches, direct), Hair sheep (pasture lambs), Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs), Stocker cattle (summer grazing).
Tasks
| Task | Hours fixed | Hours per plant | When | Rigidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer tipping | — | 0.01 h a plant | once, Jun 15 to Jul 15 | Floating |
| Spent-cane removal | — | 0.02 h a plant | once, Aug 16 to Sep 30 | Floating |
| Irrigation checks | 0.25 h | — | weekly, May 1 to Sep 30 | Flexible, 3 days |
| Blackberry picks | — | 0.01 h a plant | every 3 days, Jun 3 to Aug 15 | Fixed |
| Sales / market | 1 h | — | weekly, Jun 1 to Aug 30 | Flexible, 2 days |
Costs
| Line | Amount | Schedule F |
|---|---|---|
| Fertilizer, mulch, pest control, packaging | $1.10 a plant | Fertilizer and lime |
Revenue
| Line | Price | Yield | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | $28.00 a plant | 1 plant a plant | 8 pint a plant |
Farm Draft records the tax category of each line and leaves the choice of treatment to your CPA.
Run it on your own farm
Add Blackberries next to the rest of what you grow and raise. Farm Draft puts every enterprise in one weekly calendar against the hours you actually have and names the week they collide.
The other templates
- Beef cow-calf
- Blueberries
- Cut flowers (bunches, direct)
- Hair sheep (pasture lambs)
- Hay (tall fescue, custom baled)
- Honeybees
- Laying hens
- Market garden (mixed vegetables)
- Meat goats (pasture and browse)
- Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf)
- Pastured broilers
- Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs)
- Pick-your-own and event days
- Raspberries
- Stocker cattle (summer grazing)