I'm sorry you did not receive a response. This is the first time I've check this thread although I check vegetable gardening regularly. Please visit your local cooperative extension service. It should be listed under the name of your county. Get information, attend lectures and demos, and start making friends with other gardeners. I like to "like" pages on facebook of my favorite local farmers. One frequently posts photos of what's going on.

Our daughter-in-law has chickens. They require work and protection. She has had a bear drag off bags of feed and also lost chickens to some kind of wild animals. She also had to learn how to humanely put down an ailing chicken. Fortunately, a neighbor is a former farmer and gives her help and instruction.

What crops to grow to provide an income is tough to answer. Around here, corn is probably a good seller even though a couple of families already have a farm stand. I prefer to buy corn since when we used to grow corn in limited space the raccoons won out. I have been surprised at how much people charge for a quart container of fingerling potatoes. Hopefully your cooperative extension is running classes on selling produce. You need to find out what laws you have in your area.

No, I don't think you need heavy equipment. I have an old used John Deere riding mower with the blades removed and a small cart hitched to the back that I use for hauling things around. We have a compost area (which is too far from the house) and a weed dump because I don't want the really bad weeds in the compost pile (witch grass, creeping Jenny, etc.). The pickup truck is used to bring in yearly composted manure which we find free on Craigslist. The best deal is someone willing to load with their tractor for a small fee. I like building lasagna beds which is sheet composting and since the soil is never compacted I can easily use a spading fork in the spring.

Since the beds and my high tunnel are a distance from the house, I have a yard pump as a convenient water source. The line from the house is buried and water stays below frost line until the pump handle is lifted. I just use a sprinkler, dragging hose to different parts of the garden a couple of times a day on the days that I water. We have a high water table and sufficient rain that I do not have to do a lot of watering.

I would suggest considering attending the Maine Organic Farmers Common Ground Fair in late September because they have a large variety of workshops on every aspect. Check to see when the organic farmers association in your area has an educational day and when they sell fertilizer etc at bulk pricing.