If successful, this will be the 8th farm we have purchased, so not new to the game. The returns are not huge but they are consistent and you would be very unlikely to ever have a year where you didn't get the return, unlike stocks or other investments. We cash rent our tillable farm ground for annual income and some of our non-tillable is in various CRP programs that also earn some income. You can also selectively harvest timber from woodlots every 15 years or so to bring in some cash, and there are habitat programs you can enroll land in to reduce the taxes to nearly nothing.
I think it's a great way to preserve money and in all likelihood get some long term appreciation and some annual income along the way. I like to hunt, fish and do around the farm chores and tinkering anyway, so that is a big plus as well.