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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/4/2009 1:35:37 PM
Posts: 1,
Visits: 1
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| Hello everyone! I'm so glad I found this forum - my wife and I are starting the land search to find a possible hobby farm / gentlemen's estate site. Some background on me - I didn't grow up on a farm, but my grandmother had a small one. I fell in love with the whole farming lifestyle (hard work and everything), but like all teenagers I rebelled against it back in the late 80's and moved to the city. I met my wife, whose grandmother had a small farm too, there. We moved to a small Midwestern town of 200,000 and here the story truly begins... We are currently living in a modest house in town, and we intend to use this as our primary residence while we are preparing the farmland for our "estate". I am the one tasked with finding the land / budgeting for our expenses / etc. Our primary use of our farm estate will be food for ourselves, our immediate family, and for some friends. We are currently childless but are adopting soon, so we foresee going from two to four or six family members. Down the road I might consider selling at a farmer's market, but after reading Joel Salatin's excellent book Everything I Want to Do is Illegal, my passion for that has faded a bit. So - my first, most pressing question is - how much land should we get? And where? My natural inclination is to get as much as we can afford and as remote as possible, but that's probably a reaction to the small lot and high regulation that we currently experience. We've found several parcels ranging from 20 to 40 acres, at roughly $3-$5K an acre. If we want to start small with room for expansion, would 40 acres be overkill? I figure we want to have extensive gardens, pastures, and woods, so I want plenty of space hehe. Sorry if this rambles - I've been reading several books about buying farm property, such as Gene Lodgson, but those books don't really deal with overall farm planning and how to stock/build/purchase equipment for one. Thanks so much for reading, and if anyone wants to talk via email I would welcome it! My email is dhatcher@chicagogsb.edu
Morg
Hobby Farmer Wannabe
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 5:47:51 PM
Posts: 154,
Visits: 124
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hi Morg
Well, you are trying to run away from where you are, right? If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. But this sounds so similar to where I've been.
If you really want to start a hobby farm...
1. Decide first what you want to do. Are you going to start a Christmas Tree Farm?...as I thought I would. Are you going to grow crops for resale ( I tried a nursery for perennials and trees and shrubs...no profit)? Do you want to run a roadside stand? Want to participate in "famer's markets"? Want to get into animal husbandry? (sheep, goats, pigs, cows, chickens)
Do you want to specialize in organic crops? Rare crops that are hard to come by? Cater to upscale restaurants with unique needs? These are the things to decide before you choose how much land you need.
2. Be prepared for an enormous awakening. Just because you are passionate and you grow it/raise it...they may not come. I tried for years...although I admit that I did not have the traits that make a salesman. Also, in my rural area there are many "competitors", among them the Amish who, around here, have a great reputation for quality and low prices.
3. Morg, first decide what it is you LOVE to do. That alone can carry you through. It's hard work. Nearing 60, I just decided that I am willing to keep my "day job"...it's really not that bad.
4. If you are committed to a particular farming niche...go for it! This is the moment you have! Jump in and enjoy!
In the end, I've realized that my need for this land is more for my own growth than anything else. I've watched as nature seemed to thwart every effort (deer eating everything, disease devestating one crop after another, storms, drought, and more) but have come to realize that all of those are greater than me.
Yet, I am still here and going strong.
All the best for you!
Terry
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Today @ 5:47:51 PM
Posts: 154,
Visits: 124
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Hi Morg.
After rereading your post it sounds like you have money to spend. If you are looking more for investment, certainly the more land you can buy the better. You never know when that land will be marked for "development".
If you really are looking to have a "working hobby farm" and you have money behind you, the best bet is to look to what YOU want to do. There are many areas of focus. You need lots of land to grow crops and feed livestock on a large scale. If you choose to go "artisan" you can focus on a smaller scale.
Well... this is just the same message as before...you need to decide what you want to raise,plant, sell before you decide on how much land you need.
Best Regards!
Terry
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