Hello
My family and I are seeking to lease or partner on 5+ acres near Eugene. We are a family of three- I am the primary farmer, my partner is the builder and maintenance person in the family and our 11 year old daughter just wants to be surrounded by lots of animals on a daily basis.
I am currently a sheep shearer and have a few years experience as hired farm labor on small diversified farms. I absolutely love shearing sheep and would like to expand this love into shepherding. Through study and research I have come to the integration of trees and forest products with sheep in a silvopasture system as the most ideal, adaptable and regenerative way to keep sheep and restore health on the land. Study is wonderful but now is the time to learn by doing and so I am seeking land on which to pursue this.
My most ideal situation is to find a lease or partnership on land that could benefit from this system, that has housing or the potential for housing to be built and in a perfect situation an owner willing to mentor or a partner willing to learn together. Bonus if there are other kids on the farm or children that live nearby!
Update in December 2024:
My family and I have made our transition back to Eugene and are living in our home in town. We are still seeking a farming opportunity. Housing on farm is not necessary at this time but for sustaining a healthy relationship with the land, animals and ourselves I think it would be necessary in the future.
*Note- my family and I are currently abroad. My partner works online and so we took this opportunity to explore other cultures and so our daughter could learn another language. After a year she is bilingual! I have been shearing sheep and learning about shepherding in Europe as well as exploring my Swedish ancestry of herds-women and forest farming. After a year and a half we are feeling a pull toward home (we had lived in Eugene for 10 years). Our goal is to move home to a farm but our timeline is flexible. We own a house in Eugene and so do have a home base in the area. We are 9 hours ahead of Oregon time and can communicate effectively via email, Skype, Whatsapp, Google Chat or another such service. Looking forward to connecting!
Pasture is the most essential while barns, water rights, woodland, electricity are all ideal but not deal breakers.
I have two years of experience as a farm hand on small, organic and diverse farms and also three years as a sheep shearer. I have non-ag related business ownership experience and am currently taking online courses in farm start-up and management.
My short term goal is to lease, partner or lease to own 5-10 acres around Eugene, Oregon for a small flock of sheep (breed depending on the land) and through experience learn more about rotational grazing and the implementation of silvopasture. Within two years I would like to be milking the sheep and producing yogurt as well as selling meat, lambskins, wool and self made wool products.
My long term goal is to steward land that can support and would benefit from a regenerative silvopasture system that could include fruit, nut, timber trees and other forest products in partnership with sheep. My goal is to be producing and selling to the local community forest products (according to what the land is capable of hosting and would benefit from) as well as sheep yogurt, lamb meat, lambskins, wool and wool products.
Long term we would also like to be living on farm and sustaining our needs from on farm production. I have many years experience in growing, foraging and preserving food for my family.
Ideally I am looking for property with housing or with the ability for housing to be added in the long run. It seems necessary to me to eventually live on site in order to sustainably tend the land and animals. My partner is our family builder and would contribute to the farm in building and maintenance projects which could include building us a house. We have lived in tiny and self built houses before and so are fairly flexible in our housing needs. Housing could be a yurt, tiny house on wheels, cabin, converted barn etc. We are currently living in a home that we 'own' in Eugene. The property has two tiny dwellings, we rent out one below market value and live in the other. It is important to us to provide housing to others below the inflated market. When able to move on farm we would either rent out the second tiny home as well (preferred) or sell this property in order to invest in the farm.
I strive to be welcoming to all human and non human people. I do my best and accept feedback when I don't succeed. <3
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