Seeking Purchase or Lease: 1+ acres for organic vegetable farm start-up (location flexible)

Land Seeker Description

Hello,

I am a young farmer who has been studying permaculture on other organic farms, working alongside knowledgeable and respectful land stewards. I feel a strong calling to support myself and a small community in this same way and am ready to purchase/lease my first property and realize this goal.

My farm will produce vegetables, chicken eggs, and goat milk. I need water access and electricity for a small personal dwelling, and it would be nice to be near/enclosed by woodland. I could go as small as 1 acre of farmable land. I am ready to offer a small down payment or would be very interested in lease-to-own.

Thank you for considering me and please don’t hesitate to reach out,

Ruth Hale

What features of the property are essential?

Water rights and electricity are a must, a barns/sheds/polytunnels would be a huge plus but I am willing to build everything in the long-term as money allows.

Describe your farming experience

I lived for six months on an organic farm in Idaho that sold to markets and ran a CSA box scheme, providing vegetables and duck eggs to local families. I am now WWOOFing in the UK learning about organic permaculture practices abroad, currently working on a 12-acre croft that also does a CSA box scheme feeding 50 families with organic vegetables, chicken eggs, and goat milk. I understand the principles of propagation, soil testing, crop rotation, harvesting, clearing beds, mulching, etc. I am ready and eager to try working my own land.

Are you currently farming?

What are your short term goals for the land

I want to get potatoes, beets, chard, spinach, kale, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, and nitrogen-fixing legumes going immediately. I hope to build a small dwelling (yurt, cabin, or otherwise) to house myself and have room to add additional private structures for farmhands in the long-term. Depending on the climate of the land, I will need 1-2 polytunnels to start. I will also house 4-8 chickens and 2-4 goats, adding more in the long term based on community need.

What are your long term goals

My long-term goal is to own my property and support myself on an organic CSA box scheme that complies with permaculture principles. I want to support the health of the land while feeding my local community, as well as providing a modest, meaningful livelihood for myself.

Describe your housing needs

I would like a small private dwelling and am willing to build one in the first year if I am buying or leasing-to-own.

What will you do as a farmer to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone on your farm and in your community?

I am a believer in human rights for all people regardless of any factor. My farm will strive to support the health of my community and the land I tend in all aspects.