General farming (3 years+) - 3.5 years running my own farm with goats, sheep, chickens and rabbits
Other experience/agricultural/business training - 5 years dedicated to WWOOFing on a wide variety of farms around BC
Do you have a business plan?
No - Not yet, currently working on it!
Do you have financial resources available to start your farm?
No - I'm a grassroots farmer not afraid of the big work, and I possess a lot of the materials needed to set up, including tools, fencing a trailer to live in. Feeling pretty self sufficient, but I have a family member who can help support if bigger investment is needed to make a project happen.
Do you have access to other financial resources (such as a financial partner, loan, etc.) to start your farm?'
No - I prefer the slow and steady over the fast and expensive!
Project
Farm Name
To be discovered...
Farm Project Description
My primary goal is to spend a winter eating mostly home grown food. Over flow local foods would be distributed to friends and neighbours, as well as my children(2 toddler boys!) and their mom, with a portion bringing in a small amount of cash or trade goods. How do you get to a million dollars farming? Start with two million, haha! Of course I am not into agriculture to get wealthy, but I value a rich life and a rich pantry. Creating permaculture feedback loops with plants and animals is the method.
That said I am looking for a quiet, safe place where kids and the dog can run and play freely, with good solar exposure and access to a reliable water source. Best case scenario, maybe even a lease to own.
As a side project, I am interested in creating space for an annual primitive skills sharing event in the years to come. Having enough room for camping and access to wild or various natural settings is key for this
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but if could have bought into the market already, I would have done that at the first chance. Alas, here we are. Looking forward to chatting with other farmers! Cheers!
Preferred Arrangement
Lease -
Transfer / Succession -
Sale of Land -
Duration of the desired agreement
After a trial period, 5 years would be ideal
Ideal date to obtain land by
2020!
Participant in BC Land Matching Program
Yes
Land & Features Desired
Total Land Size (acres)
5-10 acres
Wooded Area (acres)
Yes - Wild places!
Cultivable Area (acres)
1 acre
Possibility to expand area currently available (acres)
Yes - I currently have several hundred meters of fence material
Zoning
Either
Preferred current state of the surface of the cultivable area
No preference. I'm currently parked in an old clear cut, rough as farming gets! I have a large metal pry bar though.
Open to landowner residing on property
Yes - Privacy is ideal, I like to have my own space, but am a pretty social person most times.
Need farm buildings
Yes - I can build these as needed
Need fenced land
Yes - Gotta keep the kids and dog from stepping on the lettuce.
Need farm machinery and tools
Yes - I have hand tools, chainsaw, 4x4 vehicle etc
Need established water source and infrastructure
Good clean mountain water. Gravity feed is ideal.
Need on-site housing
Yes - I am open to all options. I own a 28 ft trailer which requires building a roof over it if it were to move from its current roof, which I could take apart and reconstruct.
Production type
Vegetable - Lots!
Livestock - I have rabbits currently. Totally open to larger mammals, including millers. Will eventually bring in egg laying avians.
Grain - I've cropped out my lentils, favas, buckwheat already, seeds for next year. Certainly want to grow a grain to make proper bread.
Orchard/Fruit - I plant perennials everywhere I go.
Type of agriculture
Organic -
Other - Permaculture
Soil needs
As stated, the clear cut I currently reside in has fairly poor soil, but I have created some very nice dirt quite quickly here.
