Landowner #30193
The “farmable” area – consists of about 20 acres of fenced pasture, the land is gently sloping, perfect for livestock production. Most of the property is forested and in conservation easement (which does allow limited timber and firewood harvesting). Buildings and infrastructure include: a large spring-fed pool, the tractor shed (20′ x 30′ timber frame), the 1-2 bedroom farmhouse, my 86 year old mother’s home, a large converted barn that serves as a summer rental, the workshop (another 20′ x 30′ timber frame that is insulated and heated), the 7 stall working barn, and the equipment shed (20′ x 50′ timber frame lean-to) – which is not included in the conservation easement. This farm has been in our family since the early 1900s. My grandfather became a “gentleman” farmer after retiring and raised chickens and turkeys. That infrastructure is long gone and the “farming” we’ve done since then has consisted of large gardens, small scale maple syrup, and nearly 50 years of small scale beef production (3-4 head a year). The future of the farm is unclear. My mother would like to stay there as long as she can and is quite capable of handling a lot of the property maintenance on her own. I live out of state and typically spend about a week each month on the property helping with maintenance and the inevitable “special projects” that pop up…e.g. dealing with the aftermath of the Emerald Ash Borer or replacing the barbed wire fence with hi-tensile electric. We’d like to find a farmer or farmers – maybe a couple with one working off-farm until their farm plan has time to mature – to come pursue their dream and, in the process, help us maintain and improve the property. Leasing to own isn’t out of the question, but not something we can guarantee at this point. The farmers could take over the small beef cattle operation, raise other small livestock, produce eggs, add high tunnels/green houses (likely with our financial support), bring in school groups or ecotourists, raise native plants, expand the maple syrup operation, raise honey bees, sell firewood, selectively harvest and sell rough cut lumber…it seems to us there are all sorts of things the farm could support.
Landowner #30188
Farmland is currently in hay fields. Total land including woodland is 56 acres with 20 of that being farmland. At one time it was a dairy farm, but the barn has been converted out of dairy production to equipment storage. This is a 4th generation farm and is enrolled in the farmland preservation program. My family lives in the farmhouse and there are 2 rental houses available on the property that could be rented to a farmer/tenant.