West Shokan, NY, Ulster County
Acres Available
Open Tillable Acres
Wooded (or other) Acres
Condition & Current Use
We have a 55 acre farm that has slowly been taken over by pine forests over the last 50-100 years. Before that it was a cattle farm with mostly cleared pasture, but more recently (the past 30 years) it was unused by its owners, letting weeds, trees, and bush take over. Slowly the forest crept in and left us with about 6 acres of cleared land, with about 2 acres of it being flat, and another couple of sloping land where we started an orchard. We have had the farm for three years and have planted about 25 fruit trees, and various crops to see what will thrive and what wont. The entire property has hundreds, if not thousands of wild blueberry bushes, many wild mushrooms, and a few streams. We are looking to grow and cultivate food to feed our family, our community, and help those in need with food. In the long term we would like to be able to connect people to the land in any capacity to help them grow, learn, and thrive on our farm. We believe it is important to connect people with what they eat. We do things organically, and with minimal plastic. We will be looking to get bee hives, and chicken coops going soon. We have fenced in an acre of land as well as our orchard and are looking for some help with growing what can be a beautiful abundant farm.
Soil Types
Farm History & Past Use
This was a cattle farm about 60 years ago, but hasn't been used as farmland since then.
Tenure Options
We are open to many different arrangements, there is a lot of potential on this land. Currently I am farming the land myself, but I would love to partner with someone who could make the operation even bigger and better. There is so much potential. If someone was not interested in partnering we could also work out an agreement to lease some of the additional land. Open to a partnership, a cooperative, or leasing agreement. We would be open to letting someone stay here in a tiny home, trailer, or RV, if they would work the farm with us. Kingston is about 40 mins away and Woodstock is around 20 mins away if rental housing was needed in the area. All proposals and ideas are welcome and up for discussion. We do have a goal to qualify for the agricultural assessment on the land in the future!
Are you willing to mentor a new or beginning farmer?
Do you require a farmer who qualifies for agricultural assessment?
Production Preferences
Livestock / Crops Description
We have no livestock at the moment. Small livestock would be more feasible on the property since so much of it is wooded. We do currently produce herbs, vegetables, and fruit. Would love to have honey and eggs. There are also tons of blueberry bushes on the property that could be utilized.
Crops Permitted
Livestock Permitted
Preferred Farming Method
Farm Infrastructure
Fencing
We have a fenced in acre of flat land with three tilled fields ready for planting as well as other areas that are untouched for raised beds or other use. We also have an orchard that is about a half acre that is fenced as well.
Water Access
We have a few seasonal streams, and one that is year round. We also have well water that irrigates the fenced in area if needed.
Additional Property Information
We do not want to have chemicals used on our land, and we are on the watershed, so soil and water must stay clean.