Preferred counties/regions
- Capital Region
- Albany County
- Columbia County
- Greene County
- Rensselaer County
- Saratoga County
- Schenectady County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Hudson Valley
- Dutchess County
- Ulster County
- Sullivan County
- Orange County
- Putnam County
- Westchester County
- Rockland County
- Mohawk Valley
- Fulton County
- Montgomery County
- Schoharie County
Desired acreage
- 21-50
- 51-100
Farming Status
Emerging farmer: 2 years or more of on farm work experience
Currently farming full-time
Primary reason for farming
Farm will generate the majority of my income
Farming status, plans, and practices
Originally from New York, I have lived for the past eight years in Washington State. One summer, after college, I found myself working on an organic, vegetable farm and from there, the farming bug has had me. The past four years I have worked for three different vegetable farms in Washington and am now looking to start up my own endeavor for and with my family. My experience has mostly been with midsize-small, organic, diversified vegetable productions with a bit of livestock. I plan on continuing these practices in my own production, using cover-cropping, rotational grazing and diversification to cultivate soil resilience and biodiversity.
I am currently working on a vegetable and wool/natural dye farm (part time in the winter) although my fiance and I are hoping to move in the next 8 months. We are planning on purchasing a farm with an FSA loan and have begun the process of compiling all the paperwork. My extended family lives in Brooklyn, Albany and Westchester and it would be ideal for us to live within 3-4 hours of them for visiting as well as marketing and business.
I love all parts of farming including working hands-on with the plants and animals, the ebbs and flows of the seasons, as well as marketing and business planning. I love a challenge and know that farming is indeed a challenge and look forward to the future.
Farm Experience & Education
- Farm internship/apprenticeship
- On farm work experience
Farming Plans and Practices
Farming method or practice
- Biodynamic
- Organic (certified)
- Regenerative/Sustainable
Primary crops
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Vegetables
-
Flowers or Ornamentals
Primary livestock
-
Goats/Sheep
-
Poultry
-
Bees
I plan on having crops and dye flowers be the main part of my business but as time goes on and we have more capital to invest in the farm, I want to have a small wool and lambing production as well as other livestock to create more income as well as fertility diversity for the soil.
Marketing Method
I plan on starting with a CSA model, marketing to families in Albany and Westchester where I have a lot of connections and resources. I do not plan on doing much wholesale, but rather a more direct-to-consumer approach. I am currently enrolled in the Cornell Small Farms course (BF 202) for writing a more comprehensive business plan and am working on completing that.
Farm business plan or farm resume
Farmland Needs
Infrastructure required
-
Barns - Equipment Storage
-
Barns - Livestock
-
Electrical access
-
Farmer housing
-
Water access
We will need farming housing and equipment/crop storage however a studio apartment type situation would work for us as well.
Desired Tenure
We would consider lease to own with the right person, however our preference is purchasing farmland with an FSA loan. We are able to provide a down payment without FSA as well.
