Preferred counties/regions
- Capital Region
- Hudson Valley
- Mohawk Valley
- Southern Tier
Desired acreage
- 5 or fewer
- 6-10
- 11-20
Farming Status
Aspiring farmer: 1 year or less of farming experience
Not currently farming
Primary reason for farming
Farm will generate a portion of my income
Farming status, plans, and practices
We would like to put annual vegetables into place and get them yielding as quickly as possible and perennial trees, specifically nuts and fruits, started and yielding through grafting if needed. Mentorship would be a nice plus, but is not essential. We would like to get connected with CSA box facilitators as a way of delivering produce direct to customers. We believe reversing soil erosion and restoring the health of the soil is important, even in early stages of making use of any piece of land. This would involve no-till methods, cover crops and nitrogen fixing plants, and composting to return organic matter to the soil.
Eventually, we would like to create a permanent agriculture system that requires minimal maintenance and annual plantings and a home that can eventually be lived on full time if one is not already in place. We also want to minimize, and eliminate if possible, soil amendments, pesticides, insecticides and fungicides. Potentially we would like to obtain organic certification, if financially viable to do so. We also would like to take advantage of any EQIP programs that the NRCS deems possible.
Farm Experience & Education
Limited farming experience beyond gardening, but extensive background in land management and landscaping. Moderate self-education on permaculture design systems from works of Bill Mollison, Mark Shepard and others.
Farming Plans and Practices
Farming method or practice
- Biodynamic
- Organic (certified)
- Organic (not certified)
- Regenerative/Sustainable
Primary crops
-
Vegetables
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Fruits
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Flowers or Ornamentals
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Maple
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Other Crops
Primary livestock
Beans, berries, herbs, mushrooms, nursery stock, nuts, orchard/ fruit, and other vegetables.
Marketing Method
We would like to expand a CSA network, potentially utilizing New York's Regional Navigators to cultivate long-lasting relationships with customers.
Farm business plan or farm resume
Farmland Needs
Infrastructure required
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Farmer housing
Land type is not especially important but we are looking for some place that could support long term tree focused agriculture, as the primary concern. Housing with electricity, plumbing and internet connection is a plus and desired, but not strictly essential.
Desired Tenure
We would consider any arrangements in order to gain experience, which we are seeking to acquire in the short term but will eventually be interested in land purchase in the long term. We have savings set aside to finance this.
