We are purchasing 5 acres

[Funbowhunter]

No fence has home what do you recommend we do first

[Fennick]

Put up fence.

[Pony]

First, congratulations on your homestead!

Whether or not you fence depends on what your planned purpose is for the acreage. Are you planning to live there soon? Is there a house or some sort of dwelling?

Will you have animals? What sort? Goats need different fencing than cattle or pigs or chickens or... You get the idea.

[DEKE01]

For my 160 acres, mowing the property several times was what I did first. That really helped me to get to know the place. Two years later, the parts that didn't get mowed, about 40 acres because they are too wet or too heavily forested, are still something of a mystery to me and i keep finding new things. Some finds are good like unusual tree types. Some of the finds are bad like old tractor tires or wild hog wallows that need to be hunted out.

Several sources I had read said to live with the place for a year in all seasons before you got too far advanced in changing your property. Make sure you know what you want to have when you are done, plan, plan, plan. Fence might be a good place to start, but until you know what sorts of critters you want to keep in and out, you won't know what kind of fence you need. Three strands of barbed are relatively cheap and easy for the novice to install, but it is the wrong kind of fence except for cattle and humans. 2 x 4 welded wire fence on 8' spaced posts with strands of electric near the bottom and on top will hold most everything but your costs will be many times higher.

[Tricky Grama]

Congrats!
Some have said 1st plant fruit trees.

[geo in mi]

Get a survey with as many irons as possible, then there will be no disputes with your new neighbors. Then get pieces of six inch diameter Sched. 40 plastic pipe(white) and surround the irons so you can find them.

Welcome to the forum.

geo

[BigHenTinyBrain]

First- move in
Second- live there and do basic maintenance for a year or at least a couple seasons
Third- fence according to your actual within-the-next-2-years needs, not your someday-we'd-like-to-(even though we have no idea how to) needs. In other words, if you haven't ever owned a horse don't fence for the team of work horses that you would like to someday use to mow fields of hay that you will someday hopefully carve out of woods.

[FarmboyBill]

The above are ALL good suggestions for beginning Homesteaders. There not so pertinent to a long time farmer/gardener/homesteader, as they have already been doing whaat they do for years, and have ironed out the paths they intend to take whether on the farm they currently live on, or on a new purchased property.
You don't tell us much at all for us to make deformed decisions lol.
Is it flat or hilly, or in between?
how many acres are open, in woods?
IF woods, are they big and old, or small/thin and spaced?
IF woods, are they spaced far enough apart for grass to grow, or not?
Do you intend to burn wood? IF SO, the first thinig you had better do is cut wood for winter.
Is there a well on the place? Do you have rural water running by the place?
Are you going to try to farm any of it?
How big will your garden be?
Have you had experience with livestock? If so, what kind?
Have you had any experience with full size tractors, If so, what kind
IF you intend to have hay eating livestock, you will have to have a source for hay. What is your plan?

Plan where to place your outbuildings, and how to build your barn.
I say, and have for a long time, that a barn defines the furture of a farm. If a farm has a big barn, or a big barn is built on a farm, the farmer will bust himself trying to utilize it to the fullest, thereby growing and enriching the farm in general.
IF a farm has a small barn, or a small barn is built onto a farm, OR, like here, it has no barn at all, That that permanently limits the growth of the farm.
Course, I suppose a big barn can overwhelm a beginning farmer. Not an experienced one.

[John_Canada]

Go to the town/city/building authorities website and see what you can build and what permits/fees are required. Would certainly be first step for me because most places have "development fees" here that can shove you $10K in the hole before you even start. There are also "Conservation Authorities" that you have to get clearance to build as well and follow their rules. Also the building codes of the state/province in general. Survey the resources on the property and how much it would cost to transfer them to other parts of property. Hmmmm I like the staking the property out idea. I dont know what purpose a fence would serve but I am thinking on a 100 acre scale. Cant keep the deer out with simple fence so not sure. Best to you.

[jwal10]

First move in.






























Then let us know what you want to do. Make a plan so you do anything/everything once/right. A good all around fence is 2'X4" non climb horse fence. To build a good fence set the posts right, brace it right or your hard work will never be over. What do you want/need to keep in and/or out AND where on the property....James

[farmerj]

start saving for a well/septic system.

[Funbowhunter]

Well, went out and showed a friend the property yesterday and discovered most of the front yard is covered with sand spurs. I did some reading that the goats I am planning to buy will take care of them. The problem is they are over the drain field.
I have a half black lab and half coon dog female not fixed yet, so a chain link fence is in order.
No barn, or out structures, there is an ordinance that you can have smaller storage structures below a certain square footage, so I a thinking that I will put several of these to meet any small livestock needs.
can you place goats on lines instead of fencing them at all times? Then place them in pins in the evening?
Will definitely look into "found" wood for building some things.
I will probably look at a quarter acre veg plot at first. Hope to do some hoop beds. Only have two large cottonwood trees, there is a lot of scrub. I am a realtor so I can work from home, my 10th and 9th graders are going to be doing on line school this year so some outdoor stuff will be done with them. probably to their consternation.
Thanks for the ideas. I lived in the country and we had a smaller ford tractor, disked, bushhogged, etc.

[karenp]

Goats can be tethered if they are supervised and nothing can get after them. They are sitting ducks on a tether if anything tries to chase them and can break their necks trying to run away.

[chewie]

Several sources I had read said to live with the place for a year in all seasons before you got too far advanced in changing your property. Make sure you know what you want to have when you are done, plan, plan, plan.

this is super advice.

there is an ordinance that you can have smaller storage structures below a certain square footage, so I a thinking that I will put several of these to meet any small livestock needs.

and wait a minute--what 'ordinance'? I'd be very careful buying anything that tells me what I can or cannot do on my own property. that usually means its close to too many other ppl too, who'll often poke noses where they don't belong.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by karenp

Goats can be tethered if they are supervised and nothing can get after them. They are sitting ducks on a tether if anything tries to chase them and can break their necks trying to run away.

Not to mention that a tethered goat can actually choke herself to death on.... THE TETHER.

It's just not a great idea in general although, as you point out, if someone is there to supervise them constantly, they can be okay.

It is not advisable to tether a goat unless you plan to spend the entire time with the goat - in which case, why would you need a tether? Goats are great company, and will not wander off if there is human companionship handy.

[montysky]

Never had goats so will just me too the Goat people on them, I do like them but never had any.



I read you're putting in a garden, I would add an orchard, a berry patch and if the land can support one a root cellar. Starts buying canning supplies think about putting in a chicken coop think about free ranging them or a chicken yard for them.



If for some reason you don't want an orchard, plant a couple fruit trees and use them as shade trees.



Fencing you will need to fence critters in and at the same time fence them out too. Write down your fencing plans and layout.



Ask the famers/ranchers around you to show you how to do something, and remember why God give you two ears but only one mouth.



Buy used not new and know how to fix it. (My late Grandfather's rule number 1)

The best of luck to you and your Family, now and into the years to come.

[jwal10]

Originally Posted by chewie

and wait a minute--what 'ordinance'? I'd be very careful buying anything that tells me what I can or cannot do on my own property. that usually means its close to too many other ppl too, who'll often poke noses where they don't belong.

Here you don't need a permit for anything smaller than 200 sq ft. Anything bigger you have to get a county permit and show a full plan for the property. Also if you build with no permanent foundation, concrete slab or a pole barn, you don't pay taxes on it. I build everything on piers with "runners", with wood floor or without any floor and with less than 200 sq ft....James

[ronbre]

tether reminds me of jurrasic park ..creepy

too bad about the sand spurs but congrats on the property

[FarmboyBill]

Bother your neighbors at your own risk.
Many will when they see you in their driveway waving a friendly howdy, Im your new neighbor will think, Oh oh, He aint got nothing and he wants to make friends with me so he can borrow my stuff, and never buy his own.
IF you DO chose tro bother your neighbors. TAKE NOTE of what they wear around the farm, and go bother them dressed likewise. Observe what they do, but don't necessarily think they know all there is to know.

[wvstuck]

As you clean up start a good compost pile, you will need that next year when you start to garden. We bought 28 acres a couple of years ago and had to make some quick changes to a tree covered parcel of land. We had a dairy cow, chickens, pig and goats to get fenced in. We needed an out building to store all the stuff from our previous big barn and house... We put it all together and got busy clearing more land... The advise to wait a year if you can is the best advise given.. We are constantly redoing and moving what we thought was a good idea to start with.