What qualifies as a Farm,Ranch,Homestead?

I think it depends on context. If you use the words "farm" or "ranch" to the tax folks it means a very different and very specific thing than if you use the word "farm" or "ranch" on this forum. I'm not sure if the tax folks use the word "homestead" or "homesteader" much?

Generally I go along with most folks definitions of a "farm" being mostly crops for profit and a "ranch" mostly animals for profit. "Homestead" is generally for family. We live on a tiny piece of property in a rural area with a big garden, a few fruit and coffee trees, chickens, dogs, cats, etc. and we do a lot of foraging and fishing. I'm not sure exactly what we would be, but of the three "homesteaders" might be closest should a label be of any use.

We are on 10 acres and call our place a farm. All our friends refer to our place as "the farm". We have livestock, but also grow food crops for ourselves, with the eventual goal of growing enough to sell at market.

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For me a farm is mostly crops. A ranch is mostly animals. A homestead can be a farm or a ranch, with the main difference being the work is done by the family without the help of hired hands.

To go into more detail... you can own a farm or a ranch that you don't live on. It can be run totally by hired hands. A family lives on a homestead, if you don't live on the land, then it's not a homestead.

Even more detail... a homestead can be anything from large acreage to a small apt in the city. What makes it a homestead is the lifestyle you choose. Even a small apt. can have a tomato plant in a flower pot, lettuce in a window box, and veggies/animals purchased from outside of the city. Maybe rabbits in cages, chickens on the roof, etc.

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I am suprised... I thought there would be far more opposing views than there were. It appears that the majority of you generally agree on the same ideas.

Now...tell me this...

I now have a paid off house near our county's only highway. It is surrounded by aproximately 4 acres. On those acres I raise a few sheep, a little beef, ducks, geese, chickens, pheasants, rabbits, and a donkey. I will have turkeys, and goats soon too. These animals are more for food than they are for pleasure, but I get great joy in keeping them. I have a very large garden as well. I do not have to by eggs or meat ever. I live at this house year around now. I keep 120 pair of cattle, however they run in pastures 11 miles and farther from where I now live. I sublease out 280 acres of fallow to the neighbor, so I make extremely little or no profit from cropland. I strive to be independent of the poisoned foods from the commercial retail market. I hunt large and small game to supplement my domestic meat supply. I do profit slightly off the critters that run around my yard. I run a trapline most years for management and some sideline money. I do work for others at times, to make ends meet, but I could "lay off" outside income and still making a living for myself if I had to. With all that said of my "crazy" operation... just what in the world is my "description title" anyways??? Am I a farm, ranch, or a homestead?

To be a farm or ranch, I think one must make a significant part of your income from it. If it isn't a farm or ranch, then it's a homestead, hobby farm or just a plain old house with acreage....or even just a home or apartment.

Farms have more crops, ranches have less crops. Either can have livestock.

Jena

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MTP- I'd say you are a rancher who lives on a homestead. Some ranchers live in a house in town, some ranchers live on the ranch - but they are still ranchers.

I'd say you are a homesteader who owns a ranch 11 miles down the road, with 280 acres of investment property that hasn't matured into a profitable investment at this point in time.

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Ranch, Farm, call it what ever you want. Both can be for lifestock. I don't know where people get this idea that farms are crops. Pig farm, Dairy farm, Chicken farm, Horse farm, etc, etc. A farm can be either or both plants and animals. See the dictionary:

Farm [fahrm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.
2. land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc.: a pig farm; an oyster farm; a tree farm.
3. a similar, usually commercial, site where a product is manufactured or cultivated: a cheese farm; a honey farm.
4. the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.
5. a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.
6. a fixed yearly amount accepted from a person in view of local or district taxes that he or she is authorized to collect.
7. a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.
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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Guess this would be the place to use the definitions a big-money consultant got in Northern Ontario when they were asked to count the number of farms by type in an area where they were considering opening a large dumpsite.

The definitions they used, driving down every road in the area (they pointed this out AFTER they cashed the cheque):
1. Dairy farms have tall silos
2. Beef farms have cows in the yard that are red with white faces.
3. Chicken farms have long metal buildings.
4. Pig farms smell bad.
5. Anything that didn't meet those scientific standards went down as "Other"
Some red-faced politicians, and lots of "Other"