What's a person to do?

You would think, that's one that drives me crazy. I've approached people about that exact thing and been told no. For whatever reason the ground got in that shape they seem compelled to keep at it.

I've really cleaned up our 40 and made it look alot better in hopes someone will notice and give me an oppertunity.

It's possible. This isn't tossing food in the microwave. Everything takes time. I was a single mom working 4 jobs and full time college, no child support. I bought my first fixer upper in a village. Owner hold built in 1872. Worked hard on fixing it up. Flipped it. Did that few more times and here I am, 75 acres, gaswell and a brand new home later. No mortgage. It's called hard work and sacrifice. You can't just go out and take on a huge mortgage. You need to start small.

A lot of that land you see sitting is CRP or other programs and they don't want to lease it because they are getting paid to let it sit.

And both have started with a leg up. I'm not faulting their strategies, but it aint that simple.

also, pastures can sit vacant for a number of reasons.... high cost to rent, absent landowners, no fencing, no water, poor ground. Just because something grows on it, doesn't mean it is suitable enough to raise livestock on. Regrowth might only happen once or twice a year, then you're in the livestock hauling business....

Alot of that is coming out though. The pasture I was bidding on was coming out of CRP.

I didn't say it is simple, I just said it can be done. There isn't a whole lot any of us do on a farm that is simple, easy, AND pays the bills.

Salatin has also written about some of his interns that have leased land operations in his area. They take advantage of Salatin's marketing system. Of course, not everyone can do that, but you have to find what ever local resources you have and use them to your best advantage.

I wish my house flipping went that well. Instead I'm tied up with rental properties. Really the rental properties aren't that bad of a deal I've just to a ton tied up in equity in them I'd rather use elseware. But if they'd sell thy wouldn't be rentals.

The answers here have been all over the board. I guess it depends on what you mean by "farming". Where I grew up, farmers had thousands of acres and the boys were driving monster combines before they even had drivers licenses and those combines cost more than the average house. Many of the answers here sound like homesteading (10 or so acres selling eggs and veggies) which is much easier to get into than corporate farming. Not to say it can't be done but the farmers I know (and I'm talking corporate farmers) farm land that has been in the family for generations.

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Living Large Down on the Farm.

Farming used to be about small farms, homesteading used to be that you lived on the land you farmed - to feed yourself AND others. The corporate 1000+ acre farming where the "farmer" is in debt up to his eyeballs and John Deere and the Bank own him is a relatively new concept.

My DH and I have come quite late to the homesteading movement. I am 51, he is 47. We won't be able to buy any kind of land for at least 5 years, which at first upset me greatly. But then, I realized we had this wonderful little suburban homestead we had been living in for almost 15 years. We are putting in larger vegetable beds, apple trees, blueberry bushes, blackberry and raspberry bushes, and even getting chickens in the spring (even though our city doesn't allow them). Our lot is pretty small, and most of the usable land is in the front, so we're being very creative in our planning. We are using dwarf column apple trees, smaller variety blueberry bushes, growing potatoes in barrels, whatever we can think of to save space. I'm learning to bake bread, can produce, make our own and do without. We cancelled our cable and our lawn service. This IS my homestead, and someday if our hard work and sacrifice pays off, we can get a place away from the crowds, traffic, and noise. I'm very happy with my new mindset, my new way of thinking, and about the only thing I truly wish I had right now, this very second, is youth!!! My back is sore from today's work in the garden, I can't do nearly as much as I used to, I have to stop and rest, and at the end of the day I'm in need of a heating pad and a couple of aspirin. So, when you complain of your youth, and getting what you want, please stop and look around. There must be something you can do right now to invest in yourself or your future. Rejoice in your youth, your energy and enthusiasm. And know that if it's truly important to you, if you truly want it, it will be yours, eventually! As long as you always work towards it, keeping you eye on your ultimate goal. Good luck!!!

But my point was, which kind of farm is the OP talking about, homestead or corporate farm (so which one does he want)?

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Living Large Down on the Farm.

I lost on a few also. Seems you win some, you lose some. I was ahead on the average lol.

This is exactly how it should be. Thanks for the post.

Places are much more expensive now tho. I do agree, it's tough to find the fixer up farm steads. I often wonder how my sons will buy anything. They can have mine, if they can't find anything reasonable. But what of future generations?

The mistake I have seen far too many young people make? Spend far too much of their incomes on living at the highest standard, struggling to afford it, and saving little to nothing.

If young people realize they should be frugal, live conservatively, and save as much as they can? They can establish good credit, and save a lot more money. While in that phase, they should learn as much as they can about homesteading/farming. It is important to know how to work on cars, trucks, machinery, and do basic welding. That saves a ton of money! If referring to a couple, each should have skills/talents that compliment the other. Together, they are far more independent.

While in CA, I knew a young married woman at work. Her DH was a School Teacher, while she worked in the IT industry as a Secretary. What was remarkable about this couple? They lived very frugally, cooked from scratch, milled grain into flour, grew a garden in the city, dressed very conservatively/simply, and drove used cars. One day, shared with me what they were doing. She and her DH put money down on a property in OR, then built a home on it. They sub-contracted some of the work to be done and did the rest themselves (all the finish work). The DH spent most of the summer there, every year, and his DW joined him as often as she could (they worked on the home every chance they got). They retired fairly young, home/property paid off, plenty in savings, pensions, and in good health.

I have been encouraging my DD to save her wedding $, add to it, and then put a down payment on a piece of property w/a well. Once she and her DH buys a property, they can vacation there, until they are ready to build. Her DH would like to build a log cabin. Since my DH is currently building a log utility/office cabin, which is essentially the size of a "Tiny Home," they can see how it is being done.

That brings up the Tiny Home subject. If young people would lower their expectations, they would be so much further ahead than most of us!

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Christie Acres
www.SequimForLife.com
http://www.irealtyvirtualbrokers.com...lori-christie/
http://luxurywaterviewhomes.com/
SequimLiving@gmail.com

Couldn't agree more! DH and I weren't really livin large, but weren't denying ourselves much. We've made some real changes, and will be making more in the future, but I can say with all honesty that we are far happier, with much less "stuff".

IIRC many of them lease from one of polyface's properties and then in turn sell that back to polyface or market it together w/ them. It's a great setup, but not something that is easily reproduced by others.

I don't know if any of them do that, but I know some of them do not.

Not to mention it is a great setup for Polyface. There is always someone profiting off of someone else, no?