Hobby Farm/Sustainable Living (Buffalo, Kent: for sale, houses, to buy)

[sandefjord]

Have any of you tried to go "off the grid" and start your own hobby/sustainable farm (<4 acres) in MN?

-What were your challenges?
-Where did you do it at?
-Was it easier or harder than expected?
-What were some surprises you encountered?
-Was it overly expensive?

[PeachSalsa]

4 acres is not very big.

You could grow some veggies. Maybe some chickens. That's about it.

[sandefjord]

Thank you for your response

From everything I have been reading about (homesteading/off-grid/hobby farm/self sustaining) 2 acres is about all you need for a family of 4 (we have a family of 5) if planned correctly. Goats for dairy, chickens for eggs, and 1/2 acre for veggies.

Our biggest concern would be nasty MN winters so a greenhouse would be a must-have.

[AmorphicDN]

Yes, a small amount of land can produce a considerable harvest. Yes, the Minnesota weather with its limited growing season is obviously a barrier. But also yes, greenhouses can help extend the season. I have a very good friend who did this in Wisconsin where he was a native son until he was in his mid-40's. He has recently moved to the west coast to resume organic farming in the milder maritime climate. His feelings so far on the difference? "Why did I even bother back home (Wisconsin)?"

I recall him restructuring his plastic greenhouses every year. Sometimes only to have to do it twice when the late snows collapsed his work. He managed to scrape out a meager living for his family of four, with his wife working full time in area nursing homes for the combined income. It was definitely a labor of love. He is a true and dedicated farmer.

By the way, he worked some years as a medical device manufacturer's mobile technician flying all over the country working on multi-million dollar equipment. He earned a lot of money which he then used to buy his Wisconsin land to start his farm. He has used what was left of his savings to get his start out west as the Wisconsin property sits on the market for sale for the past three years. Hardly a nibble of interest.

Good luck to you whatever you decide wherever.

[Arne Bjornson]

My cousin has a family of 5 and a hobby farm out in Buffalo.

He had big plans but gave up on the 'farm' part of it about 3 years into it. I believe they got rid of all their livestock. They still grow veggies though.

Unless you get the land for free, it costs a lot more money than you can save on food bills. (hence the 'hobby' adjective)

edit: like the guy above, my cousin made a lot of money doing something else before getting into the hobby farm

personally what I would do is forget about animals and having multiple acreage and look into advanced greenhouse techniques, hydroponics, etc. plus then you're ready to produce a high value crop (weed) when the laws change.

[Arne Bjornson]

If he hates it here but is stuck due to work, a psychological condition, or simply inertia, sequestering himself on a farm is a good way to avoid interacting with other Minnesotans. That's what Prince does, after all.

[Glenfield]

Feeding your family from your own land is not for the faint hearted. One hail storm and you potentially face starvation. City folks have no appreciation for how hard and how dangerous farming is.

[Atalanta]

Mod cut: Orphaned (quoted posts and reply deleted).

I wish I had 1 st hand advice for you.
I read Mother Earth news magazine once in awhile.
There is some good info in their, but a lot of their advice is jf you live in a year round warmer climate. But still some other good info in there.

Have you looked online for groups that do this in this area?

[Atalanta]

Originally Posted by sandefjord

Thank you for your response

From everything I have been reading about (homesteading/off-grid/hobby farm/self sustaining) 2 acres is about all you need for a family of 4 (we have a family of 5) if planned correctly. Goats for dairy, chickens for eggs, and 1/2 acre for veggies.

Our biggest concern would be nasty MN winters so a greenhouse would be a must-have.

Year round greenhouse is something I've always wanted.
Canning some of your summer harvest is more feasible.

[sandefjord]

[SIZE=5]geebabe[/SIZE]

I am stuck here because I have a terminally ill/disabled child and because of my work, I cannot move anywhere and get the same health care that we need here. When we go into a Perkins or any other restraint here, we constantly have people whispering, laughing, and staring at our daughter who cannot control her arm movements due to her nervous system being compromised. So yes, we HAVE to be here, but we WANT to get into the more rural areas to be away from the MN people, such as your self. So you can shove it, if you don't like my questions, and cant connect the dots (he doesn't like the people here and is asking question about living a more remote lifestyle...?) then bug off and don't come to my post. You are not wanted here, and am assuming not wanted anywhere else.

To the rest of you, thank you once again. I will look into that magazine and have been checking out other sites as well for more info.

I am not a "city folk" as I grew up in a rural area in far southern Illinois near the border of Kentucky on a small farm.