Any farm/land owners here? (Manchester, Nashua: leasing, how much, house)

[SFT]

I have been considering looking at buying land in a few years, somewhere in the areas of 5-20+ acres. I was wondering if anyone owns land or has farmland and could answer a few questions.

I do not wish farming to be my job, but rather just think it would be an interesting hobby and would really like to own a lot of land.

What would be some good areas to look at land that isn't too expensive, but is still near cities? I was looking at New Boston, Bow, Dunbarton, Goffstown, any other good areas near Manchester, Nashua, or Concord?

What do you grow or raise? How much time does this typically take per week?

What were the costs associated with clearing the land? It seems that most land is wooded and would need some degree of clearing in order to be workable.

As of right now, as I mentioned, I'd be looking at somewhere in the areas of 5-20+ acres and raising maybe a few cows and from my understanding I could raise quite a few goats with that much land. Also, probably would plan on raising some turkey and chickens. From what I've read so far goats seem to be an almost free method of cleaning small bushes/shrubs/etc. off the property. I was wondering if they will go into wooded areas as well?

Other than that I'd just want to grow some vegetables, but nothing extensive and the main other reason I want to own land is to have a large cleared field around the area of my home.

Anyone information provided would be great or any resources on the basics.

[BF66389]

A few things:
Location: Finding large tracts of land in Nashua would be difficult. That said a neighboring small town (also known for its charm, excellent schools, and land/resource protection) called Hollis has many large and small farms. Many of the normal home lots are 4-5 acres (if you just want a small home/hobby farm) and there are larger lots available. Be aware that Hollis is pricey (not sure what "too expensive" means to you). Amherst is similar (strikes me as a little more developed) but also has great traits and some land (but again- pricey as well).
I don't know further north well enough to comment, but I do know that in most areas prices are a lot lower. That said- there are also more non-farm jobs within proximity to Hollis/Amherst; so its a trade-off.

This thing called "current use": Be aware that in NH you can put land into a tax status called "current use" what that means is that you designate a contiguous parcel of land of at least 10 acres (this doesn't include where your house and whatnot is- so your total lot would need to exceed 10 acres) as current use and then it has much lower taxes (think 90%+ lower). That said, if you ever want to move that section out of "current use" you have to pay 10% of its assessed value (for example, when selling it). There are some detailed rules and a few threads on here regarding current use. I basically see it as a way to make maintaining open space not a financial burden for the land-owner; thereby incentivizing land ownership.

Land Clearing Costs: This depends, if your lot was previously farmland but is fairly level, has good soil, and few stones/boulders but has a growth of trees- if the trees are big enough you may be able to get a logger to remove them for free (we had a logger remove 20 trees, free of charge) and then you can clear the stumps with a tractor. It really depends on the lot.

Animals: Goats will go into wooded areas...but are great climbers and can easily scale fences that have trees nearby (not kidding). Realize NH does have Coyote, Fox, Black Bear, Racoon, etc- all which you need to plan for when planning a farm. Also remember that with a cold winter you need to make sure your animals have proper shelter (without neglecting ventilation).

Workload: This depends...$$$ up front and prep-work can reduce daily workloads (automatic watering/feeding devices, well designed housing, etc); but overall taking care of animals requires a significant amount of work before and after work (since most folks can't afford automatic everything). Also realize different crops & different animals require different amounts of work; it may not be a bad idea to ask a farmer if you could help with their daily chores for a day or two (not kidding) just to find out what's involved on a daily basis. Free labor for them, valuable experience for you.

A friend of mine has a 20 acre farm, 2 horses (hay fed, not grazing), a cow, 12 sheep, 10 chickens, and 5 barn cats- also a decent vegetable garden (maybe 1/2 acre at most). He is ALWAYS working on something around the house, and they don't go on vacation much, but he loves it; so all is well.

[BF66389]

For the record we have 4.5 acres and I just had a section cleared so I can put in some rows of various squash, several raised beds, a small herb garden, and a blueberry patch. We may add chickens next year (very few, maye 5). The majority of our property is remaining wooded.

[SFT]

Thank you very much for the response BF. I got your message and responded before I saw this post. I have a few years still to decide exactly what I want to do, but definitely going to start planning now. In terms of the time necessary, I think it'd probably be better to be working on my own land if I enjoy it then inside after working watching TV, or doing other activities that would involve sitting around.

I'd probably be starting off pretty small and not jumping into things too quickly. Ideally I was hoping it might be possible to share the workload with another person. Maybe through free housing, or sharing of crops, meat, and milk.

[BF66389]

You may want to look into community supported agriculture for some information regarding how different folks share the effort. They are A LOT larger, but its a thought.

Good call on starting off small. It sounds VERY appealing to start with, but it can just end up being too much for most people. That said- if you work up (starting small) you'll be a lot more likely to find a level of effort you can sustain before you decide its too much (if you had just started big to begin with).

[GregW]

If you are looking for land, I know of (I am not a realtor) in Landaff, NH just east (uphill) of Lisbon. We are talking about old dairy farms with lots of cleared and forested land. Google the area and contact some local realtors or the National Grange.

[dognh]

Like SFT, I've also been on the hunt for some farm land. I know there are a lot of farm owners out there that are approaching retirement, want to move on from their land, but don;t want to sell out to a developer. I'd love to take care of that land for generations to come, by protecting it, preserving it, potentially farming it (or allowing others to farm it).

[GregW]

Landaff is a very beautiful tiny town with lots of land becomming available.

[SFT]

Unfortunately Landaff is pretty far away from where I would be potentially looking at opening my business. This would be in the areas around Nashua, Manchester, or Concord. So ideally I'd be looking at 15-20 minutes from these locations. That's why I was mostly looking at New Boston, Dunbarton, Bow, Goffstown, etc. They are all within pretty close proximity to Manchester and Concord.

I really like the Goffstown area, I just hope the prices don't increase a lot before I am able to come up with the money in order to buy the land.

I know there is still plenty of land around the Southern NH area because I'm always passing tons of fields and farms on back roads that people do not seem to be doing much with. I guess you just have to find these before the developers get in there. It really is a shame that the developers come in and make huge million dollar homes in some areas, on great land with amazing views, and they put them only 1/2 an acre of land.

[bignhfamily]

We just bought 20 acres with a house for cheap. Some real deals out there if you look. We're looking forward to expanding our little farm operation. Don't let the lack of land stand in your way to start your farming/gardening. We have been free leasing several fields ranging in size from a couple of acres to a couple dozen acres. We are approached multiple times every year to put our sheep in peoples fields. It's a win win situation. We gain new grazing areas and the sheep keep the fields cut back and fertilized.