Farm to lease or rent beginner farmer (Syracuse, Albany: leasing, house)

[smcm1232]

Hello. Looking to get some insight and advice on leasing or renting a farm. I would prefer a farm with a house to be close for farm work. I am a beginner farmer so don't need a huge farm to start. Looking to do fruits, vegetables and possibly lavender. I have been reading about it and the ways you can work out the contract ie crops, profits, etc... If anyone has or knows of a farm they want to lease/rent let me know. Thank you in advance. I am posting this in the Albany area and Syracuse area forums.

[ckhthankgod]

Are you just looking to rent or lease or is buying an option as well?

[smcm1232]

Well not at this time but I would entertain the idea if I found a good area but I am not ready for a purchase yet. Still saving for down payment.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by smcm1232

Well not at this time but I would entertain the idea if I found a good area but I am not ready for a purchase yet. Still saving for down payment.

I'm not sure if you can find farms to lease or to rent or they seem to be hard to find. While not in the Syracuse area, these properties in the Ithaca area seem to have some potential: Finger Lakes LandLink

[Sean®]

Originally Posted by smcm1232

Hello. Looking to get some insight and advice on leasing or renting a farm. I would prefer a farm with a house to be close for farm work. I am a beginner farmer so don't need a huge farm to start. Looking to do fruits, vegetables and possibly lavender. I have been reading about it and the ways you can work out the contract ie crops, profits, etc... If anyone has or knows of a farm they want to lease/rent let me know. Thank you in advance. I am posting this in the Albany area and Syracuse area forums.

Do you wanna know how to make a small fortune??

Start farming with a large one.

I know what your asking and its around but gonna be word of mouth. Assuming your not in the area your gonna need to be in contact with a group that is local and can point you towards something. Years ago hippie type things like the Mother Earth News was great to put people together. The movement isn't nearly as strong as it was then but some is still around and I'm sure like everyone else they are on the innernet.

Those types of crops mean selling mostly at like farmers markets. Which means your gonna need to be near a population center. Really the closer the better as you will need a truck, likely with a flatbed, and unless you got 60Kfor a new one your gonna have an old beater with a 460 that gets 8 yards to the gallon.

So now your looking at country land near a city.Yeah well so is everyone else. So its expensive. Every house having a 5 arce yard burn up alot of land.

So you move way out. Now your up against the Amish. They love land far away from everything. And the pay in cash so will always beat you out. The farther out you get the more hardcore and less friendly they are. Never mean but the ones out in the bushes ain't friendly at all.

So in between is your sweet spot. Now the Syracuse area has always been famous for its flatter land and large farms. I didn't see my first 300HP tractor with 8 tires in Iowa I saw it in Caz. The Mohawk Valley always had the smaller farms but unless you can unload your product in Utica your looking at a longer drive.

The small farms have been gone since WWI and now most of the medium one are gone as well. The large and flatter fields have been sold off to larger farm. But many, and by many I mean about a brazillion still have the farmhouse and about 20 acres which is right in your wheelhouse. They are gonna be owned by an 80 year old that sold his cows and better land years ago.

So what you need to find is a like minded group of people. We are the gen pop of the innernet. Once you find like minded folks they will have heard of a place where the kids have moved South and are putting mom in a home and selling the homestead or in your case renting it.

[balatro]

Have you found: Beginning Farmers | Cornell Small Farms Program

There are grants available through NY State for beginning farmers but they require you to already be farming. That said, they're restricted to $50,000 and generally to help acquire machinery or development on the land.

In particular: #1 Finding a Farm to Buy or Lease | Northeast Beginning Farmer Project

Scroll down and there are additional resources for finding land to lease. It'll be rough to find a farmer with housing available to lease, let alone a whole operation, and even then it'll come down to what experience you have. They have to get paid too, so there's no real incentive for them to take on a new(er) farmer.

EDIT: http://www.smallfarm.org/main/for_ne...land_landlink/ --- $10 to join and they'll put you in contact with various farmers wanting a partner, lease, etc.

[smcm1232]

Thank you guys so much for the input definitely good advice