need advice. where is fertile land? (how much, house, buying)
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My family and I currently live in phx az, we want to live where the land is fertile enough to grow a garden large enough to feed our family. We also want to have chickens, goats, pigs and cows. Pretty much we e want to be somewhere that has plenty of rain and also snow in the winter. We would like to become as self sufficient as possible and I do understand it takes time but it all has to start somewhere. Please give me ideas from all over the u.s.
My family and I currently live in phx az, we want to live where the land is fertile enough to grow a garden large enough to feed our family. We also want to have chickens, goats, pigs and cows. Pretty much we e want to be somewhere that has plenty of rain and also snow in the winter. We would like to become as self sufficient as possible and I do understand it takes time but it all has to start somewhere. Please give me ideas from all over the u.s.
The words "fertile land Arizona" are usually not found in the same sentence. Remember, this is a DESERT and deserts typically do not have "fertile" soil anywhere. As you climb in elevation (over 7,000 feet), like Flagstaff, White Mountains, etc, you can find soil that is more "fertile" but at the expense of having a short growing season, steep terrain, and land that is not suitable for tilling and growing crops.
You also said that:
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnjpranke
Pretty much we e want to be somewhere that has plenty of rain and also snow in the winter. We would like to become as self sufficient as possible
IMHO, Arizona is NOT THE PLACE you are looking for. We are a desert and rainfall/snowfall comes in short supply. You are probably better off looking at Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, westcoast Washington or Oregon, etc. but Arizona should be checked off of your list.
Can the above be done in AZ? Yes, but it is not the ideal place for it, that is for sure. Throw in the pigs, goats, chickens you want, then that eliminates a lot of areas because they have ordinances and zoning that don't allow for such farm animals to be on the property.
The words "fertile land Arizona" are usually not found in the same sentence. Remember, this is a DESERT and deserts typically do not have "fertile" soil anywhere. As you climb in elevation (over 7,000 feet), like Flagstaff, White Mountains, etc, you can find soil that is more "fertile" but at the expense of having a short growing season, steep terrain, and land that is not suitable for tilling and growing crops.
You also said that:
IMHO, Arizona is NOT THE PLACE you are looking for. We are a desert and rainfall/snowfall comes in short supply. You are probably better off looking at Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, westcoast Washington or Oregon, etc. but Arizona should be checked off of your list.
Can the above be done in AZ? Yes, but it is not the ideal place for it, that is for sure. Throw in the pigs, goats, chickens you want, then that eliminates a lot of areas because they have ordinances and zoning that don't allow for such farm animals to be on the property.
My grandad and dad would be spinning in their graves if they were to read this. It might be true in a lot of AZ but it's not true for ALL of AZ. The Verde Valley is great for agriculture. We have two rivers flowing through here, it's a wonderful green belt area, Cornville and Camp Verde both would be great for growing about anything. Even Cottonwood but in order to have the land you'd have to live by the Verde River. My family farmed here for many years and there are still people farming here. Not as many, I'll grant you that, because the subdivisions have taken over a lot of it. But it's NOT impossible and for someone who wants to do things on a small scale, like the OP, there's no reason they couldn't. We have quite a few really great wine vineyards up here too.
Rainfall is whenever we get it. Snowfall, is pretty much zilch. But irrigation from two rivers?? Great!
And think about this...Phoenix and the entire Valley was once HUGE for agriculture so just because AZ has a lot of desert doesn't mean you can't grow anything here.
My grandad and dad would be spinning in their graves if they were to read this. It might be true in a lot of AZ but it's not true for ALL of AZ. The Verde Valley is great for agriculture. We have two rivers flowing through here, it's a wonderful green belt area, Cornville and Camp Verde both would be great for growing about anything. Even Cottonwood but in order to have the land you'd have to live by the Verde River. My family farmed here for many years and there are still people farming here. Not as many, I'll grant you that, because the subdivisions have taken over a lot of it. But it's NOT impossible and for someone who wants to do things on a small scale, like the OP, there's no reason they couldn't. We have quite a few really great wine vineyards up here too.
Rainfall is whenever we get it. Snowfall, is pretty much zilch. But irrigation from two rivers?? Great!
You have to note that the AZ of your parents area is not the AZ of today. Getting water rights and irrigation water rights is next to impossible today. Unless you are grandfathered in or have a farm passed on to you from your family, getting water irrigation rights is next to impossible for a newbie. The Verde River is in the spotlight and trying to tap into its water will get you arrested or fined. It's not as you make it seem. Simply buying a parcel and taking water from the Verde for your own crops and property from the Verde River is NOT going to happen.
Even when the city of Prescott wants to pump the Big Chino Aquifer, they face multi-million dollar legal battles because pumping water underground from the aquifer has been shown to affect the flow of the above ground Verde River.
AZ is not known by the US farming industry as being fertile land, far from it. We are in a desert and many crops cannot grow out here. The soil in most places is horrid with mostly being rock, boulders, sand and NUTRIENT DEAD. The second hurdle is water, as getting irrigating rights is very, very difficult, if not impossible.
I love AZ but lets be real here, if the OP wants to grow crops, house livestock like pigs, goats, chicken and they said that they want a place with plenty of rain and snow in the winter. How can you claim AZ is ideal for that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnjpranke
Pretty much we want to be somewhere that has plenty of rain and also snow in the winter.
The Arlington Valley has farming and the old route 80 from I10 down to Gila Bend is one of the most beautiful drives I have taken in Arizona south of the I10.
Most of AZ gets 5" of rain a year with temps of 115F - 120F. The northern part of AZ is not that much better, the rainfall amounts are around 10" per year with temps in the 90's and low 100's. To top it off 99% of the soil is atrocious.
THIS IS A DESERT! I would never believe that people would be recommending Arizona when the OP wants an area with a lot of rainfall and snowfall, all while growing crops and having livestock.
This is where these forums fall apart because of the bias. Whenever someone asks a question in a specific state forum, they get positive responses because of the bias associated by residents who live there. I've seen people ask if Florida is a good place for low humidity and the Florida residents responded that the humidity is not that bad if you live in central Florida. It's like going to a Democratic convention and asking what is wrong with the Democratic party, good luck with getting a straight forward, non-bias answer.
I would recommend places like western Oregon where the land is VERY FERTILE and the rainwater is VERY PLENTIFUL. A perfect place to have a farm. The temperature is moderate all year long, the soil is nutrient rich and that is where some of the best farming land is located.
Why is everyone recommending Arizona? The OP is FROM THERE and he didn't say anything in his opening post about wanting to be there. And seriously, if you have to IRRIGATE the piece of land, then it is NOT suitable for farming, considering you need assistance (irrigation) for it.
Anyways I think any where in the Midwest or South, should be fine. Midwest gets snow in the winter and lots of rain in spring/summer. The South gets a lot of rain too but next to no snow in the winter, plus it's more prone to drought in the South as well.
We had a place just outside Oakdale, California (Northeastern Stanislaus County) when I was a kid. It was only one acre but the garden it produced was beyond belief. My mom canned the vegetables and we had a root cellar for the potatoes and onions. We supplied our entire family plus had plenty to give away to all the neighbors on our street. Add to that all the fruit and nut trees we had planted (almonds, apricots, nectarines, oranges, lemons). It was just nuts how much food you can grow in that rich San Joaquin Valley sandy loam. The only caveat was we had rights to a small irrigation ditch that ran adjacent to our property. If you don't you have to get it from a well (and running the pump can get expensive). With access to all the water we wanted it made it easy. If you have water rights there is no place in the country that can product like the Central
Valley of California. The combination of rich soil and climate can't be beat.
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Originally Posted by alex985
And seriously, if you have to IRRIGATE the piece of land, then it is NOT suitable for farming, considering you need assistance (irrigation) for it.
Totally wrong. The richest farmland in America is irrigated.
Really?? Where is the richest farmland? I am just wondering.....
And like another poster said, getting irrigation rights nowadays is a lot harder than it used to be. And like I said, if you have to irrigate the land it's not good for farming, that's not natural. That's why the West has always been better for ranching/cattle and the East better for growing crops.
I had a professor who was really into soil science. I had to think a bit, but it looks like I remember right and loess is one of the good soils. There is apparently something called "The Loess Hills" in the area where Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska border. The towns there look to be rather small though. Although I guess it extends a bit north of that so maybe some places near Omaha would fit. Elsewhere in the US the areas around Vicksburg, Mississippi and the Palouse Hills of the Washington/Idaho border are rich loess-influenced land.
If you want wet and warm, as I think that can be good for plants (although I believe too much rain can erode the soil), the areas around the Gulf of Mexico might work. Although if you want cooler than that the area in Washington state near the Canadian border looks wet.
If you want to stay in Arizona I might have guessed some of the northern parts, but some of them look relatively dry. Although it sounds like there are some places less dry if you want to stay in Arizona.
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I would never believe that people would be recommending Arizona when the OP wants an area with a lot of rainfall and snowfall, all while growing crops and having livestock. 
