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Vicky, so glad you are giving this serious thought and listening to sage advice such as Nor'Eastah's. He gave direct information concerning your situation and brought up excellent points.
Those of us who know your life story have sincere regard for you and wish only the best for you.
Some advice here, from a retired man who has essentially started a farm in his 60s and is loving every minute of it. I am simply too active to sit in a rocking chair.
First, people don't buy farms...farms are made by people. The people come first, and without them, there would be no farms. Second, farms come in all sizes and types. The amount of work involved on a farm is totally dependent on the type of operation it is. In my case, I am just a part-time farmer, and have plenty of free time to enjoy other things in life. Third, there is a difference between a farm and a homestead. A farm is a business engaged in making a profit, whereas a homestead (technically, what I have), is not. But I do make money at it. A homestead is basically a place in the country with gardens and some animals.
I would not advise anyone starting out to get involved with larger livestock, such as horses or cows. It's tempting, but they are a lot of work and expense. Try to avoid animals that need to be milked, as they tie you down too much.
Inviting other autistic people to share the farm may be a worthwhile goal, but which autistic people? They would have to be very high functioning to be of any help, and where are they to live? Are you all going to crowd into the same house, or would there be separate cabins/cottages for unrelated people to live in? Because I think you and your family are one cohesive unit, and need quarters of your own.
Also, will these other people be requiring care, at first or later? Who is to provide that care? I think this should be clarified right from the start. And what about money? Even a large windfall can disappear very quickly! If any of those autistic persons are receiving government assistance, the government may have quite a lot to say about their living conditions, and where they relocate to.
So all in all, there's a lot to think about here. Be certain, above all else, that you and your family always have an escape, and the means to move back to a home of your own if things don't work out. As sometimes, things don't always work out.
Best of luck in your decision...and it IS your decision!
(2nd paragraph)........" people don't buy farms "
Of course they do !
I have bought 2 different.. farms.. in my lifetime and the last dairy.. farm.. I owned I sold to my son.
There are specific sections of want ads under the title......."farms for sale "
Just because you prefer to make up your own definition does not make it as universally accepted.
I am sincerely thankful to those of you who gave their opinions, even if they were not in favor of what this thread initially started as.
whether we accept the offer or not [and I definitely, because of the good people here, realize I have much more research to do] we will be doing Spin farming, which would involve farming in a particular way, utilizing the yards of the 4 homes, plus leasing and borrowing others yards.
Part of the reason [there were many. buying 4 houses for under 150 grand was a big one] we chose this area is its'proximity to Ocate cliffs in N.M. [incredible place, check it out on Facebook. The handsome young man with long hair in many of the pictures is my youngest son, also Autistic] It is being built by Autistic people, and will be a retreat center that is run totally by AUtistic people. After it is built, people will be working on site for a period of time, and then off for a period of time. Living only a few hours away, often with people they work with, could be fantastic.
This is not Autistic fantasy, it is autistic reality in the making. When I started AutHaven, I was told that it was impossible. Now, there are Autistic people through out the world who I am advising in making something similar in their area [which was always the intention] this is no different.
Someone made a comment a comment about encouraging self-pity. Quite the contrary! 90% of Autistics are not working for a variety of reasons [I am retired, but blessedly I have always been able to work for my income. Because of dysthensia, I have never been able to drive but have built up some great "linebacker legs." from walking. ] We are looking at probably 50% full employment in our community.
Another thing, for those considered low functioning, we will provide as much "Autistic Space" as possible, which will definitely be more than they have already experienced. As far as paid caretakers, we are looking at High functioning Autistics rather than non-Autistics t o fill those positions since we already "speak the same language."
There is SO much more, the vast majority of which will not come to fruition until long after I am gone. This is not about self-pity, it is about self respect. It is about self reliance [working interdependently]
I will be happy to answer any questions. Part of being Autistic is being solution oriented, looking at the "hows" rather than the "why we cannots." [unfortunately our younger generations is ussualy not even aware that they possess this ability because of the programming they are put through in the therapy most receive]
I think what you aim to do is admirable. You see this homeless guy as a means to reach your goals sooner, and help him at the same time. But please do careful research about him before involving him in your project so he doesn't mess everything up for you. He may be legit, just brain injured, but you also have to see how bad his injury is, check for family members, verify his resources, etc. etc. Don't give up on it, but do very careful research before trusting this will work with him. If there is a significant amount of money involved, I think you need to consult a lawyer. Are there attorneys who are autistic who might be helpful to you?
I think what you aim to do is admirable. You see this homeless guy as a means to reach your goals sooner, and help him at the same time. But please do careful research about him before involving him in your project so he doesn't mess everything up for you. He may be legit, just brain injured, but you also have to see how bad his injury is, check for family members, verify his resources, etc. etc. Don't give up on it, but do very careful research before trusting this will work with him. If there is a significant amount of money involved, I think you need to consult a lawyer. Are there attorneys who are autistic who might be helpful to you?
Windwalker. Thank you. The reason we thought this guy was crazy [he does have brain damage] is because he kept claiming to be a millionaire. And we knew "no way," but he needs a friend. And even though he is not Autistic, he is definitely a 'cousin" who needed us.
Your encouragement means so much. No, there are not Autistic lawyers that I know of, but there are disability lawyers who we are going to see, primariliy to make sure that Michaels best interests are taken care of. He wants to just give us money to buy this place. We want it to be in his name, going to the as yet established non-profit [not me, phobic about those regulations. A friend wiill be doing that] at the time of his death unless of course he changes his mind. He would be living with us, with us paying all food, utilities, etc. We will have to discuss the taxes with the attorney,
Slightly off subject, though there are not a plethora of AUtistic lawyers, tons of Autistics are working for degrees in counseling. That is much needed by the AUtistic community as the majority of us have PTSD and/or CPTSD. I go to therapy and have done my best to "train" my therapist.[she is pretty awesome] Most Autistics, including myself before these last few years, are too passive to say "Hey, this, not this, is what works for me because I do not perceive life the way that non-Autistic people do." It will be great when we have Autistics who can help us with our issues, and they would also be more likely to be listened to by a parent of an autistic child than by an Autistic without a degree in that area.
If this deal does go through, the land is zoned for horses. My friend, Desiree Kamika, director of Madison House, trains horses and would help us. Ultimately, the horse will be a part of the "built by Autistic People" Ocate cliffs [check it out on facebook. That long-haired young jesus looking fella is my youngest son.] retreat center.
I only came to this thread because I was drawn to the "starting a farm" title, so I'll address that.
Both of my parents lived on family farms, had their own farm, & they talked about the drudgery involved; that they had to leave the farm to support themselves, & once all the family left the farm, they never went back. I recently visited the site of their farms, first time since I was a kid. All the family farms are gone now, it's all big agri-business, & the little communities are economically depressed & depressing. Looking at the place, it was hard to wrap my head around the amount of physical work that had to be put into these places, & maybe your crops & livestock would survive & maybe not.
I don't know what part of the country you're in, but I would start small with maybe a couple of acres & see what vegetables you can grow, maybe an orchard, some chickens or turkeys, maybe goats. It's a LOT of work, you never get a break.
You mentioned New Mexico...do you know what the growing season is there? What is the soil like?
They are starting a non-profit foundation. Non-profits can benefit from some volunteer expertise, maybe from board members. I don't know how to find the right attorney to help so I proposed this as a possibility. Do you know of an attorney who is not autistic who might be willing to volunteer services to this non-profit?
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