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Is there anyone out there that lives in Florida and has a small farm. By small I mean some chickens, ducks, maybe a couple head of cattle?
What is it like living in FL and doing that? We want so badly to do that but don't know if it is really something we could do now. We are thinking about the west area around Marion County. Any info will be appreciated.
We know all about small town living so no problem there.
Last edited by tazymae2010; 06-01-2012 at 07:15 AM..
Reason: spelling
I have some friends who raise chickens in Tampa. I don't know that they have any issues specific to being in Florida, except for just making sure they have protection from the summer heat and rain.
Oops, you forgot to mention, gators, pythons, snakes in general, monitors, cane toads,,,I would love to know really how she keeps snakes out. I envy her. Thanks for the info.
I think they mostly just mow their yards regularly. Don't give critters any cover and they won't hang out. And I suppose you should have a relatively fine mesh on your coop. We had some black racers in our yard a few times one place I lived down there, but they were never really a problem. There are plenty of removal services there if you have wildlife issues, or you could talk with the University of Florida Agricultural Extension service if you want advice, but it sure wasn't as crazy in any of the places I lived down there as you're making it out to be.
Is there anyone out there that lives in Florida and has a small farm. By small I mean some chickens, ducks, maybe a couple head of cattle?
What is it like living in FL and doing that? We want so badly to do that but don't know if it is really something we could do now. We are thinking about the west area around Marion County. Any info will be appreciated.
We know all about small town living so no problem there.
I lived in South Florida for 5 years. Florida is a great place to grow things - veggies, fruits etc. - you almost have a year-round growing season. Summers are very wet so the only things growing in the three months of june/july/august will be ocra and maybe some varieties of beans. The rest of the year you can grow anything you want except maybe things that require a sufficient number of cold days in the year, such as apples. Naturally, things like tropical fruits will do great in South Florida and elsewhere in the State. Marion county is north, if I remember correctly around Ocala. Ocala has experienced an influx of wealthy people from all over the country - mostly due to the vicinity of the Ocala National Forest and numerous horse-riding opportunities. This has put considerable pressure on land which has gotten more expensive. There was a good number of foreclosures in these areas but I think most of them has been bought by now.
Be careful where you buy, some places can be pretty rough and "redneck"
I have a friend that lives in rural Florida. He has been there for 20 years and hates it. The bugs, snakes, etc....he has a small self-sufficient farm for chickens, pig, veggies, but is stuck there because he can't get much for his house or land. His regret is now that he is older , 59, he worries about having access to decent medical facilities. The local hospital is ok, but not very large and going broke because nobody pays their medical bills.
we live right outside marion county. It becomes rural very quick. We have a small farm mostly hay and some veggies for the house. We can not wait to leave Florida. Eventhough we are natives it is time to get away from the heat. It sucks the life out of you. Florida is very agriculture friendly, ie tax reductions if you meet the critera applies to most counties. If you can take the heat and God awful humidity take a shot at it.
we live right outside marion county. It becomes rural very quick. We have a small farm mostly hay and some veggies for the house. We can not wait to leave Florida. Eventhough we are natives it is time to get away from the heat. It sucks the life out of you. Florida is very agriculture friendly, ie tax reductions if you meet the critera applies to most counties. If you can take the heat and God awful humidity take a shot at it.
The best way to do this is to live 25-30 miles from the ocean - that way you get to have your veggies and things AND you get to go the beach, which in my opinion, is (or should be) a major reason for anyone to want to relocate to Florida.
Heck, even living in Okeechobee would be close enough to the ocean for me...
Not many people can take mid Florida humidity and heat with no way to cool off
The winters are colder than Florida, but if you want to grow lots of plants consider the Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, etc.) There are parts of Iowa where the cost of living is LOW.
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