Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Over the Garden Fence
It's a huge misnomer that you have to be out in the country somewhere to backyard farm. Nothing could
be further from the truth! In fact, before you move out into a rural area, I highly recommend adopting a
more self-sufficient lifestyle and backyard farming as much as possible without moving ten states away.
Try working a garden in the backyard you have right now and see if you can hang with it for a year. You
might detest it and decide to buy all your produce and meat from local, happy farmers. Better to discover
that now instead of two years and $200,000 later!
History of the Land
One thing that you would want to be sure to find out prior to purchasing land is the history of
the land. As you'll learn later, certain farming techniques strip the land or leave pesticide residues
that could hurt the crops you're trying to grow organically. Maybe the area has been mined. And
of course, you'll want to find out about the historical climate of the property as we'll discuss in a
couple more pages.
The land around our county was primarily logged, which means heavy equipment. Sometimes that
can lead to extreme soil compaction that makes it more difficult for tender roots to get into the soil.
Soil needs space for air, water, and beneficial microbes to get down deep and bring up the nutrients,
and compaction means that all these nice spaces have been squished out of the soil. Extreme
compaction can be corrected, but it takes time and effort and means a lot more than simple tilling.
You can see how important soil quality is in making a purchasing decision. (Chapter 6 has a lot of
information about building soil fertility.)
In other areas you may find that land has been mined or farmed in such a way that much of the
rich top soil has been lost. Acre upon acre of farmland has been ripped open and left bare to the
ravages of the wind. Protecting this precious soil is part of why we plant cover crops and mulch, as
discussed in Chapter 7. Unfortunately, larger commercial operations aren't always so careful.
Pesticide use in the past three years is enough to prohibit certification as an organic production.
Not only that, but the residue of those pesticides can remain in the well water and soil for quite
some time, especially where you are growing trees, berries, and long-lived perennials.
If your real estate agent doesn't know the history of the land, try talking to neighbors who live
nearby. In most rural areas you'll get a detailed history and learn not only who lived there, but how
many kids they had, what their dog's name was, and a funny story about that time their mean ole
rooster chased the cat up the tree. If nothing else, you're sure to be entertained.
thOrny MatterS
Don't forget to inquire about unexpected costs associated with the property. Find out what the property
taxes are currently, and what they might be in the future after you've built your home and a couple
outbuildings. I know that more than one backyard farmer has been shocked when property taxes triple (or
more) the year after they build and move in. Don't get caught unaware!
