A Forever Home for our Highland Cows
Donation protected
It is not always comfortable asking for help. Sometimes to fulfill your dreams, you need support from a community of people who believe in you.
Hey, we are Adam & Emily from Happy Hens & Highlands Farm (happyhensandhighlands.com ) We were both born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Our ancestors migrated to this area in the 1700's. We both went through phases in our life where we wanted to move far away from these North Carolina mountains. As we have gotten older, we have come to realize we have been blessed to live in one of the most amazing places on earth. We do not want to leave.
Currently we lease all our farmland. Even though our landlords are wonderful, since it is not our property, we do not feel comfortable hosting many visitors. It is also difficult to accommodate guest because our cows are spread out between 4-6 locations (depending on the season). We spend one to two hours a day just on the road driving back and forth between farms to check on all the animals and feed them. We would love to have a farm of our own where we could keep the majority of the cows together year-round.
We found a piece of land that seems to be perfect! It is a working farm, close to town, easily accessible, partially fenced, has water, and has hay storage. It also has a flat enough area to set up a nice handling facility and feed cows in winter. It’s almost all pasture and contains a small section of woods for the cows to spend the hot summer days. It is hard (almost impossible) to find a place like this in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
At one time, the only people who moved to this area were retirees building a second home or artists wanting a small studio in the mountains. There were very few jobs in this area after the factories shut down and manufacturing went overseas. That is why this area didn’t appeal to younger people. Things have changed in recent years and there has been an influx of families leaving cities for these small mountain towns. I think a lot of it is due to covid and jobs now being online.
I don’t blame people leaving cities and wanting to move to the mountains (I would too). It is an amazing place to live. Since our area has grown in popularity, land prices have skyrocketed. The worst part is since most rental properties are being used for vacation rentals and there are very few apartments, there is a housing shortage. Most of the land here is steep and wooded and not good for agricultural use. The usable farmland is being quickly sold for high prices, sub divided, and developed.
We have been considering moving to another state, but our hearts are here. Also, Western North Carolina is the perfect environment for our cows. The Scotch-Irish settled in these mountains a few hundred years ago because it reminded them of their homeland
For self-employed farmers, it is becoming nearly impossible to buy land here. It is so much harder to get a loan for land compared to a home loan. Depending on the bank we use, as much as 30% of the money could be required up front as a down payment. The other option is using our livestock as collateral but with the economy being so uncertain, I don’t want to risk our cows being taken by a bank. Currently, most of our income comes from merchandise sales. Unfortunately, I do not see us selling enough t-shirts and stuffed animals to buy a farm.
At the recommendation of our followers, we have decided to try crowdfunding. Our dream is to have this farm of our own, where we can host visitors, have cattle handling workshops, teach classes, house interns, accommodate school groups, and have a guest house for visitors. I am setting the goal at $120,000 because that is approximately 1/4 of the amount we need. If we have that amount in hand, we can get a loan for the rest.
I do not want to just ask for money... we want to do something to thank the people who contribute to our dream. If we can purchase this farm, we will do a special private event for the contributors (maybe multiple small events due to gathering regulations at the time). I hate to even ask for help, but it is the only way I see that we can make this happen. Thank you for your continued support! There have been days we have been ready to give up and quit farming, but the support and kind words from our followers have kept us going even when it has been tough.
Adam & Emily
Hey, we are Adam & Emily from Happy Hens & Highlands Farm (happyhensandhighlands.com ) We were both born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Our ancestors migrated to this area in the 1700's. We both went through phases in our life where we wanted to move far away from these North Carolina mountains. As we have gotten older, we have come to realize we have been blessed to live in one of the most amazing places on earth. We do not want to leave.
Currently we lease all our farmland. Even though our landlords are wonderful, since it is not our property, we do not feel comfortable hosting many visitors. It is also difficult to accommodate guest because our cows are spread out between 4-6 locations (depending on the season). We spend one to two hours a day just on the road driving back and forth between farms to check on all the animals and feed them. We would love to have a farm of our own where we could keep the majority of the cows together year-round.
We found a piece of land that seems to be perfect! It is a working farm, close to town, easily accessible, partially fenced, has water, and has hay storage. It also has a flat enough area to set up a nice handling facility and feed cows in winter. It’s almost all pasture and contains a small section of woods for the cows to spend the hot summer days. It is hard (almost impossible) to find a place like this in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
At one time, the only people who moved to this area were retirees building a second home or artists wanting a small studio in the mountains. There were very few jobs in this area after the factories shut down and manufacturing went overseas. That is why this area didn’t appeal to younger people. Things have changed in recent years and there has been an influx of families leaving cities for these small mountain towns. I think a lot of it is due to covid and jobs now being online.
I don’t blame people leaving cities and wanting to move to the mountains (I would too). It is an amazing place to live. Since our area has grown in popularity, land prices have skyrocketed. The worst part is since most rental properties are being used for vacation rentals and there are very few apartments, there is a housing shortage. Most of the land here is steep and wooded and not good for agricultural use. The usable farmland is being quickly sold for high prices, sub divided, and developed.
We have been considering moving to another state, but our hearts are here. Also, Western North Carolina is the perfect environment for our cows. The Scotch-Irish settled in these mountains a few hundred years ago because it reminded them of their homeland
For self-employed farmers, it is becoming nearly impossible to buy land here. It is so much harder to get a loan for land compared to a home loan. Depending on the bank we use, as much as 30% of the money could be required up front as a down payment. The other option is using our livestock as collateral but with the economy being so uncertain, I don’t want to risk our cows being taken by a bank. Currently, most of our income comes from merchandise sales. Unfortunately, I do not see us selling enough t-shirts and stuffed animals to buy a farm.
At the recommendation of our followers, we have decided to try crowdfunding. Our dream is to have this farm of our own, where we can host visitors, have cattle handling workshops, teach classes, house interns, accommodate school groups, and have a guest house for visitors. I am setting the goal at $120,000 because that is approximately 1/4 of the amount we need. If we have that amount in hand, we can get a loan for the rest.
I do not want to just ask for money... we want to do something to thank the people who contribute to our dream. If we can purchase this farm, we will do a special private event for the contributors (maybe multiple small events due to gathering regulations at the time). I hate to even ask for help, but it is the only way I see that we can make this happen. Thank you for your continued support! There have been days we have been ready to give up and quit farming, but the support and kind words from our followers have kept us going even when it has been tough.
Adam & Emily
Organizer
Emily Young-Hopson
Organizer
Burnsville, NC