Save Scattered Acres Farm
Donation protected
Short version. I have a small truck garden operation, specializing in egg production and sales, but also including garden produce. I lost rented ground the summer of 2019, which curtailed both my plant and animal production. Now I have a chance to buy a 9.5 acre parcel of tax-forfeited land, half grassland and half trees, lying up against a local river. The tax sale was originally scheduled for early December, so I needed to raise money in a hurry; then the county kicked it back to December 17th. While the opening bid is $2,000, the land is valued higher, over 6 times that amount, so it was hard to choose a dollar amount to shoot for [That is my backhanded way of saying I would love to raise more the amount listed. :o) ] Winning the auction for this piece of ground will allow me to expand the farm. As I live in a small village of 300 people, I am quite limited in what I can do, as my lot has only so much space, so more land is essential. Owning this 9.5 acres will allow me to continue doing what I love, working the land in an organic and sustainable manner. And it will allow me to continue providing healthy and chemical-free food to as many folks as I can. (I have a rewards list for this effort, which is itemized further down.)
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Long version. What I envision for this piece of ground is far-ranging. Garden produce will be grown in raised beds, with minimal or no ground disturbance, to maintain and grow a living, healthy soil. Many of the plants will be heirloom vegetables, which have much better taste and, some would argue, more nutrition. Mulch and compost will be added yearly. I want to explore sowing seeds into perennial beds of low growing Dutch clover, as well as trying to raise cereal crops in the beds, including the ancient grains (emmer, einkorn,spelt), which are often even tolerated by those who have an issue with gluten. And buckwheat, amaranth, maybe quinoa.
All animals will be free-range, on pasture; I hope to develop a rotational grazing system whereby, say, hogs will be followed by poultry, which might be followed by sheep or goats, which might be followed by cattle. Egg production will continue to be a top priority, but meat production will also play a role. A limited number of bee hives would also be on the agenda.
Tree crops of both nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, acorns, etc.) and fruits (apple, pear, plum, mulberry, etc.)would be placed in strategic locations, perhaps even certain legume trees which could be fed to livestock. And other fruit bearing trees that would be of great benefit to wildlife, birds in particular. And I'd like to examine planting certain species that would work to create a living fence, much like the hedges of Britain.
And as much as would be feasible and tolerable, the land should also function as a sort of wildlife sanctuary. The riverbank in particular could be developed in such a manner as to provide as much cover as possible for as many species as possible. A place for all species, large and small.
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Personal story. I'm a bit of a halfling. Though my mothers' people landed in New England 10 years after the Pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock, my father immigrated to the U.S. in 1912, at the age of 12, along with his parents and siblings, from what is now north-west Ukraine, which makes me a first-generation American on the paternal side. To this day, I remember the family's reason for emigrating: my grandfather had poured blood, sweat, and tears into a piece of land--about 40 acres--working it into a small but productive farm; the then-Russian government wanted it, took it, and in return gave my family--according to my father's words--a hill of rocks.
Farming runs deep in the blood on my father's side, and as far as I know--as it was told to me--that innate need to work the soil and attend to animals can be traced back many generations. With my father, this relationship to farming, as he knew it, manifested in his being--much to the vexation, at times, of my mother and older siblings--what one would label old-fashioned. We were the last family in our area to put our hay up in slings, rather than small bales; we were the last family to not only raise oats, but to winnow it with a stationary threshing machine rather than a combine; we were the last family to turn our milk cows out on pasture during the spring/summer/fall months; the last family to graze our hogs on grass; the last family to side-dress our corn with nitrogen fertilizer, and to pick our corn and store it in a corn crib; the last family to start growing soybeans; the last family to practice crop-rotation, and to use plow-down crops for green manure.
In essence, my father lived by a simple code: be good to the land, and treat it with respect, and the land will return the favor. My birth-family was never rich, as most people today define the term; but we never lacked for food, for a roof over our heads, for clothes, for self-respect. As a result, I had the privilege of growing up in a time when farming was a respectable and honorable way of life, but at the same time, was giving way, where I was raised, to farming as a necessity-to-operate-in-a-given-manner: as a means of mining the soil for maximum profit; of pitting oneself against one's neighbor; of amassing as much land and machinery as possible, and in the process, producing as its final result, an emptying-out of the countryside.
I loved growing up on the farm, and from my earliest remembrances wanted nothing more out of life than to continue the legacy of my father's people. Fate, however, decreed otherwise, and I spent most of my adult life learning to be a jack-of-all-trades. I attended university right out of high school but didn't graduate. I spent the next 25+ years pounding nails and punching cows, while also learning to be a carpenter, electrician, plumber, mechanic, and a host of others jobs. In my early 50's I returned to university to finish my BA in History, then finished a MFA in Creative Writing, then finished most of the classes for a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing before realizing being a tenured professor was out of my reach. I spent the next few years as an under-paid, over-worked, benefit-less adjunct. And now, on what I suspect will be my last leg of journey, I'm doing what I have hoped for since my earliest memories; a life of living in maximum harmony with the land and its innumerable components.
If life has taught me anything, it is that if we humans fail to interact with our environment in a meaningful fashion--if we feel our duty is to have dominion over this planet rather than to coexist with it in a state of mutual agreement--we shall not only experience a great suffering for such a decision, but we will also lose a great portion of our humanity in the the process.
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Rewards List.
$10 = --1 dozen eggs. Local contributors only. Given out in order received, by availabity.
or = --1 started heirloom plant; tomato, pepper, etc. List of available plants to be announced in early winter of 2021, here and on farm website. Local contributors only.
or = --1 baby chick, hatched from my incubator; I am not proficient in sexing at that age, so you get what you get. Available starting in May 2021. Local contributors only. Breed received determined by luck of the hatch.
or = --1 started tree in pot; oak, ash, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit; depending on sprouting circumstances. Local contributers only.
or = --1 bottle of home-brewed komchucha (Bengal Spice) + 1 bottle of home brewed farmer’s punch (switchel). Local contributors only. Given out in order received, by availabity.
$20 = --1 baby duck, hatched from my incubator; I am not proficient in sexing at that age, so you get what you get. Available starting in May 2021. Local contributors only. List of breeds to choose from posted in March or April of 2021, here and on farm website. Breed received, determined by luck of the hatch.
$25 = --Name an animal. Periodic updated photos will be provided. Visits are encouraged.
$35 = --1 whole dressed roasting chicken (from 4-6+ #s). Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Delivery date to be determined.
$50 = --This category is dependent upon my winning the bid for the land.
= --A weekend of camping; Friday night – Sunday afternoon. Provided: latrine; firepit, with wood; fishing spot(s).
or = --Contributors’ name on a nest box, or raised bed.
$60 = --1 whole dressed roasting duck (from 6-10+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available in mid-late fall.
$75 = --1 whole dressed roasting goose (from 10-12+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available in late fall, or for Christmas.
or = --1 heritage breed whole dressed roasting turkey (from 15-20+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available for Thanksgiving.
or = --10 dozen cartons of 1 dozen eggs; given out over a six-month period (or 12-month, if needed). Local contributors only. Given out in order received.
$100 = --Contributors’ name/city/state on sign near entrance. This specific item is dependent upon my winning the bid for the land.
or = --2 banana boxes of mixed organic produce, given out in consecutive months, beginning in July. Local contributors only.
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Long version. What I envision for this piece of ground is far-ranging. Garden produce will be grown in raised beds, with minimal or no ground disturbance, to maintain and grow a living, healthy soil. Many of the plants will be heirloom vegetables, which have much better taste and, some would argue, more nutrition. Mulch and compost will be added yearly. I want to explore sowing seeds into perennial beds of low growing Dutch clover, as well as trying to raise cereal crops in the beds, including the ancient grains (emmer, einkorn,spelt), which are often even tolerated by those who have an issue with gluten. And buckwheat, amaranth, maybe quinoa.
All animals will be free-range, on pasture; I hope to develop a rotational grazing system whereby, say, hogs will be followed by poultry, which might be followed by sheep or goats, which might be followed by cattle. Egg production will continue to be a top priority, but meat production will also play a role. A limited number of bee hives would also be on the agenda.
Tree crops of both nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, acorns, etc.) and fruits (apple, pear, plum, mulberry, etc.)would be placed in strategic locations, perhaps even certain legume trees which could be fed to livestock. And other fruit bearing trees that would be of great benefit to wildlife, birds in particular. And I'd like to examine planting certain species that would work to create a living fence, much like the hedges of Britain.
And as much as would be feasible and tolerable, the land should also function as a sort of wildlife sanctuary. The riverbank in particular could be developed in such a manner as to provide as much cover as possible for as many species as possible. A place for all species, large and small.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
Personal story. I'm a bit of a halfling. Though my mothers' people landed in New England 10 years after the Pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock, my father immigrated to the U.S. in 1912, at the age of 12, along with his parents and siblings, from what is now north-west Ukraine, which makes me a first-generation American on the paternal side. To this day, I remember the family's reason for emigrating: my grandfather had poured blood, sweat, and tears into a piece of land--about 40 acres--working it into a small but productive farm; the then-Russian government wanted it, took it, and in return gave my family--according to my father's words--a hill of rocks.
Farming runs deep in the blood on my father's side, and as far as I know--as it was told to me--that innate need to work the soil and attend to animals can be traced back many generations. With my father, this relationship to farming, as he knew it, manifested in his being--much to the vexation, at times, of my mother and older siblings--what one would label old-fashioned. We were the last family in our area to put our hay up in slings, rather than small bales; we were the last family to not only raise oats, but to winnow it with a stationary threshing machine rather than a combine; we were the last family to turn our milk cows out on pasture during the spring/summer/fall months; the last family to graze our hogs on grass; the last family to side-dress our corn with nitrogen fertilizer, and to pick our corn and store it in a corn crib; the last family to start growing soybeans; the last family to practice crop-rotation, and to use plow-down crops for green manure.
In essence, my father lived by a simple code: be good to the land, and treat it with respect, and the land will return the favor. My birth-family was never rich, as most people today define the term; but we never lacked for food, for a roof over our heads, for clothes, for self-respect. As a result, I had the privilege of growing up in a time when farming was a respectable and honorable way of life, but at the same time, was giving way, where I was raised, to farming as a necessity-to-operate-in-a-given-manner: as a means of mining the soil for maximum profit; of pitting oneself against one's neighbor; of amassing as much land and machinery as possible, and in the process, producing as its final result, an emptying-out of the countryside.
I loved growing up on the farm, and from my earliest remembrances wanted nothing more out of life than to continue the legacy of my father's people. Fate, however, decreed otherwise, and I spent most of my adult life learning to be a jack-of-all-trades. I attended university right out of high school but didn't graduate. I spent the next 25+ years pounding nails and punching cows, while also learning to be a carpenter, electrician, plumber, mechanic, and a host of others jobs. In my early 50's I returned to university to finish my BA in History, then finished a MFA in Creative Writing, then finished most of the classes for a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing before realizing being a tenured professor was out of my reach. I spent the next few years as an under-paid, over-worked, benefit-less adjunct. And now, on what I suspect will be my last leg of journey, I'm doing what I have hoped for since my earliest memories; a life of living in maximum harmony with the land and its innumerable components.
If life has taught me anything, it is that if we humans fail to interact with our environment in a meaningful fashion--if we feel our duty is to have dominion over this planet rather than to coexist with it in a state of mutual agreement--we shall not only experience a great suffering for such a decision, but we will also lose a great portion of our humanity in the the process.
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Rewards List.
$10 = --1 dozen eggs. Local contributors only. Given out in order received, by availabity.
or = --1 started heirloom plant; tomato, pepper, etc. List of available plants to be announced in early winter of 2021, here and on farm website. Local contributors only.
or = --1 baby chick, hatched from my incubator; I am not proficient in sexing at that age, so you get what you get. Available starting in May 2021. Local contributors only. Breed received determined by luck of the hatch.
or = --1 started tree in pot; oak, ash, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit; depending on sprouting circumstances. Local contributers only.
or = --1 bottle of home-brewed komchucha (Bengal Spice) + 1 bottle of home brewed farmer’s punch (switchel). Local contributors only. Given out in order received, by availabity.
$20 = --1 baby duck, hatched from my incubator; I am not proficient in sexing at that age, so you get what you get. Available starting in May 2021. Local contributors only. List of breeds to choose from posted in March or April of 2021, here and on farm website. Breed received, determined by luck of the hatch.
$25 = --Name an animal. Periodic updated photos will be provided. Visits are encouraged.
$35 = --1 whole dressed roasting chicken (from 4-6+ #s). Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Delivery date to be determined.
$50 = --This category is dependent upon my winning the bid for the land.
= --A weekend of camping; Friday night – Sunday afternoon. Provided: latrine; firepit, with wood; fishing spot(s).
or = --Contributors’ name on a nest box, or raised bed.
$60 = --1 whole dressed roasting duck (from 6-10+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available in mid-late fall.
$75 = --1 whole dressed roasting goose (from 10-12+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available in late fall, or for Christmas.
or = --1 heritage breed whole dressed roasting turkey (from 15-20+ #s) Local contributors only. Given out in order received. Available for Thanksgiving.
or = --10 dozen cartons of 1 dozen eggs; given out over a six-month period (or 12-month, if needed). Local contributors only. Given out in order received.
$100 = --Contributors’ name/city/state on sign near entrance. This specific item is dependent upon my winning the bid for the land.
or = --2 banana boxes of mixed organic produce, given out in consecutive months, beginning in July. Local contributors only.
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Organizer
Stashenko Hempeck
Organizer
Hendrum, MN