Bee's Guest House

[Up-the-Creek]

Bee I guess I can understand your point of view looking at as you are doing,..but let me tell you from a point of view of someone inheriting a "farm" isn't always a blessing. The taxes alone can be mind boggling on many acres of land. Yes people say taxes are low in the state of WV, but so is the wages we work for. Everyone that I know here that has an actual "working" farm also has a job. Tending a farm with animals is an expensive endeavor. Many counties even tax how many livestock you have also.The cost of maintaining fences, buildings, and the equipment you have to have is enormous. Equipment alone can put someone in debt the rest of their lives. Before you say it can be done without it,..there is not enough hours in the day for one person, let alone a couple to maintain acres of farmland. Plus there is never enough money to hire help. As far as people building new homes or pulling in that hidious double-wide,..well many more times than not it is more economical to go with new than try to fix the old. Termites in this state alone is the biggest problem with these older structures,..plus they are not insulated and harder to heat. Old homes come with a whole other set of financial burdens. Tending a farm is not like tending your yard. We have 40 acres give or take,..fencing it back in is going to cost thousands of dollars, if it is done right. Thousands not hundreds,...not many people have that kind of money laying around,..I know I don't. The cost of having livestock,..not just a couple of goats or sheep, or a baby calf or two,..hundreds of head of cattle, the cost of feed could bankrupt a person if you are not careful. There is hay to buy,...vet bills to pay because we all know things happen when you have livestock. Whether you are a big operation or small,..it is costly. Also the people that are doing it are not into it for being self sufficent,..they are trying to maintain the land and maybe try to break even in the long run. It is not as simple as you make it sound. You shouldn't judge people till you have walked a mile in their shoes,...

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

She had an idea about starting a gleaning program, in which you can put local gardeners and farmers in touch with those who need the food and let the people glean right off the gardens.

some of the farmers around here let us glean in their corn fields after their combines are thru with it.. we get LOTS of feed corn for the critters... and all we have to do is tromp around and pick it up. might be an idea ... we feed the whole corn to the poultry. saves us lots of money.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee I guess I can understand your point of view looking at as you are doing,..but let me tell you from a point of view of someone inheriting a "farm" isn't always a blessing. The taxes alone can be mind boggling on many acres of land. Yes people say taxes are low in the state of WV, but so is the wages we work for. Everyone that I know here that has an actual "working" farm also has a job. Tending a farm with animals is an expensive endeavor. Many counties even tax how many livestock you have also.The cost of maintaining fences, buildings, and the equipment you have to have is enormous. Equipment alone can put someone in debt the rest of their lives. Before you say it can be done without it,..there is not enough hours in the day for one person, let alone a couple to maintain acres of farmland. Plus there is never enough money to hire help. As far as people building new homes or pulling in that hidious double-wide,..well many more times than not it is more economical to go with new than try to fix the old. Termites in this state alone is the biggest problem with these older structures,..plus they are not insulated and harder to heat. Old homes come with a whole other set of financial burdens. Tending a farm is not like tending your yard. We have 40 acres give or take,..fencing it back in is going to cost thousands of dollars, if it is done right. Thousands not hundreds,...not many people have that kind of money laying around,..I know I don't. The cost of having livestock,..not just a couple of goats or sheep, or a baby calf or two,..hundreds of head of cattle, the cost of feed could bankrupt a person if you are not careful. There is hay to buy,...vet bills to pay because we all know things happen when you have livestock. Whether you are a big operation or small,..it is costly. Also the people that are doing it are not into it for being self sufficent,..they are trying to maintain the land and maybe try to break even in the long run. It is not as simple as you make it sound. You shouldn't judge people till you have walked a mile in their shoes,...

UTC, you are exactly right and I wasn't exactly judging, just noticing.....but I would love to see what it was like to have those shoes. For most people, a tract of land, with or without a house is an impossible dream. Having one given to you, even with the burden of taxes and buildings to repair, seems like a dream come true.

Me? In those shoes, my wages would go to taxes and making small improvements. Starting small and working my way up. Of course buying a lot of cattle is expensive....how about starting with just a few? Or maybe sheep instead...low investment with a big and faster return.

An old, drafty house? Termites? As long as those floors could bear my weight, I would walk on them. I would heat with wood and insulate as money allows. Heck, I was raised on cardboard floors....a tumbledown farm house looks like a mansion to someone like me.

Fences? Start small...add to it as you earn the money. It can be done...I've seen it done. My folks bought 110 acres with the sale of a previous house. It took every cent except the price of a chainsaw. We moved onto the place with that chainsaw and a few handtools. No houses, no barns. We built a two room log cabin in two weeks and that building is still being used 33 years later.

I guess it's just a matter of perspective really. When you don't mind waiting for the bigger purchases, when you don't mind living in a run down house or starting with just a few animals, then having someone give you an old farm looks like a dream come true.

If you haven't read anything by Joel Salatin, you could really get some great tips on how to start small and build up using old equipment, working off the farm until things start to pay, and making do with rundown houses and buildings until you can afford to upgrade. He has some amazing ideas!

I'm sorry if you thought my post was directed at you at all, as it wasn't.

 

[Farmfresh]

One thing I see around our part of the country a lot is old barns standing with the siding rotting off and yet the bones look very solid and stable and beside them a new Morton building or something.

I never understood how it could possibly be cheaper to build a whole new barn than it would be to rehab the old one and put new metal roofing and siding on that. Many of those old barns are timber framed and have stood 100 years with a little care they could stand another hundred.

Also I have a friend who just bought a house on three acres. She mentioned they are taking down all of the fences this weekend!!! The place was fenced into three smaller pastures for horses complete with electric wire and slick wire fencing. She sees the fences as making her "yard" harder to mow. "You can hardly edge under all of those fences."
I tried to explain that in MY world that was like tearing out a nice half bath to make a closet, but she doesn't get it at all. The also are filling two ornamental ponds one of the pretty good sized (can you say aquaculture!!) The best I could do was tell her that I am interested in the three heavy duty stock gates and all of the unbent T-posts. I am certain that my D1, my sis, or one of my farm friends will be able to use them at least.

 

[Aidenbaby]

I used to dream about taking one of those barns FF is talking about and renovating it into a house. Could you imagine having a huge gorgeous house with all of those beautifully aged beams exposed?

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Bee I guess I can understand your point of view looking at as you are doing,..but let me tell you from a point of view of someone inheriting a "farm" isn't always a blessing. The taxes alone can be mind boggling on many acres of land. Yes people say taxes are low in the state of WV, but so is the wages we work for. Everyone that I know here that has an actual "working" farm also has a job. Tending a farm with animals is an expensive endeavor. Many counties even tax how many livestock you have also.The cost of maintaining fences, buildings, and the equipment you have to have is enormous. Equipment alone can put someone in debt the rest of their lives. Before you say it can be done without it,..there is not enough hours in the day for one person, let alone a couple to maintain acres of farmland. Plus there is never enough money to hire help. As far as people building new homes or pulling in that hidious double-wide,..well many more times than not it is more economical to go with new than try to fix the old. Termites in this state alone is the biggest problem with these older structures,..plus they are not insulated and harder to heat. Old homes come with a whole other set of financial burdens. Tending a farm is not like tending your yard. We have 40 acres give or take,..fencing it back in is going to cost thousands of dollars, if it is done right. Thousands not hundreds,...not many people have that kind of money laying around,..I know I don't. The cost of having livestock,..not just a couple of goats or sheep, or a baby calf or two,..hundreds of head of cattle, the cost of feed could bankrupt a person if you are not careful. There is hay to buy,...vet bills to pay because we all know things happen when you have livestock. Whether you are a big operation or small,..it is costly. Also the people that are doing it are not into it for being self sufficent,..they are trying to maintain the land and maybe try to break even in the long run. It is not as simple as you make it sound. You shouldn't judge people till you have walked a mile in their shoes,...

UTC, you are exactly right and I wasn't exactly judging, just noticing.....but I would love to see what it was like to have those shoes. For most people, a tract of land, with or without a house is an impossible dream. Having one given to you, even with the burden of taxes and buildings to repair, seems like a dream come true.

Me? In those shoes, my wages would go to taxes and making small improvements. Starting small and working my way up. Of course buying a lot of cattle is expensive....how about starting with just a few? Or maybe sheep instead...low investment with a big and faster return.

An old, drafty house? Termites? As long as those floors could bear my weight, I would walk on them. I would heat with wood and insulate as money allows. Heck, I was raised on cardboard floors....a tumbledown farm house looks like a mansion to someone like me.

Fences? Start small...add to it as you earn the money. It can be done...I've seen it done. My folks bought 110 acres with the sale of a previous house. It took every cent except the price of a chainsaw. We moved onto the place with that chainsaw and a few handtools. No houses, no barns. We built a two room log cabin in two weeks and that building is still being used 33 years later.

I guess it's just a matter of perspective really. When you don't mind waiting for the bigger purchases, when you don't mind living in a run down house or starting with just a few animals, then having someone give you an old farm looks like a dream come true.

If you haven't read anything by Joel Salatin, you could really get some great tips on how to start small and build up using old equipment, working off the farm until things start to pay, and making do with rundown houses and buildings until you can afford to upgrade. He has some amazing ideas!

I'm sorry if you thought my post was directed at you at all, as it wasn't.

Bee we all have our opinions I guess,...For one I didn't take the comment personal to myself,..the problem is you are judging people on something you have no idea with what is going on. You profess your christian ways but you arent practicing. Doesn't the bible mention something to the fact about judging others. Anyone could judge you the same way. You are older and had plenty of time,..why don't you own a home? A person could ask many the same questions of you,..but it isnt as easy as others make it sound is it? The reason why maybe I took it "personal" as you call it is because you are talking about teaching others and ministering to the less fortunate,...but in the same breath you are judging your neighbors because they aren't doing things as you see fit. Sorry if I offended anyone,..I am just tired of the preaching and no practicing,...

 

[Dace]

Your are not crazy. I think your ideas are GREAT! As a matter of a fact I share many of your ministry ideas. Heck people don't even know how to COOK anymore!

Here is where I also share your ministry ideas! I am trying to get into a position of working with kids teaching them not only WHERE food comes from but how to cook and eat things that do not come from a box or a can!

The things that you describe fit right inline with your upcoming book....I think you have found the key

 

[Aidenbaby]

Frankly, I think you BOTH need to watch your words before this turns into a big ugly mess.

UTC, you also need to remember that on this particular thread you are a guest as it is her journal. You could also be the bigger person and just let her state her opinions as just that. It would have been just as easy to send a brief, polite message as it was to admonish her publicly.

I, too, have wondered what happens to all those people that inherit property and seem to just let it go to waste. Having never met such a person, I can't really get a firm grasp on all that gets involved. Bee, I am totally with you in wishing that I had had an opportunity to take something rough and hard and turning it into something shining and beautiful. Probably, why I love the fact that I have worms in my yard now. It's the simple things that please me. LOL

 

[Occamstazer]

Whoa! I thought there was a no snarking in someone's journal rule?
If you can't rant at home, where can you?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Whoa! I thought there was a no snarking in someone's journal rule?
If you can't rant at home, where can you?

I've checked the stickies in the journal section. I can't find that rule anywhere. I think someone made it up along the way. I for one, applaud Up the creek for her words. They made perfect sense to me.