Want to move, start anew in upstate NY, and own a hobby farm, with barely any experience

[MiaohMia]

Now, I may not be the owner of my house, but I've definitely influenced her decision in moving. She wants to move upstate, to the country-side. She says "Do whatever you want with animals, but just don't leave the job to me!" Our house on Long Island can net us about 500-600k. That seems like much more than enough to buy us a farmhouse with a barn, and to start it up. The property in mind has more than enough room for the 5 of us, along with a barn ,plenty of sheds, and 12 acres, all for only 175k. Now, I say "barely any experience", so what experience is this? Well, the wonderful world of chickens! The farm happens to be on the main road of a small town, so we'd be able to sell several of our products from the farm. And, as someone who loves baking, baked goods. The wonderful house even has a hobby shop! So, all of you professional homesteaders and farmers, I have a few questions for you!

1. How would YOU go about starting up? We'd like to limit each animal to a year (ex. Poultry year 1, then goats year 2, etc.) But, would this be necessary? I ADORE animals of every type, but I feel a year would let me focus on them, and have last years set, while anytime less than that would be a mess. We'd plant any trees and perennials year 1.

2. Are cows really that hard? I wouldn't have any bulls (Children running around and bulls probably don't mix), but a dairy cow or 2 would be nice.


3. Apparently, the property has an upstairs 2 bedroom apartment. We'd like to know the cost we should charge for having it rented out for vacations that teach you about farming and eco-friendly. The property includes a river, so their'd be something to do, as well as the animals. Or would it just be easier to rent it out to people for living?

4. Is this an overall good idea? Everyone in the household is ecstatic about the idea, and would adore it.

5. What is the process of making selling eggs, meat, baked goods, and dairy products at your home to be legal in Upstate NY?

6. One more! What animals would YOU suggest for something like this? And plants to grow?

Thank you in advance for answering any questions!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I live in Ithaca right now for school. There are definitely no shortage of farms! However, one thing I notice about a lot of the areas in that part of NY is that they are not so well off financially, which means a lot f the houses and towns are quite run down. This definitely took some adjustment for me, coming from NJ and looking for suitable housing was more difficult that I thought. lots of the houses up that way are cheap, but that also means they need lots and lots of work. Growing up, my family always moved into houses that needed work because they were cheaper, but that gets old fast (and can be incredibly expensive!) so I would keep that in mind when looking at properties.

There are no shortage of farms though, and dairy cattle are a huge thing in NY. I doubt you would have any trouble finding dairy cows or people to talk to about it. Cows are not hard, but milking them can be time consuming. A milking machine for cows or goats is an awesome thing to invest in though, and I would recommend looking into them. With dairy cows, nutrition is important to keep the cow healthy while she produces milk. I would certainly read up about that a bit before getting into cows. You may want to look into goats as well. The milk is delicious and they are smaller and you can have more of them.

My biggest issue with upstate NY is the cold and the snow. This past winter we often had four feet of snow on the ground in some areas and the roads can be pretty rough. Even if it is not snowing, the wind will blow snow onto the roads. However, sometimes it snows two or three times a day (and inch or three each time). In more remote areas, the roads are not cleared. Salt does not work because the temperature routinely goes into the negatives. Last year, it was often -25 to -30 at night. Winters are also long, starting as early as October and going until April or early May. Some people love the snow, but as you can probably tell, I don't like it very much! Dealing with snow and cold, especially with animals means you may have to make special arrangements to house animals when it is too cold or to heat barns. Some breeds and species may be unsuitable for these areas. Many people keep animals just fine in upstate NY, but I know from experience that hard winters can take a lot of the fun out of living on a farm.

As for the rules about selling products, I'm not too sure about them. I'm sure the county ag extension office would be able to answer those questions for you though!

I don't mean to try to dissuade you from your plans, but just figured I would offer a few things to keep in the back of your mind when deciding! I would also try to wait until the house you are living in sells before getting your hopes up too much for a particular property. My parents have been trying to sell our house for over a year now with no luck.

If you have more questions i would be happy to answer them for you. There are lots of good things about upstate NY - like the summers and the outdoors recreation. There are also lots of beautiful roads and views and fall is always amazing!

 

[MiaohMia]

Thank you so much for the reply, and we're aware of horrible winters. Way too many winters have been spent cooped up without electric or heat because of hurricanes, but I'm guessing they aren't as much as a problem there? (We live coastal) Also, we're thinking about taking a trip up there and viewing some of the houses, just to get a feel for the area. I agree, it IS beautiful up there, and yes, most houses seem to be too cheap to be true! I guess they probably aren't in the best of shape. Thanks for the advice and warnings, I'm sure to keep them in mind!

 

[donrae]

Does this "small town" have enough economy for the folks that live there to buy your products? Or are they all frugal, raising their own chickens, baking from scratch, etc. Is there a tourist attraction? Would you be dependent on tourist season for income? That can lead to some lean times in the off season.

I would focus first on having your property support your family food-wise before financially. Sure, IMO it's just as easy to raise three hogs as two, and sell the extra, but small scale like that is only going to cover some feed costs, not support you. Spend a year getting to know your property, where the boggy areas are, what fences need to be repaired, what gets shade when, etc.

. No offense, but you're still in the learning stage yourself and not really in a position to charge folks for teaching them.

for the best information on selling your products, go to the NY state dept of Agriculture and research there. Always, always best to go to the source.