Multi-skilled Farmer, Goatherd, Permaculturist Seeks New Situation

I am looking for a situation where I can contribute my skills, tools and energy in a rural situation where folks are building self-sufficiency through cottage industry and/or small-scale food production (WA, OR, ID, MT). I would be looking for a place that offers simple housing for myself and a small wage or share of revenues generated or the ability to earn money independently. My skills and interests include: Micro-farming, organic gardening, raising dairy goats (10+ years), cheese-making, sustainable homesteading, renewable energy, green construction, political organizing, computer skills (i.e. professional web design, web-based activism, digital graphics, databases & spreadsheets), writing and editing, verbal communication, teaching, intentional community, permaculture, photography, herbology, cooking and music. I am a Certified Permaculture Designer. I have 20 years farming experience. At 55 years of age (male), I seek an opportunity where I am not called upon to carry the whole weight of a project, but I am healthy and I have enough stamina to contribute valuable energy to a team effort. No money to invest, just skills, some tools, creativity and humor.

wanted to let you know about the project we are getting going. we are looking for potential members to connect with and eventually join our permaculture homestead. This year is our first year and we are: putting in a bike powered well, a cobwood house, a renewable energy system, and a twist and twang lumber drying/greenhouse/ living space. We are located about 30 miles NW of Olympia. We are going to try to do a workshop on cobwood with Rob Roy next year. Please contact us if you'd like to inquire, dialogue, visit, or take part in workshops.

steve
directory.ic.org/23389/Clear_Water_Sanctuary
clearwatersanctuary.weebly.com

We have a perma farm in New England and are looking for someone with your interests and skills. Especially want to develop our Alpine goat herd and coppice pastures.
Also have budding forest garden with mature fruit trees.
Want to do mushroom production and have store, etc
We are all ages of artist farmer types. 91-7
Hope to hear from you
Alis. Juniperhillhomestead@gmail.com

Hi I'm Kathy I'm 53 and I have skills. I grow veggies.

Hi Chrys,

Have you found your situation?

I have a small holding in a beautiful place, 2.6 acres beneath 1000 foot high sandstone cliffs of a small national park in western Colorado. I've been establishing garden and poultry for 6 years. It is a lot to do on my own, could use a skilled helper, co worker. I recently entered in to goat keeping, as an adjunct to soil development. Started planting the remaining portions of my place into pasture, the soil carbon coalition inspired that.

If you are still unsettled, we could talk more, answer one another's questions, see if there is common ground, common interest, common goals.

browser@mm.st

Thekla

Hello Chrys,
Have you found a place?
Consider FL?

Chrys,

Me again, Thekla. You can also check out my seldom tended website canyonwrenfarm.org to see photos and read more about my projects.

I am not in your WA ID MT OR region, but not that far off either.

I grow herbs to sell to the local herbal apothecary. Grow more vegetables than I can eat (or weed), have apricot, apple, plum, peach, nectarine pear trees, so that is more fruit trees than I can prune... I have elderberries, strawberries, raspberries and black berries.

I manage for maximum beneficial insect habitat, maximum diversity, maximum soil carbon.

I do the lowest input farming I can manage, with gravity flow irrigation for most of my plot. I have worked very hard for the last 6 years, getting water systems established, and I am getting to the really fun part: adding to various zones. Not being trained in permaculture design, I am only guessing that what I'm ready to do is guild the place up, adding companions and cohabiters to all that is established.

I want nut trees. I am in the process of procuring cold adapted pomegranate seeds. I have one goat, and think I need maybe a flock of eight, whether all goat or some sheep, I don't know. cats, dogs, chickens, guinea fowl.

I had some massive elms taken down and am working on burying as much of the wood as I can. The pieces are bigger than my tractor, so it is a real puzzle how to go about that.

I have solar panels which supply more electricity than I use. I think once I get my solar porch on-- (not adding that til I get the summer and fall shading hops and or passion vines planted)-- I will likely use even less electricity, as I won't run the swamp cooler as much nor the pellet stove.

I have a cob greenhouse which has a rocket mass heater in it. Once I have tweaked that enough that I feel competent, I want to build a rmh to the heating system for the house.. in or adjacent to the solar porch I mentioned above.

Lots of projects to share. Lots of room to divide projects up by interest level and / or experience -- if and when compatible folks present themselves.

There is housing available of one description or another.

good luck in your search! and best wishes for a comfortable landing place for you, where ever you end up.

Thekla

Greetings! Have you found "your new situation" yet?

Have:

32 acres, house, barn/out buildings, guest cabin, goats, make cheese, free range chickens, a couple of horses, garden, bush lot, pond, creek, etc.
Children off to college diminishing internal labor force to only me.
Good skills and humor would be welcome.

Would be delighted to exchange more info. K