family of four- seeking other families for offgrid community

We currently run a small farm out of our 8 acre home in southern appalachia. One of us currently holds a off farm job with a large national grocery chain and has for years. We have been in the food industry for all of our working lives. Watching as prices have doubled and quality has continued to tank. On the farm we focus on sustainable ag and permaculture we raise a few flocks of free range non gmo chickens for eggs. We have been experimenting with genetics for meat birds to get us away from store bought poultry entirely. We hope to one day have a small hatchery focusing on rare and endangered breeds. We have started to establish an orchard and berry/grape patch. Along with a .25 acre market garden that continues to expand and we are currently in the process of going no till.Over the years we have felt as if something was missing, community. Now being in our 30s and having two young children. We understand how different childhood is now. Well kids will always be kids right? However the world has changed. We are looking for other families that feel the same and want something different in their lives and their kids futures. That's why we decided to try and reach those looking for something similar. Here is what we are looking to do and what qualities we are looking for in others who may want to join in this mission. We want to start with raw land preferably over 100 acres. We would like to purchase this land in cash without and financing. This is probably raw land so quite literally starting from the ground up. Somewhere in Southern appalachia preferd for growing season extension and taxes. You know things you can't escape.The idea partners would have a child/children want to homeschool be willing to take turns with teaching the co- discussed curriculum. Also have some useful skills or backgrounds in gardening, herbalism, plant identification, crafts, making from scratch items, livestock, carpentry, mechanic, plumbing, electrical, chef, teacher, nurse not sure about lawyers but if your fed up too lets go. Down to earth people who look at nature as something we work with and not against. Let us know what skills you hold that would make you a good fit. This is not one of those sit around and drink the cool aid type of things. This is a community building a business that supports itself. Anyways think of it as an employee owned farm. We grow what we need/make what we need to support the community within. Eventually selling to the larger local communities thru farmers markets and direct sales. Profit is then distributed to families and pooled together to add infustrucure/upkeep. Eventually adding an educational facility with focus on permaculture and healthy lifestyle. Maybe even a campground for friends and family and non members to stay. Shoot we're open to ideas. Anyways if there are still people out there who want kids to grow up running around in the woods with other kids learning about the real world instead of in a box with a screen. Let us know because we're about done working countless hours for corporate greed. For what? So our kids can repeat the same routine work double as hard as we've had to just to make it back to where we are at currently.We have no religious ties. Doesn't mean we don't belive in higher powers or things we cant see. We do hold strong morals so let's get to talking and see if we allign. We are open minded and understand the risk factors that go into play. We can all come together and ask those questions. Like, how you deal with conflicts? Who decides what jobs get done first? Where do we work/live while we build? All great questions.This is not something that happens overnight. However the sooner we connect, the sooner we can strive to make our future generations stronger with a greater understanding, knowledge and respect for the things in this world that truly matter to us.

I don't know if I can support your vision practically, but reading what you wrote felt a bit like having my mind read.
Honestly, I don't know if fully off-grid is the direction I want to take my family, but raising kids with good values and giving them land to play on, teaching them the value of farming, animal husbandry, and the beauty of nature is an intoxicating idea that, when combined with community and shared purpose fixes a lot of issues we are creating for ourselves in modern society.
I'm in my early 30s and am drawn to a lot of what you are saying, but I am not in a position to make it a reality at the moment. Wish you the best of luck, it is good to know there are likeminds out there.

Sounds cool, I'm in the same boat as John Shelton.

Totally off grid, having to build a house from scratch, and making a living off a communal farm is a big investment (time and financially) so make sure whoever you pick you click with, you don't want to be stuck with a neighbor you hate with no way out haha.

I can't personally make a major commitment like that, I'd like to eventually wean off my job but right now the financial security is hard to just drop altogether. I'll be doing something kind of similar with some of my childhood friends, but our will be on grid with the goal to be mostly grid-independent, but we all have different jobs, the permaculture and homesteading part will just be for fun so there are no commitments. We'll be more like neighbors on a big shared piece of property. We've known each other since childhood, so there's no risk of personality clashes.

You're going all the way though, if you get some bites I'd be curious how it turns out for you. Keep us up to date if it becomes a reality! I'm exceptionally curious about the employee owned farm, it sounds a bit like communism and I don't mean that in a bad way (Some people, especially many Americans view the word as an insult), it just reminds me of the old Karl Marx quote "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs". Some people may contribute more or less to a communal farm, and you'll have to figure out how to fairly split that or to split it evenly regardless of input. Sometimes a lot of extra work doesn't equate to a lot of extra yield and that could lead to disputes. I'm sure with amiable enough people, this won't be an issue. I think it can be a very cool model with the right group of people.