Val Vetter

Hey Simon,

I sent you a "purple Mooseage" - email me.

Val

Dale Hodgins wrote:Hi Val. This sounds like something that is going to need a good contract, so that you can protect yourself in the event that the world's laziest people show up.

Another important thing to watch for is the accumulation of unwanted stuff. My useless tenants gathered many truckloads of stuff that I later had to dispose of.

It would probably be good to have a neighbor or some other trusted person check up on your tenants regularly, especially in the beginning.

I would never have anyone, who claims to not have a cell phone or the ability to get one. I would also make a consistent pattern of not answering that phone, grounds for eviction. Those who aren't performing their duties, will not want to talk to you very often. Those who are performing, are likely to answer their phone and send you pictures. That's been my experience.

Unfortunately, all too true Dale, which is why I hesitate to even go down this road.

We've even had somebody who was personally recommended to us and vouched for string us along and then bow out after we had stopped looking for people, making us start the whole process over again.

Val

Anne Miller wrote:

Having a good contract drawn up by a lawyer would be worthwhile.  Having worked with many volunteers it is true that there are many good ones and just as many that will load up anything of value and leave in the middle of the night. .. and  leave their trash behind.  

Excellent points Anne, and having seen how lame and opportunistic many "WOOFERS" have been, I hesitate to even look for people and consider other options.

My other options are: sell the property, pay somebody (still no guarantee of competence or honesty) or continue to mooch off friends good-natured enough to watch the place.

Val

David Livingston wrote:Also I don't think the term sharecropper helps bad historical vibes

David

True David, "Sharecroppers" does have a bad "vibe" to it, but it's not really deserved and only the bad, dishonest owners who violated the agreement gave it this bad reputation. Evicting tenants after they have done all the hard work and keeping the harvest is hardly living up to the agreement.

Val

Folks,

   I don't know exactly how to pitch this - or even where. I've tried advertising with "Eager Farmer"and a local self-reliance magazine and got zero replies.

Moderator: If this post would be better in another forum - please feel free to move it.

Anyway - here's the deal:

We own 40 acres in Northeast Texas - roughly between Dallas and Texarkana. The property is 90% wooded, and we run a small organic (Certified Naturally Grown) farm or Market Garden on a couple of acres.
We got into raising chickens for eggs, a few pigs, turkeys, and we grow veggies in am 8,000 sqft garden. We also have a small orchard.

In short, MOST of this property remains unused.

Our problem - we'd like to travel more and be away from our "farm" for extended periods of time.
Unfortunately, chickens need feeding and watering, garden needs watering, dogs and cats need to be fed - and - we need to make sure we don't return to find squatter and/or a meth lab on our property.

We've taken short trips (a week or less) but - we really can't afford to hire and pay a "farmsitter" for extended periods of time - and - we've imposed on our friends far too many times as it is already.

WE NEED SOMEBODY TO LIVE ON THE PROPERTY!

Our cabin is teeny-tiny. No room for more than us - and - we need to have it available when we ARE here.

There is PLENTY (TONS!) of room to build a cabin, park a motorhome or trailer, build a Yurt, or pitch a tent.
(We actually HAVE an old, old motorhome that needs a lot of TLC that someone could use - and even keep.)

The property HAS Co-op ("city") water. Electricity is available - though best solution would be to order another "drop". Phone lines run to the property.

The person/couple/family that would be living here would have pretty much full run of the property to grow, raise, farm as they please. We would just require that organic methods be used (NO ROUNDUP!!!) that no illegal activity be conducted,
and that the value of the property no be adversely affected. (no commercial logging, quarry, etc)

We would make our tools and small equipment available to the folks living here - mowers, tiller, chainsaws, garden tools, etc.

There is a ~2 acre electrical easement that has some rough "pasture" under it. (actually, decent bahia  grass when it's kept mowed - would be great for sheep.

Plenty of firewood for heating/cooking and enough pine trees that one could even build a log cabin. (If I were 30 years younger and 80 years more ambitious.)

"Seasonal" creek on the property - in case that means anything to anybody. (Yes, I thought "Microhydro" at one point - and it may well be possible - but that's a whole 'nuther discussion)

So - what we're offering is use of land & tools at no cost. We also have an extensive library that would be at your disposal.
What we want is - reliable, honest, sane, live-on-the-land "stewards", sharecroppers, caretakers, etc - who could either supply or build their own shelter - or - are willing to live in an OLD neglected motorhome.

I've just rambled out a few lines of what I can remember about the place and what we're looking for. If there are QUESTIONS about the situation here - please feel free to ask.

If anybody might actually be interested in discussing this more seriously - PLEASE contact me directly and we'll chat.

So - that's all I have for now.

Let the madness ensue.

We charge $3.00, $3.50, $4.00 for our small, medium, Large "Certified Naturally Grown" free-range eggs. (CNG is a peer-to-peer certification system that is an answer to the USDA's "Certified Organic"program)

We use Certified Organic feed.

"Soy-Free" feed would cost even more.

We figured OUR COST on eggs NOT including infrastructure or any labor is $2.85/dozen.

We've been told by several organic producers that we should charge more.

The cheapest "Organic" eggs you can get around here "commercially" are Walmart for $3.82/dozen 9and they taste terrible, BTW)
Central Market (Dallas) they cost $4.00 minimum

We're in a smaller rural community - so we can't charge "big city" prices.

We'll probably try to raise prices a little come spring.

As for not paying more than $1.50 per dozen - you can certainly do that.
You get what you pay for.
Those eggs are from battery-cage hens raise in deplorable conditions.
They're fed the cheapest, conventionally-grown, GMO and chemical-laced feed available.
The feed is packed with antibiotics (like arsenic - "Roxarsone") because the birds are in such filthy, crowded conditions, they'd DIE if they weren't drugged.
I wouldn't eat those eggs.
You are what you eat.

PS - don't put lights in your coop. It's unnatural and messes with the hens' metabolism. Let nature run things - isn't that what permaculture is all about?

Though I can understand your feelings as I have days like that as well, I know I "get over it" and I think you will as well.

"Overpopulation" isn't a given. How many humans can populate the planet isn't known. Adding what the earth can sustain by various methods (organic, sustainable, etc) further blurs the picture. In many areas, population is still very sparse.

The world - and especially our country - is coming to a crossroads. Call it a "day of reckoning" if you will, but *something* is coming. Who knows what the result of that will be? It may "solve" the perceived overpopulation situation, or it may help to drive the point that "we can't go on like this forever" home more effectively than mere preaching can.

As for eco-footprints, as others have said - do what's right because it's the right thing to do - not because others do or don't do it. Personally, I do what I do because it's the best thing I can do, NOT because of what somebody else tries to convince me of what they feel is right.

As for capitalism failing, I have to disagree with you there. Artificially cheap oil and subsidies for corn and the like are what deserve much of the blame for our environmental problems. Neither of these things is remotely related to "free-market capitalism". It has not failed as it has not existed. In fact, were oil and other commodities allowed to rise to their TRUE prices, consumption would start to limit itself, alternatives would become viable, and companies would FLOCK to produce replacements. Government subsidies and hare-brained schemes to push immature technologies only confuse things further and cause problems.

Go back to bed, get up on the other side of it. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't have "down" days.