If you have your own farm or ranch, it might be the most beautiful place in the world. And you’re probably not selling it any time soon. But what if you are looking for a place? Or what if you’ve decided that it’s time to move on, maybe retire, maybe farm in a different place?
For farmers and ranchers, the places we work and raise our families aren’t just businesses. They’re places we sink our hearts and souls into. The sweat and worry we’ve spent on them mean we know each inch of pasture, how our livestock move through them, where the birds like to sit, and how the clouds look when they’re about to bring rain. And if we have to sell, we look carefully at the people who might come after us, hoping they’ll appreciate what we’ve done, that they’ll treat us kindly in the process of changing hands, and they’ll carry on, making things better and better all the time. If we’re the ones doing the buying, we want to make sure that this new place will fit us, will be a foundation for success, and a good home for our families. Both sides of the process are full emotion. Even if we say, “It’s just business,” there’s a part of each of us that knows that it’s much more.
We think that On Pasture readers understand this and that you’re the kind of folks who will do your best to make these kinds of transactions positive for everyone. So we’d like to do what we can to help you. If you have a farm or ranch for sale, and would like On Pasture readers to know about it, post it in our Classifieds. Choose the one month for $25 option and we’ll run it for you until you let us know that you’ve found a buyer. In addition to appearing in the Classifieds, your ad will also show up in rotation of classifieds that appear in the middle column of every page.
Check Out Our First Classifieds
We came up with this idea because a couple of our good friends are selling their farm and, seeing how sensitive it is for them, we wanted to help them and other folks who find themselves in a similar place. Their farm is just outside of Hardwick, Vermont. For the last 15 years, they’ve been thoughtful, careful stewards of the 60 acres of pastures and 100 acres of forest. They’ve put together a fine herd of American Milking Devons, bred to be the best of what the breed is: exceptional grazers, making high quality milk and beef on grass. The house has a new roof, the windows and flower boxes capture the sun, and maple trees line the road to the farm. It’s a beautiful spot and will be someone’s “most beautiful farm in the world.” Here’s the link to the Classified Ad for more information.
We also want to mention Kim Cassano and Rich Toebe and the turn-key rotational grazing farm they’re selling in Wisconsin. Kim is working with Kathy on an article coming up in On Pasture about what kind of broiler chickens to raise on pasture and that’s how we learned they’re moving to the Catskills and want to sell their farm. Here’s the link to the classified ad for their place.
We hope this is a helpful service and one that will help folks going through the process of selling and buying in a way that makes it a bit easier for everyone involved. If you have other ideas about how we can support the On Pasture Community, do let us know!
Do you have any listings in Washington state or northern Oregon? We are looking to buy a 100 plus working farm to raise sheep, pastured beef and pastured chickens. My family has renovated and farmed a 5 acre parcel for 15 years with the goal of building tilth and water lens while learning to holistically manage (or be managed by) a small milk goat/sheep herd and chicken flocks. My daughter is currently studying Ag Science at Cornell University and is interested in adding grass fed beef farming/ranching with us after her masters. Ideally we could find land with developed infrastructure (fences, barns, water, etc.) and a smallish house. We would like to buy with cash over 5-10 years. And yes, leaving a lovingly built farm to strangers makes it difficult to think of moving on!