Neighbor doesn't want me to farm.

WoodChuckDad · Oct 23, 2015

I've owned my land for 2 months. Met the neighbors when I was out there taking soil samples before the sale. Seemed nice enough. She had talked to the sellers and new that I planned to clear the land and put in an orchard. Exchanged email address. Once we took ownership I invited them over for a picnic at my pond. The wife expressed concern about chemicals in the spraying of apples. They also asked where we were planting. I told her all along the road frontage as it is the ideal location. They built their house and his office right up against the property line (probably exactly the 15 feet from boundary required ). They have 3.5 acres that they bought from the same people I did. It was cut out for them because they knew the previous owners. And the shape of the parcel puts the back of their house about 50 feet from a natural drop down hill very steep to my creek. It was smart to build so no one could build behind you but it was dumb to build next to the adjoining property. I'm new to the area so I decided that I would try to be decent. I told my forester to give them a buffer of about 20 yds before he started cutting. It is marked now. And my forester said it would be easier to remove the trees on the back portion of my land ( my home site) if we could use an over grown logging road that was there and ran thru the neighbors land. So I approached them on that. Mentioned that I had left a buffer between where I am cutting. And their place. I said that I would be open to doing a square foot for square foot exchange. Basicly getting 30 foot wide stretch on his far side to make into a driveway and he would own a 30 foot buffer. He asked to walk the line and discuss it. As we walked he commented several times that it was so close to their land. He said he didn't think the logging road would work for me anyway and why didn't I make a road down below my pond in the marsh. I told him that the first suggested place for the road was directly behind his house but I told my forester I didn't want to do that. He then made reference to the natural border that the draw created on my land. That draw is several hundred feet from the line. I didn't comment and he said he had to get back to his house.that was a couple days ago. This morning I got an email from him with lots of flowery words about how great it is to see people pursuing a dream and buttering me up about my respect for the land and then requesting that I not clear beyond the draw. That would mean I did not use 5 acres of the best land that I own. My wife was hot over it. I just read it and told her it wasn't happening and I would deal with it. She wanted me to not respond for a while but I'm going to address it this weekend. I'm going to very clearly mark the property line. And let him know that the hill in question is going to be covered in apple trees. Not going to be ugly. Just matter of fact I'm going to measure off and set the edge of the cutting at 15 or 20 yds from the property line. I want to leave a wildlife corridor down to my pond. I have been steamed all day about this.

kf4uda · Oct 23, 2015

Tell him that you have decided to put in a hog farm instead of an orchard. He will be happy to see you setting out apple trees

if he wanted to control what was done with that property, he should have bought it.

Sounds like you are trying to be considerate as you can to them.

MossRoad · Oct 23, 2015

WoodChuckDad said:
I've owned my land for 2 months. Met the neighbors when I was out there taking soil samples before the sale. Seemed nice enough. She had talked to the sellers and new that I planned to clear the land and put in an orchard. Exchanged email address. Once we took ownership I invited them over for a picnic at my pond. The wife expressed concern about chemicals in the spraying of apples. They also asked where we were planting. I told her all along the road frontage as it is the ideal location. They built their house and his office right up against the property line (probably exactly the 15 feet from boundary required ). They have 3.5 acres that they bought from the same people I did. It was cut out for them because they knew the previous owners. And the shape of the parcel puts the back of their house about 50 feet from a natural drop down hill very steep to my creek. It was smart to build so no one could build behind you but it was dumb to build next to the adjoining property. I'm new to the area so I decided that I would try to be decent. I told my forester to give them a buffer of about 20 yds before he started cutting. It is marked now. And my forester said it would be easier to remove the trees on the back portion of my land ( my home site) if we could use an over grown logging road that was there and ran thru the neighbors land. So I approached them on that. Mentioned that I had left a buffer between where I am cutting. And their place. I said that I would be open to doing a square foot for square foot exchange. Basicly getting 30 foot wide stretch on his far side to make into a driveway and he would own a 30 foot buffer. He asked to walk the line and discuss it. As we walked he commented several times that it was so close to their land. He said he didn't think the logging road would work for me anyway and why didn't I make a road down below my pond in the marsh. I told him that the first suggested place for the road was directly behind his house but I told my forester I didn't want to do that. He then made reference to the natural border that the draw created on my land. That draw is several hundred feet from the line. I didn't comment and he said he had to get back to his house.that was a couple days ago. This morning I got an email from him with lots of flowery words about how great it is to see people pursuing a dream and buttering me up about my respect for the land and then requesting that I not clear beyond the draw. That would mean I did not use 5 acres of the best land that I own. My wife was hot over it. I just read it and told her it wasn't happening and I would deal with it. She wanted me to not respond for a while but I'm going to address it this weekend. I'm going to very clearly mark the property line. And let him know that the hill in question is going to be covered in apple trees. Not going to be ugly. Just matter of fact I'm going to measure off and set the edge of the cutting at 15 or 20 yds from the property line. I want to leave a wildlife corridor down to my pond. I have been steamed all day about this.

Ahh, don't get steamed. Its your place, you're being nice and letting them know what's going on. You'll be a good steward of the land.

Look at it this way.... an orchard sure is a lot prettier than a pig wallow!

MossRoad · Oct 23, 2015

kf4uda said:
Tell him that you have decided to put in a hog farm instead of an orchard. He will be happy to see you setting out apple trees if he wanted to control what was done with that property, he should have bought it.

Sounds like you are trying to be considerate as you can to them.

Too funny! I didn't see your post and thought about the same thing!! hhahahahaa! :laughing:

WoodChuckDad · Oct 24, 2015

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it. Told my wife and she said we could also raise chickens. Organic of course.

grsthegreat · Oct 24, 2015

I reciently purchased the 10 acre pasture accross the street from me. Iwas not planning to do it. Its been for sale for 3 years, no interest cause price was too high. Then the owner dropped price and loads of people were coming out to look it over. My wife always went out to tank with the people... Just being neighborly she says. I say just bein nozy....hehe.

Anyways to make a short story long, she meets one couple with several kids that were REAL INTERESTED in the property and wanted to move in a double wide and build motorcycle jump course all over lot.

I called the owner that night and offered cash deal with 72 hr escrow.

So either that family was a schill buyer ... Or i just missed having the neighbor from **** move next to my nice silent retreat.

my horses love the pasture.......

OldMcDonald · Oct 24, 2015

I have great sympathy for the OP. I "know" that anybody who posts on TBN tells us the truth and is a nice friendly person. The problem is always those folks who buy a small piece of ground and think they have also bought the whole view. Prior to moving to Portugal I was in the Scottish Highlands with a magnificent view, but in the 10 years I was there, more than 20 houses were built within that view. Nothing I could do about it, and I could not complain because I too had built a new house to replace a ruined one on the place.

If possible, I suggest the OP to remain calm and just get on with farming the land to the best of his ability. Might be best to ignore the email, but discuss it with him if need be at some time well in the future. No need to tell him your plans in advance. I also recommend taking a very long time before making an irreversible commitment as to exactly what you intend to do. I have had 6 farms in 4 countries ranging from 2 to 3000+ acres and even on a small place it takes a minimum of a summer and winter to find out what the land is like in dry and wet times - sometimes a few years. Original thoughts sometimes need to be modified.

GPintheMitten · Oct 24, 2015

I would not respond to him in an email. Anything you say will just be taken out of context and used against you in the court if public neighborhood opinion.

Just do whatever you want and don't tell him a thing about your plans.

newbury · Oct 24, 2015

GPintheMitten said:
I would not respond to him in an email. Anything you say will just be taken out of context and used against you in the court if public neighborhood opinion.

Just do whatever you want and don't tell him a thing about your plans.

Good point -
Anything put in email can be brought back up without dispute and be used against you.
A thread like this seems to pop up every several months.

Bottomline is if you are making an effort to maintain or improve the land the neighbors should be grateful.

I've a neighbor in Vermont who wants me to clear my fence line of tall trees so he can have a better view. I've owned there since 1978, he came in 10 yrs ago.

Tough.