Gettin' out of Dodge

[955er]

My wife and I both grew up in Chicago. 20 years ago, we sold our condo near Wrigley and bought 25 acres in rural Michigan. We never looked back.

Now we hunt, garden and ski. We have horses. We heat with wood. Our children have been raised in a great environment.

Neither of us are farmers. Being from inside the beltway, it can be easy to think that all rural dwellers farm. Most of us do not. If you want out of SoCal, pick a spot and go. You will both find work.

You may not make as much money, but you won't need as much.

You only live once. You can always go back. Keep us posted.

 

[creekbend]

Texas sounds like a very special place for only a select type of people, funny I didn't know this even with relatives living there.

:thumbsup:I have been associated with many people that are from Texas; even some who were born and raised there. Rest assured that all of them don't exhibit open arrogance toward others and formulate opinions in regards to fundamental characteristics. Luckily, this display of derogative and hostile behavior has not been adopted by all Citizens of that great State There are many fine people in Texas. The behavior of some, most certainly, should not distract a person from moving to Texas. The actions of a minority should, in no way, deter or change one's mind in regards to possibly moving to Texas.

 

[TripleR]

:thumbsup:I have been associated with many people that are from Texas; even some who were born and raised there. Rest assured that all of them don't exhibit open arrogance toward others and formulate opinions in regards to fundamental characteristics. Luckily, this display of derogative and hostile behavior has not been adopted by all Citizens of that great State There are many fine people in Texas. The behavior of some, most certainly, should not distract a person from moving to Texas. The actions of a minority should, in no way, deter or change one's mind in regards to possibly moving to Texas.

I'm sure you're right.

 

[IndyIan]

Good points about the high cost of living.....its everywhere. Around here, good productive farm land sells for $8000 to $10,000 + an acre. The land may return $200 net profit per acre IF you do everything right. Land costs and production costs are sky high. Result: Lotsa risk for little return IMO.

A farmer here needs to run 1000 acres or so to make a living these days. Gone are the days of a 160 acre farm that will support a family.

If you want to farm for your benefit and not for the Bank, John Deere, and Monsanto, check out Polyface, Inc. | The Farm of Many Faces and do some reading or even work there.
Around me the only conventional farmers doing well are the big ones, but there's quite a few niche farmers that do well producing food that isn't a commodity. Pastured pork, Bison, goat cheese, direct to customer weekly garden produce, etc.
You do need to be near a market for this stuff as the Walmart crowd doesn't get it, but with the grocery store prices steadily being jacked up, more people may decide they might as well get some quality for their food dollars.

 

[Artisan]

PS;

My Mom was born and raised in the panhandle, Borger, Texas. I have Aunt and Uncle in Fritch, Cousin in Amarillo and I ferget the other city. My Dad met my Mom in Texas. I can't count how many times I have been there. Another Uncle in Oklahoma, It's a small world.

I don't take the California types comments to heart, I realize folks hate California types. I'll change the plates BEFORE I move into town and you will know none the better. :laughing: And when asked where were from, we will tell folks where were from, and that ain't KALIFONIA!

Having said that Borger is the last place on earth I would move to, the water there is killing people...It is beyond bad...Nope, were actually leaning towards the Pacific NW but ceetainly not fixated on it.

PS I really appreciate these links!

 

[MossflowerWoods]

The wife and I are thinking real hard about selling our home in California and heading to parts yet unknown. :thumbsup:

Artisan,

There is a nice home on 13.5 acres on my street where the pavement begins.

You would be welcome here in my 'hood IMMEDIATELY!

PM me if you are interested.

There are other places nearby. The economy is ok here, the Governor is solid as well.

I'd LOVE to have a Plumber and Fabricator I could trust as a neighbor!

Best of luck sir!
David

PS - It is cool to consider where to go, but GO. Cali is doomed and sick. When it goes bust (and it will) it will be VERY painful.

I left Cali in mid 2004 and I have never missed it.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

If you want to farm for your benefit and not for the Bank, John Deere, and Monsanto, check out Polyface, Inc. | The Farm of Many Faces and do some reading or even work there.

Joel Salatin is an awesome guy. I've taken classes from him a couple times, and I own his book.

We plan to follow a similar model at our place.

Good to know he is popular up North also!

David

 

[JRobyn]

To reiterate what EddieWalker posted, it has been a revelation to me as we have been building in central TN over the last 3 years, that both generals and subs/trades THAT HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION are swimming in work. We got recommendations for subs we have used from the general that completed the shell for us. Our general is acknowledged as one of the best builders around, and the subs he works with and will recommend are the same. We usually have to wait for several weeks to a few months to get them engaged for us. And this is in an environment where building has slowed considerably. Be one of the good ones, and there is work!

BTW, Cookeville, TN once again ranked as one of the least expensive areas to live in recent polls. And NO state income tax (but 10% sales tax).

You will find something that suits you, I am sure.

- Jay

 

[foreman Etexas]

I'm sure you're right.

Not everyone is born with the southen hospitallity down here. Always some bad apples,everywhere!!

 

[TripleR]

Not everyone is born with the southern hospitality down here. Always some bad apples,everywhere!!

Yeah, we have them here too. Overall my experience has been positive and there are a lot of good people from TX on TBN who have helped me out.

 

[Western]

PS;

My Mom was born and raised in the panhandle, Borger, Texas. I have Aunt and Uncle in Fritch, Cousin in Amarillo and I ferget the other city. My Dad met my Mom in Texas. I can't count how many times I have been there. Another Uncle in Oklahoma, It's a small world.

I don't take the California types comments to heart, I realize folks hate California types. I'll change the plates BEFORE I move into town and you will know none the better. :laughing: And when asked where were from, we will tell folks where were from, and that ain't KALIFONIA!

Having said that Borger is the last place on earth I would move to, the water there is killing people...It is beyond bad...Nope, were actually leaning towards the Pacific NW but ceetainly not fixated on it.

PS I really appreciate these links!

I can sure understand why you don't want to move to the Borger area:laughing: or Amarillo for that matter Kinda flat and rolling.

I guess it is going to depend on what you and the "boss" find appealing, The pacific NW is beautiful the few places I have been, but I prefer mountainous terrain over the valley type.

I guess there will be +&- to anywhere and each individual has there "Utopian" desires. A good cross country trip after mapping out the possibilities would likely be fun and informative.

 

[grsthegreat]

Back in 1993 i saw the writing on the wall in California. I was a general contractor and an electrical contractor and was sick of competing with the illegal tradesman popping up all over the place.

The wife and I bought 20 acres in North Idaho and moved all of our stuff into a 28' semi trailer, and sold what wouldn't fit. we also purchased a 36' 5th wheel trailer to live in while we built the house.

Then the crud hit the fan. Our property was locked up in a legal issue called Platting which prevented us from getting a building permit for over 1 year. In stead of moving to Idaho and trying to find a place to live in a trailer and find work, we moved onto a horse ranch in calif while i continued to work in construction there. After about 1-1/2 years, we were finally able to move onto our property and start building.

I paid a trucker friend of mine to haul up my semi with our stuff. It took about 7 months to build my house, but then we had our real home.

Let me tell you...after over 2 years of living in a trailer.....we were more than ready to move into a real house. I still cant ever think about owning a travel trailer ever again.

I dont doubt that there are older farms that have owners willing to sell to someone after they work there for awhile...but i have no idea how you would ever go about finding one. Where would anyone list that info?

Right now its a buyers market for farm/ranch land if you have the $$$$... but if your relying on a bank loan, then the outlook would be bleak.

If you plan on staying in construction, im also not sure where you best locate. Up here there simply isnt any work. as is most of the country. Foreclosures and bank owned properties are everywhere. who would build new??.

But i agree.. no better time to see California in the rear view mirror than when work is already slow. If things were going good, you wouldn't want to leave. That state never did me any favors. All they did was take more and more $$$ out of my profit margin until there wasn't anything left for us to survive on. Its the largest welfare state in the USA... or at least its working towards that goal. I think they pride themselves on being another Greece.

 

[jonyyuma]

Artisian, Congratulations on your decision , to relocate...Like the others said..Every thing will improve....

 

[brin]

My 2 cents...Life is much too short...don't lose your dream...go ahead and make the move and never look back...I left the corporate world and started my own company over 30 yrs. ago and it was the best decision I ever made...I have friends that stayed in the rat race that have been transferred so many times they have no roots anywhere , nor do their children...really sad..They wake up one day and it is too late...don't let it ever be too late for you...Good Luck !

 

[Zork]

Congratulations, Sir. Any advice? Hmm... Remember as long as you can why you are leaving your present location. When you get to your destination work really hard to prevent others from turning your new home town into the same cesspool you are currently escaping from.

 

[Artisan]

Zork, this entails being on the board at city hall and making sure ENGLISH is the ONLY allowed advertising and that ENGLISH is the ONLY allowed language PERIOD!

Down in Monterey park there is a bus stop, EVERY DAY BUS LOADS of boat people unload there. BUS LOADS! BELIEVE IT! I just want to cry...


Rural quint essential temple City California, now, the main drag has all CHINESE advertising, except McD and Carls....sickening...

Lately in my town, one of the last holdouts, now on Sundays they park all up and down the street just below the park and walk to our park, TO AVOID PAYING! I am talkin HUNDREDS OF THEM! HUNDREDS!~!!!!!!!!~ BELIEVE IT! and there is 4-6 PER CAR! MINIMUM!

 

[Artisan]

Which leads me to this, you guys need to PRAY, folk like us move your way, and pray HARD. They move in, create there own econimic zones, use ONLY their own people change the language via voting themselves into city hall, and pool there money and EXPAND, they breed like rabbits only MORE OFTEN. Be afraid, be very afraid and I KID YOU NOT.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Which leads me to this, you guys need to PRAY, folk like us move your way, and pray HARD. They move in, create there own econimic zones, use ONLY their own people change the language via voting themselves into city hall, and pool there money and EXPAND, they breed like rabbits only MORE OFTEN. Be afraid, be very afraid and I KID YOU NOT.

Hey my neighbors place is for sale LandsofTexas.com - LandsofTexas.com - Land for sale by Buffalo, Texas - Freestone County - 2300 acres - 741595

 

[jamekar]

Artisan,

First, I think your dream is very realizable as to getting out and finding a niche in farming. Some people think there is no way to make a decent living in farming, but I suggest that this all depends on what you think farming is. Forget about commodity farming. You can't compete with giant agribusiness, and in my opinion, you shouldn't want to. Think local and labor intensive farming, for that's where the niche is. There's a whole new local-based industry of grass-based farming that spreading all over the country. Read everything you can find by farmers like Joel Salatin or resources like the Stockman Grass Farmer. The goal is to produce a high-quality, grass fed product and not compete with the factory farms which produce low nutrient quality products. But you have to find an area that you like that is close enough to some population base that has an economy that can support this high-end product. For example, Salatin recommends people start out with meat chickens, raising Cornish Cross strains on pasture. This produces high-quality food (way different than the factor birds produced for major retail outlets), and it commands a high premium. At local farmers markets here in an upstate NY region, you're talking $25-$30 per bird. I raise these for our family, about 75 per year and feed high quality non-soy, organic feed. You have to find the population base with some economic income to support paying that, but this is what pays for your labor. No real capital costs exist. No heavy equipment. Easy to build pens moved by hand. You can lease land to get started if necessary. See Joel Salatin's book "Pastured Poultry Profits". Then branch out into feeder calves as Salatin recommends without needing to overwinter. Can run concurrently with pastured birds. Take the winters off. See how you like it with very little investment committed.

I don't do this for a living right now, but I'm doing a lot of it for our family now and anticipating wanting to make it a retirement activity when I do retire from my current job.

I was raised in western PA in farming country. My best friend was a farmer. All the small farmers are going under, and few are left. I sent a whole collection of Salatin books to my friend for his family to read, and they've bought in, and it is revitalizing their family farm. They had to totally reorient their thinking as to marketing and product selection. Find niche markets that want high quality nutrient-dense food and then serve them with food produced with care and love.

I can hardly wait each day to get home from my boring job and work with the animals we have, as we learn more and more about raising nutrient-dense food. At some point, I'll do it full time.

Perhaps find a location of the country that you like (i.e., climate, geography) that is relatively close to a good college town with a good mix of upper income and a willingness to pay higher money for nutrient-dense food. It works. Pasture raised beef around here is at a premium, and it requires no heavy equipment. Pasture raised chickens go for $4-$5 per pound. Goat's milk at $8 per gallon, etc. etc. The market is there, and it's growing.

 

[Artisan]

WOW, that's one heck of a first pot jamekar! Welcome to TBN!

and THANK YOU... I am reading all this w/ an open mind, I am VERY appreciative, keep it coming !