Breakfasts: Eggs, Toasts, Pancakes, yogurt with fruit and nuts
Lunches: Soups, Stews, Dippy egg on hashbrowns
Suppers: Pancakes, Hard Boiled eggs, Greens, Lamb Stew -Veggie/Barley
Extra’s , Beet Pickles, Bread, Pears, Apple Sauce, Mixed Berries, yogurt, Walnuts, Almonds, Strawberries and Rubarb.
The challange marches on, and I am caught this in this trap of being so busy at the moment, I can’t seem to turn around without seeing something that needs to be worked on and done, its springs fault.. the snow is melting and the work is ramping up.. combine that with the fact that I can’t seem to find the time to sit down and write and it makes for a small AHH moment for farmgal LOL
Something came in my small farm that I found very interesting, did you you know that 80% of the farms around around the world are four to five acres, and has been so for around a thousand years, where as the large farms in N.A. typically 500 plus acres have been around for about 60 to 70 years. The idea was that in most of the world, those 4 to 5 acres done right are enough to raise for the family and sell for the extra’s required. I would imagine that if you dug deep enough that you would find those folks are living what could only be called a very simple life and not meeting what we consider “typical modern standards” in N.A.
Still it was a very interesting thought to me, given that I have a very small farm myself, and still feel that I have much land left unused at this time by that I mean that I feel I still have lots of land that could be producing for me and at this time is marginal use at this time.
So how much land really is needed, I have a number of books, homestead on 1/4 a acre, or 1/2 or 1 acre or life on five acres, I must have at least five or more of these books, and they are choke full of very good information, I do think that if you want to do so, that you can turn a typical 1/4 or 1/2 acre into a amazing productive garden with small critters like a few chickens/rabbits etc
There are moments in spring, when I am running to keep up with my pastures and gardens and land, that I think we have more then we need, but those moments are fleeting and I keep poking once a year at least, to the farmer that owns the land, that I would really! like to buy that six plus acres match my own farm, just take it out and down and match it in size to the road etc.. he keeps telling me that the lawyer will cost more then the land, but I am wearing him down.. or at least he seems more open to the idea these days then he did in the first few years we were here..
I think if you want to have the “picture” of what a small farm is.. garden, fruit, pasture, barns and a reasonable amount of critters, you need around that 4 to 5 acres at a min.. Now you will not be able to give yourself that pretty acre lawn, you will need to use the land and use it carefully and well to make it all work but I don’t think you need more then that for a small farm to work..
Having said that, I think that number only holds because of where I live, give me hard bush country and I would want alot more land, at my dad’s place, you would need at least five times more land per head then I do on the land I own now..
So let me put it to you.. where you live now, in the climate you have and the land you are on, how much land do you think or believe you would need to grow your own food, and raise enough to make at least a thousand per acre of extra income?
Just another Day on the Farm 
If you were to incude fruit trees, which take up a lot of space, and animals.. then I would think 5 acres would work but 10 would allow for even greater options. It depends on what you want to grow and what type of animals you want, but someone with 2 acres or less could make it work with small livestock such as chickens and rabbits and smaller fruiting options such as blueberries and strawberries. Our farm is 10 acres and we find it is the perfect number for us as we plan to have many fruit trees as well as pecans trees and would one day like to have pasture raised cattle too. I also think it is important to have some wooded areas on the land if possible to support wildlife (and it also is great if you heat with wood) and would not dream of touching the 3 acres of woodland on our property. We also have to consider family size in this. Our family has five members but a family of 8 or more might have a very different need for space based on that.
I suppose it also depends on what you want to do. If you need a woodlot to provide for your woodstove – that would require 10 acres on its own, wouldn’t it?
I have no intention of buying land around here. Land costs start at $150K/acre, and my Mennonite friends, who are land-rich but cash-poor, say it’s a constant struggle to make any profit.
What I *want* is a chicken flock (10-20 hens?), a few rabbits (a buck and two does), a pig (although that would require people nearby with a boar …?), and goats. My friend L has Saanen goats and I like what I’ve seen – smart, friendly, good milkers. The province we’re looking at has no milk quota for goat dairy, and no license is needed for farm sales for eggs from less than 99 hens.
Anytime I’ve tried to come up with a figure, I end up looking silly, since I’m an armchair farmer. We’re aiming for a ten acre lot.
Down here in the western Piedmont of NC, without planning for large livestock, I would say 1-3 acres is all that one needs. It’s a decent price point (10-20K per acre, depending on location), enough space for small flock of chickens (20-30), space for a small orchard (espaliered and trellised), and enough field to grow vegetables for table and market year round (using intensive planting methods). Yet still be able to keep enough yard for occasional, entertaining, and recreational purposes. I’ve seen more on less.
Hi
Your DH’s grandfather had approximately 110 fertile acres of land in ON, with a small amount of bush and a river running through two sides. He raised cattle for market, had two work horses, pigs and chickens plus a huge vegetable garden. He also grew his feed crops. He maintained that he could get as much out of that amount of land as a farmer in AB having a quarter section. When we lived on the acreage we had just under an acre and a half and had a good sized vegetable garden. DH’s brother wanted to have a horse but we were told by the county that we had to have five acres to graze a horse.
We are in the Ohio river valley–zone 6 and are attempting to do this on an acre and a half. We’ll let you know how it goes!
I have 10 acres down south here in Georgia. It is sufficient for my needs with a large enough orchard, garden, and pasture for everything I want to grow or raise.
hmmm… I used to think I wanted 100 acres, and I still kind-of do, only to leave myself a really big buffer zone of wild woods around me. cattle need approx. 2 acres apiece, and now that the hubby is really learning the grassfed trade we would most likely want to continue that. I think on the right piece of land I’d be able to do almost everything on 30 acres, except the cows, and 60-75 would then give enough room for a micro-herd 🙂 but making an extra $1000/acre? maybe!