Josephine & April—two of our cashmere goats

& Farm

This land was farmed and grazed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and we have begun to get food, fiber and fuel from it once again. Currently, we heat our house across the road with firewood from First Light, and our angora/cashmere goats and pigs have begun clearing out a pasture from the underbrush on two acres near the road. We are planning several pastures for goats and sheep, our horses, and perhaps a small dairy herd; a flock of laying hens (we have eleven plus a little red rooster), a couple of litters of piglets each year, and an orchard and berry patch. To simplify management, the farming will be carried out on portions of the common land leased from the condominium association for 98 years, with agricultural buildings owned by the farmers.

Donald logging with Polly our Belgian mare

This will give the farmers – whether Donald & Katja, their children, or someone else – sufficient control to ensure that the farm is a real economic activity, not just a hobby. On the other hand, controls are built into the condominium/homeowners documents to ensure that the scale of any farming operation will not unreasonably detract from the residential character of the neighborhood. Residents of the neighborhood are welcome to share in the work and wonder of farm life – but not required to, so if you don’t want to be present for the birth of a lamb at two o’clock on a frigid winter morning, no one will think less of you!