I'm looking for 0.5 - 2 acres within 30 minutes of GR as an incubator farm. I would like to be on the plot for 2-4 years to start and then re-evaluate. I'm willing to pay a fair or generous price per acre depending on the features, supports, ease of access, and match with land owner.
Preferred location: Allegan, Barry, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Ottawa
Desired Transitional Agreement: Lease
Feb 8, 2025
Desired Acreage
- < 1 Acres
- 1-5 Acres
Desired Land Usage
Goals, Values, Vision
I've been a mechanical engineer for 30 years and for the last five I've developed a passion for regenerative agriculture. I'm exploring ways to become more thoroughly involved in it for my late career and 'retirement'. So I'd like to trial some techniques on a smaller scale before purchasing a larger plot. In particular I'm interested in experimenting with managed integration of chickens alongside blueberries. Then gathering data on the manure contamination on the fruit to contribute to the body of evidence supporting an accurate PHI for sustainable animal integration.
Maybe there is an awkward corner on your farm that would be easy to carve out for another profitable use for a while?
I checked the box for no farming experience, but I did grow up on a 3 acre hobby farm. In addition to our vegetables crops, we had sheep, goats, chickens, and a new steer each year. I was in 4H and showed animals at the county fair. So I'm adequately comfortable around a farm, but I'm not going to claim to have legitimate commercial farming experience. I am VERY open to mentorship, but it is not required as part of the land match.
Farming Status
Current Farming Status
Not currently farming
Farm Experience/Education
No experience farming
Farming Plans and Practices
Farming Method
Organic Practices
Trialing regenerative practices.
Heavy rotation using cover crops as mulch to suppress weeds.
Want to integrate animals, but at this scale chickens (with a mobile roost house/chicken tractor) are probably all that is feasible. Goats/pigs would be the next step, but that may be for a larger plot.
I don't require any facilities on the 0.5-2 acre plot itself, but it would be very helpful if there were storage available somewhere nearby to house tools and limited equipment. For example I don't foresee having a tractor but there might be some walk behind equipment.
