Whys and Wherefores

 So, you might ask, why a farm. Why, at your age, are you starting a new business, much less a back breaking one like farming? Why aren't you gentrifying some almost trendy town along with the other well-heeled retirees of your age. 

Well. 

Not so well-heeled. We both survive on Social Security. We both have houses that are beginning to look like albatrosses with the skyrocketing cost of repairs that older homes need. But we want to stay in NC for the 3 seasons it's wonderful, and have a means to leave for warmer weather in the winter. 

We also want to avoid any bank debt. We are paying for the land in cash. When I sell my house, there is no way I can buy another house at the prices they are asking. My mother's house, which sold in 2001 for 250,000 is now offered at 675,000. Everything is 3 times as expensive as 20 years ago. Not to mention, I couldn't get a mortgage with no other income than my (very small) SS check. 

There are few ways out of the trap this economy sets for people with restricted income. Ultimately, doing some kind of work is necessary, and every dollar counts. Putting together a business that is outside the corporate network won't be hugely profitable, but it's satisfying and can be profitable enough. Small, local businesses are the answer. 

So starting a farm will cost far, far less than buying a house. There are tax breaks and incentives for agriculture, and the regulations will allow a little permit stretching. With an RV doing triple duty as home at the farm, trips to see family and vacation home during the winter, we don't have to put in a well or a septic system which the county would require with a home build. 

Willow should also be a relatively hands-off crop, unlike food or livestock. Leaving aside the fact that I am enthusiastic about a new venture, and the history and potential of willow and other useful plants, I am looking forward to change. I am one of the few people that love change and new vistas; even at my age, the urge to do something new is calling. 

I am just lucky that I have a small amount of savings, enough to buy an acre of farmland outright, and a small but regular SS check. And that I love rural quiet and privacy. And that my partner is my partner in all my adventures. I don't know what will happen in the next 5 years, but I know that we will be together in a beautiful place, with good work to do, free to come and go as we will and at peace with just what we need and not needing much else.