Okay, folks, you know I don't do many solicitations on this blog, but once in awhile I need to leverage my daily information with an ask idea.  Hang in there; this is not your normal thing.

             Polyface leases several properties in the area because we don't own nearly enough land to produce at our current market level or the market level we need to cover all the overheads.  We've been leasing farmland for nearly 25 years and have lost only 3:  one decided to sell, another wanted us to maintain it to look like a golf course (you don't see many pollinators on a golf course), and the third was a bit embroiled.  We leased it from Mom, who died two years later and suddenly we were in the midst of 3 siblings' tug of war over how to proceed.  We walked away.

             We've actually weathered a couple of sales, where the landowner selling sold to someone who loved us and wanted us to stay on as managers.  We're facing that situation with one of our properties for which we'd love to find a benevolent buyer.  In my travels, I'm well aware that money is out there.  Not in my bank account, but it's out there.  So here's the pitch.

             It's 134 acres, 90 open and the balance woods, one mile from Staunton city limits (Staunton is our town of 20,000).  We've leased it for 8 years and converted it from a bramble pit to beautiful grass.  And we've built more than half a mile of boundary fence.  It has an old bank barn but no house.  It has public water and two accesses, one over a railroad.  It is surrounded by houses and large lots--I think we have 27 neighbors there, but we get along well.

             We've erected 3 hoop houses; 2 for pigs in the winter and one for hay storage.  We compost the pig bedding and spread it on the fields, which has really stimulated fertility.  The property has been in the same family for about 6 generations; the current owner is 80 years old and lives in Oregon.  It's time to transition.

             Asking price is $750,000, which is $5,600 per acre.  That's a fair price.  I imagine any offer more than $650,000 would be considered, but knowing farmland in the area, I expect it to go around $700,000.

             Does anyone want to partner with Polyface and secure this property under our management going forward?  Many years ago it had a house on it, but it's been cleaned up.  The old power line is still there but not an active drop.  The beauty here is that the landowner doesn't have to do anything.  Rent pays taxes plus enough to buy fence for boundary maintenance.  

             What do you think?  Have you ever thought it would be neat to own a farm property, just to know you had a secure place to retreat to if the country goes bonkers?  Or a place you knew was actively held for aggressive carbon sequestration?  A place you could have and hold without lifting a finger to manage or maintain it . . . unless and until you wanted to?

             If this intrigues you, please let me know either here or through our <polyfacefarms@gmail.com>   address and I'll get right back to you.  Polyface is the best land steward partner you could ever want.  Let me know.  Thank you.

             What are you waiting for?  Ha!