Aunt Bee and Joe took ownership of their land in the spring of 2005.  The parcel of land is approximately 9.5 acres and is comprised of a early succession field, a wet scrub-shrub habitat, and some woodlands along the property's northern boundary.  There are numerous old apple trees scattered throughout the property.  The picture below is an overview of our property. 





We have begun to clear the land in September 2006 in preparation for our 2007 growing season.  




We plan on utilizing sustainable agricultural techniques on our farm.   Aunt Bee has ordered 3 hives of bees to aid us with pollination in the upcoming years.   The close proximity of the bees to our gardens will increase the quality and quanity of our crops.   In addition, the bees can supply honey for us to sell at the farmer's market.  

   We will be incorporating goats into our land clearing strategy.  The goats will clear the fallow fields of the multiflora rose, redosier dogwood, and other weedy species that have infiltrated our land.  Goats are excellent at clearing fallow fields for a variety of reasons.  In general, goats have a preferential appetite for invasive plant species.  Some land conservationists are begining to employ goats on their lands in order to minimize the impact of invasive plant species.  The waste product from goats increases the soil fertility of the land being cleared.    In addition, goats can provide products for our farm such as dairy or meat.  

   In upcoming entries, we will discuss some of our proposed farming techniques such as: solar powered irrigation, rain water collection, and orgainic weed control.