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A Farm of My Own:  advice for new farmer not wanting to make waves??  |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 5:55:01 PM
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Our five acre farm we're (still) waiting to close on is surrounded by two larger tillable parcels that are already being farmed by someone else. He's been renting the land from our seller for many years but now that the seller is selling everything off, now the farmer will be buying that previously rented land.
The new plat map is being worked up (reason for the delay in closing) and our property line will end up going into his fields on two sides. It's only about ten feet on one side but its a decent chunk on the backside. I had planned on fencing that and doing something with it for the animals eventually.
One of the last times we were at the farm we noticed that this other farmer had very recently (like, within the week before) cut down a mess load of trees that a) would have previously been in his field but now would be in ours (after we close). My mom said that we should be mad because he knew we were buying the property and should know where the new property lines and being drawn, so "why would he cut down all those trees?" I am wondering if he was just clearing it out thinking we'd want to farm that itty bitty piece of tillable that's technically on our property, and was being "nice" and clearing it out. The seller said something about how clearing those trees has been in the other farmers plans for this year and he just decided to do it now before the ground froze. I don't know if that meant the other farmer was proceeding as normal in case closing didn't go through and he'd still be farming all that land? Or was he trying to clear it to be nice to us before the ground froze or what?
I'm not sure what to do about this. I don't want to be the new farmer who walks in and throws her weight around and makes all the other established people angry. But I also don't want to get walked on. My intention for that back additional half acre (?) was to have it fenced eventually for animals/other things. What is the best way to deal with this...just walk out into the plowed field and put up my fence posts and when he comes to do his planting later in the year he says "Well lookee here....?" I get that the property lines are what they are and that's what stands, but I just don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the people that have been there forever.
Advice?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 7:18:42 PM
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I would go talk to him on VERY sweet terms, find out what the seller has said to him about the land, (but make sure the the prop lines are actualy where you think they are), and did he know that he was damageing what is your prop by removeing those trees, but you will take the wood for next years firewood, since its down, and if you are not useing that piece of land that he has been farming, could you not work something out till you need it in lets say 2 yrs? Don't make an enemy of your neighbor right off the bat, it will make life pretty bad for all concerned, talking is always the best policy, but get everything in writing with notorized signatures...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2011 : 03:46:38 AM
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Knock on his door and ask him what's up.
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
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Wildcrafter
True Blue Farmgirl
340 Posts
Suzanne
Seattle
WA
USA
340 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2011 : 07:30:35 AM
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Getting mad won't solve anything, it just starts reactive drama. Who needs it? You can draw clear boundaries with grace. It's as simple as putting on your big girl panties, stating the boundaries with clarity and without apology and especially without any chips on your shoulder. People respect and hear that better than stomping around being mad and perhaps saying things in anger that don't need to be said, which only makes for resentment on all sides.
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2011 : 11:11:39 AM
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Make sure the land has a registered survey! Unless that happens anyone can draw the line arbitrarily. I went through property line hell for many years until I could afford the survey. There was a lot of logging going on around here. Once that was finished, I put up really straight fence lines - no more problems, no more cutting trees that didn't belong to them. Tall fences make for good neighbors - end of story. We fenced all 20 acres with relief after years of issues. You just have to have a good survey to be sure.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2011 : 3:06:33 PM
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I like 2 suggestions here. Have the registered survey and then have a talk with the neighbor. Something along the lines of "Howdy neighbor. I see you've been farming in this area. I just wanted to let you know that I will be putting a fence up in 1-2 years (whatever your timeline) for raising some animals. Just wanted to let you know before you put some seed in the ground in that area. Don't worry, I'll be using this registered survey to make sure my fence doesn't go over into your property." This way he's not being immediately booted out of the area, he has a definite timeline, and he knows you're serious. Is he old fashioned and needs to hear it from the man of the house? Maybe even invite him to dinner to show you're interested in getting to know him and his family.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Dec 02 2011 : 11:44:39 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by FarmDream
I like 2 suggestions here. Have the registered survey and then have a talk with the neighbor. Something along the lines of "Howdy neighbor. I see you've been farming in this area. I just wanted to let you know that I will be putting a fence up in 1-2 years (whatever your timeline) for raising some animals. Just wanted to let you know before you put some seed in the ground in that area. Don't worry, I'll be using this registered survey to make sure my fence doesn't go over into your property." This way he's not being immediately booted out of the area, he has a definite timeline, and he knows you're serious. Is he old fashioned and needs to hear it from the man of the house? Maybe even invite him to dinner to show you're interested in getting to know him and his family.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com
x2. Good advice. It stinks if you wanted the trees where they were but you really didn't own them when they came down. He probably rushed to get them down before the sale closed to be honest. If it were me, I'd introduce myself nicely and say I was going to get a surveyer out to mark the property lines and put up fence asap. barbed wire if nothing else, just to mark the property.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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A Farm of My Own: advice for new farmer not wanting to make waves?? |
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advice for new farmer not wanting to make waves??
