Our property is 35 minutes (at highway speeds) from a town large enough to have a WalMart. We live seven minutes (at highway speeds) from a town with a population of 780.

Our 11 acres was about 40% timber and 60% till when the original owners built the house. However, over time the timber has taken over a larger portion of the property. It is now 60-65% timber and 35-40% till. We're in the process of reclaiming the timbered land for use in our organic farming operations.

To date we've completed the following "small holding farmstead" improvements:

* 9 month long total remodel of the interior. I have pictures in another thread that I'll bring in here later.

* EXTENSIVELY designed and revised the design on CAD of our entire property. We have full color plans of every tree we've planted and will plant, etc.

* Bought 32 6"x6" non-treated cedar posts and installed 28 of them in our "vineyard". The posts were over $1000 (cannot use treated posts in organic farming).

* Planted blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes. Have had to replace many plants due to weather, local "big box store plant quality" and our inexperience.

* Planted 4 variety of: apple, peach, plum, cherry, and 2 variety of nectarine and apricot trees in our orchard. As with the brambles, we've had to replace several due to rabbits eating the bark, deer rubbing felt off on them, weather and our inexperience.

* Built a 48" sheep and goat fence around our 0.33 acre garden. We added 24" of chicken wire to the bottom and three electric wires (up to 8') above.

* Built a 48" sheep and goat fence around our rotational grazing sheep paddocks.

* Built a 8' six wire electric fence around all of the tillable area to date. This was 7280 linear feet.

* We built a 6'x7'x12' mobile chicken coop.

* We have raised 10 chickens (2 roo and 8 hen) into a good laying flock producing 6-8 eggs a day. We currently have our "first broody hen" who is sitting on a clutch of eggs to hatch. This takes her out of egg production for six weeks.

* We have raised 16 hens into pullet stage. We hope they start laying in a few months.

* Planted a garden last year before the fence was complete. We didn't get one tomato from our 107 tomato plants due to deer.

* Planted a MASSIVE garden in our fenced garden this year. As an example: I planted over 1500 peas by hand in ONE bed. My wife spends sun up to sun down working on the farmstead.