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Reply #6: That will make it more difficult, certainly. [View All]

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Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Rural/Farm Donate to DU
MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-11-11 10:28 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. That will make it more difficult, certainly.
Cold regions like yours have short growing seasons, and energy requirements are high during the cold months. Look around your area. Are there others who are managing self-sufficiency there? I'd tend to doubt it. Attaining self-sufficiency in such areas is always a marginal proposition. someone mentioned that marshy area and the problem you may have in altering it. I'd expect that you will not be allowed to dig it out for a pond. It will probably be classified as a wetland.

If you're really serious about self-sufficiency, you might want to strongly consider selling this property and buying property in a place that is more friendly to small farming. It's difficult enough to successfully operate a self-sufficient small farm without the additional difficulties of a cold climate. Many regions have similar land prices in rural areas, so making a move might be practical, assuming you own your property outright.

There are many, many things to consider. I'd check out some of the excellent books on the subject and read them carefully. There's a lot of planning to do.

You also mentioned solar and wind power. It's easy enough to do some limited-power projects on a tight budget, but anything more than that gets expensive very quickly. Heating water with solar can be very economical. Generating a couple of kilowatts with wind can be done cheaply, as well, using automotive components, but that's not enough for most people, and home-built systems are maintenance-intensive. Going completely off the grid and living with some sort of normal amenities is a very costly project.

I think it's time to start reading and thinking.
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