Do you have to register the name of your farm anywhere? If you have a name registered with the state, province, county or if you have a herd name registered as a breeder, I would post it.

It's your place, call it what you want. You can have a humongous worm farm in a couple of styrofarm coolers. Only thing I'd worry about is some carpet baggers (insurance, tax, career accident hunters, etc)trying to leach off you because you call yourself a farm. As far as size, you should see some of the farms here in Germany (at least in my area). Our place is just under 1/2 acre and contains house, barn, 10 stalls, utility room, tack room, workshop, kennel, rabbits, horses, dogs, cats, fruit trees, yard w/ patio, grass, flower garden, etc.

Dave

I have the same question, but in Canada. Is there some legal status to a "farm". Can I call my meagre 3 acres a farm now, even though we are not registered anywhere and don't have any livestock, yet, but we will shortly.

Do I have to register it somewhere to call it a farm. I don't intend to claim tax free status or legal farm status at all. I'd just like a name and a sign.

You can call it a farm if; you must hold 2 other jobs to make ends meet, if you cant take vacations because the too many animals need tended daily, if 4H is the primary off farm entertainment, if you only get 4 hours sleep a day, if your best suit is a pair of overalls, family get to gether is mucking stalls and making hay, you know where all the feeds and other necessities are located at the mill.

There really are no technical rules. Ag zoning is a plus if you plan to do any sizable ag practices. Proper farm (especially liability)insurance may be needed depending on planned activities, also buildings may not be covered for certain risks associated with ag businesses.( more than a few bales of hay stored at a time). Many farms have no livestock, not even a dog. call it anything you wish, girl down the road has 1 acre and some chickens and strawberries and its a farm to her.

At the opposite end is a layer operation, 100,000 chickens under roof and they raise no crops and only own a few acres which are all under roof.

we're on ALMOST 1 acre..we have 2 goats,rabbits,hens,and 2 ducks..this is'nt really a "farm" but I made it one!!! we have a small pond, built some houses and coops,therefore I think we're a "hobby farm" :)

In Pa, you have to make over 60 percent of your income from it to be able to take the tax credit thingy for a 'farm'. I might be wrong though.

mersie, thats not how it works. I worked off the farm all my life where the lions share of income was made. The farm actually lost for 20 years and made a small profit only a few years. Many farms never show profit, if there is a profit it is many times reinvested in new equipment, et cetera. I started farming again but dont do the F form thing, just cash in and cash out. Much easier. Of course if the govt wants me to file, they will lose in the end when I claimed all depreciation and other expenses & losses.

Make your sign, call your home/property/hobby farm whatever you like!

I certainly would hope the government has better things to do that track down folks w/signs calling their property a farm. Here in Andover Ma. there are no longer any working farms to speak of, they are all gone thanks to McMansions popping up everywhere. A one acre building lot goes for around $450,000, so there is no incentive to keep people from dividing up and selling their land.

As a result many of the original farm houses from the 17 and 1800's still have signs up "Twin Cedar Farm" and only have an acre or even 1/4 of the original property. The owners don't take down their signs.

The subject of what classifies a farm has been discussed at great length over many years on this forum. If you do a search you may find some very heated conversations. I say call your home whatever you like, don't look for others approval, be confident in what you decide :)

-Sheila

I think you can put a sign up it you want. I have never heard of any rules about it.

I drive past a place that has a sign that says this.

Iwannafarm
Farm

I smile everytime I drive by it.

No rules about it here in New England. It has always been tradition to name your property. Call your plot of earth whatever you choose!

We have a hobby farm.We called it the furniture farm years ago when my husband refinished and built furniture.We have had a vegetable garden,strawberries,fruit trees,a pig,two calves,chickens,dogs and cats.We never had a tractor and only have 5 acres but it is not in the city limits so it IS a farm!I know the difference between a gelding and a gilt too!Posy Pet

I think fancifowl has the best description...lol
You can call it a farm if; you must hold 2 other jobs to make ends meet, if you cant take vacations because the too many animals need tended daily, if 4H is the primary off farm entertainment, if you only get 4 hours sleep a day, if your best suit is a pair of overalls, family get to gether is mucking stalls and making hay, you know where all the feeds and other necessities are located at the mill.

You have a farm when you go to bed sore in almost every spot on your body; planning the next day's activities; and with a smile on your face. A farm is a state of mind, not a state of acreage.

Interesting question that I have been pondering myself. I have 1.25 acres which for a city girl is a lot (although the longer I am here the less it seems to be). I wanted to create a farm too but now I consider my property a hobby farm since I am not selling anything. I have 2 small goats and thats it. I am planting some gourds so I can go into the gourd birdhouse making hobby next year. all my activites are a hobby rather than to make a living. well thats my thoughts on the issue.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Country Dreams

Heh, I live in suburban Los Angeles in your basic track home (but with a larger back yard), and just because I have a flock of chickens and three fruit trees, the neighborhood kids call our place a 'farm'. :)

I'd say chickens and ducks qualify as 'livestock', since that is what most cities zone them as.

We passed a place in northern Nevada last week that had a sign that gave us a grin: 'Rancho Costa Lotta'.

Heck, carajon, call yourself a farm. Have fun! :)

Velvet ~:>

I guess all that reading is what I get for not checking in for a few days. Our place is being called a hobby farm as well. We sit on 40 acres that are zoned AG-35. The critters consist of: 4 horses, 40+ ducks, 6 geese, 21 turkeys, 8 bantum chickens, 40 standard chickens, 13 rabbits, 4 dogs and 8 cats (three of which will be mothers soon). Add to that the three pigs we will be picking up next weekend, three incubators and the 6000+ sq ft garden that I am working on, we call it a hobby farm. Some hobby!!
Anyway, we don't sell much out, we raise most everything for personal use, that is where the hobby comes in. I am hoping to at least get the hobby to start paying for itself by selling chicks at the local auction and having the produce cut our grocery bill. I am raising all the plants from seed. I could really use a greenhouse, but that is another forum.
I really don't know of any regulations on calling something a farm. I have a friend who bought a sign tha hangs in his driveway that names his place "The Dun Broke Ranch" I think it is a personal preferance on naming your place. We have not given ours a formal name yet, as there is still some debate on what it should be.

Billie

I love all the replies! I am not really concerned about whether we are legally a farm, just don't want to look silly with a "farm" sign if we don't deserve it. But here on the Farm Forum at least, it seems farms come in all shapes and sizes. So I'm going to go ahead and get my Otterbrook Farm sign and put it proudly on my driveway. If anyone questions me, I'll send them to this forum to straighten them out!

Go right ahead and name your place whatever you want. And be proud of it. One of the hottest things right now is "urban farming", people in cities and towns on small lots growing vegetables and fruit and sometimes cut flowers for their own use and to sell at farmers markets. Around here they are having seminars and tours of urban farms. I have never lived in a city or even a small town but I'm very much in support of this urban trend. Bravo to all those who gets rid of most or all of the lawn and starts to grow their own healthy food.

I've been involved in some form of agriculture all my life. In the last few years I have been very fortunate to go to China and see the way Chinese farmers have been farming on small plots for over 4000 years. These were not hobby farmers. This is subsistence living with a little left over to sell. Most have less than one acre.

Good for you carajon. According to worldwatch.org,
'In 2008, half of the EarthÂs population will live in urban areas, marking the first time in history that humans are an urban species.' Where do people think their food is going to come from in the future?

People who are using their land to feed themselves (and possibly but not necessarily others) qualify as farmers, I think.

Somebody living in a highrise in Toronto, or a lowrise in Havana, growing food in containers on the roof or balcony, deserves the honorary title too.

Bureaucracy is something else. Although we were paying farm registration fees to the provincial Dept. of Agriculture we had a bit of a struggle to be taken seriously enough as a farm to access gov't funding for improvements to our irrigation system, because we 'only' have 3/4 acres of market gardens. We convinced them, though, and have hopefully set a precedent for other small farmers.

Just a thought on the subject of farms, growing your own food and the governmnet: Why is it that the governmnet supported and even promoted the home garden and helping with the food chain in the '40's (WWII), but now seems to do everything they can to discourage self sufficiency? When do we realize the self distructive downward spiral we are currently in and start providing our own government relief? I offered my niece a piece of ground in my garden to grow some veggies to put on the table, she turned it down. A little note on her situation: she is about two seconds from homeless and would probably be better off if she were. There is no heat in her room, not even a space heater as there is no electric. There is no water on the property. The house has holes in the walls and floor. There is no food in the place and she is 4 monthes pregnant. I don't have room in my house for here too. Now I would jump at the chance to help myself in this situation, but her and her boyfriend have no interest. Why is that? What has happened to people helping themselves? Is it the younger generations, or is it society as a whole that has started frowning on working for your food? I read that in WWII the government handed out seeds to help people to get started, but how do you motivate someone to plant the seeds? The governmnet wants to have a record of every animal to be born on every homestead and backyard in America. Is it really to protect us from diseases that might move from farm to farm by animal transfers, or to minimize the amount of competition the big producers have in the local markets? If you label yourself a farm, what type of buracracy are you opening yourself up to? Should we back down because it might cause us a problem or should we share the headache with the government and name every little piece of dirt we can just to make them come and "inspect". For my son to take his turkeys to the State Fair in Colorado this summer, we have to have our property and flocks inspected, tested and registered with the state. If we do not, and try to go to fair, they can refuse us access, conficate the bird and even keep our entry fees. What happened to the old times???
Sorry, I went off track, but the message is still the same: The government wanted us to help them, now they are supressing the small farm for big business. When the governmnet needs the small farm to reintroduce diversity, will there be any left? My son brought home a study from school the other day. 100 years ago there were over 8000 different types of apple trees, now there are about 650 types. What are we willing to let the government do to us?

No I am not anti-government, just a person who is concerned how we are going to leave our corner of the world. So please forgive the rambling.

Billie

well I can tell you my personal feelings on a garden. The idea is nice BUT I would never eat veggies with bug holes in it. I don;t like greens in the garden because they are too hard to clean. so to answer your question about what has happened to people we got used to pretty veggies and not having to clean them. it sucks I know. I been thinking of a garden and some guinea hens to eat all the bugs but right now it is still a thought.
don't be too harsh on me. I can feel it coming LOL.

I thought I would get some chickens for the eggs and then I tasted a fresh egg and did not like it. ugggg. My mothers response to that was how can I eat store brought eggs. Her quote "Fresh eggs are the bomb! There is nothing better than fresh, unless you are saying that you like preservatives, thin shell, no sizzle eggs (eggs that just lay there when cracked open)"

I guess the new generation is just plain old LAZY!

MS - just an FYI, I would not recommend NOT washing fruit and veggies from the store. Not only has everyone and their 2 year old with the runny nose touched it, but the things that are sprayed on them are horrible. Red Delicious apples are not really that red. Cut one open and you will see a red layer under the skin, that is from the dye they were soaked in. And your store bought eggs are at least 45 days old. You could have hatched them twice in the time it takes to get them from the hen to your store. If you want eggs with no flavor, get chickens, put them in little (I mean little 1.5'x1.5' or smaller)cages and never let them see sunlight. But I have to say, if the egg you tasted was that bad, maybe there was something in the hens diet that was a no no. Try again from a different farm before you write it off. I really don't like eggs period, but my kids eat them nonstop and if I try to slip a store egg into their breakfast, it winds up in the dog bowl. Anywho, each his own, right. That's what makes us all different.
Thanks for the "I guess the new generation is just plain old LAZY!' Here I thought maybe I was expecting too much. I kinda feel like the little red hen though. I know they will be over here come harvest looking for a handout.

Thanks for the fun
The Crazy Lady
Billie

Carajon,

Otterbrook Farm is a great name! Much better than what was going to be my suggestion: "Almosta Farm."

And don't forget those heirloom fruits and veggies.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: The Heirloom Orchardist

Here here property taxes on Agriculture are so much cheaper. I pay about $500 for the house, two mobiles, barn, and four other out buildings on 40 acres, where a neighbot who has 40 pays about $600 and does not even have a house. There is a mobile on the property, but nothing else. In Colorado if there is a mobile and it is not purged (becomes one with the land) it is considered occupied, but the mobile tax is a seperate bill.

Billie

This is kinda off topic but Billie Ladybug you are so wrong about the red delicious apples. They are NOT dyed. They may be a bit mushy cause they have been in cold storage, but that is the worst of it. I grew up in an area famous for their apples and you really hit a nerve with that statement. Buy Fuji apples if you are looking for taste.

You have a farm when your heart tells you your happy at what your are doing...and you don't mind all the hard work.

We used to have an ant farm, how tiny is that?

-Karyn

spogarden - never said the producers dye the apples. The suppliers(AKA middlemen)dye them to make them more appealing. Just like no self respecting farmer would spray their produce with wax, but it must just magically appear on the produce in the store. I worked in the grocery for many years and the suppliers do all kinds of things to make their produce more appealing than the other guys. As was said earlier, Joe Public expects pretty produce. It does not grow the way you buy it in the store.

Billie

Seriously? That is so depressing. there is nothing like picking a fresh apple from the tree. Cherries too, I have always thought, taste so much better fresh.
Anyways, back on topic, I have a farm but we are very small. A big veggie garden, 6 chickens and if it ever stops snowing and we can get the fence up, maybe some pigs. Also lots of herbs and 2 apple trees!