Well, what would you LIKE to be able to do with this land? Do you see it as a mainly one-use type thing such as a dairy farm, or as a multiple-use, live-on-property, gentleman farmer kind of thing, with many varied animals, fruit orchard, vegetable garden, hayfield, etc.? What buildings are on site?

Also, what kind of land is it--flat, hilly, dry, boggy? How is the soil, will it support growth of crops, and what is the year round weather like? IS there an abundant water supply, a stream, a well?

That's a nice chunk of land in this day & age to come into. :) Think about how much it will cost you in property taxes, insurance, etc. when planning what to use it for. Lots of good information here, although lately it's been a bit quiet. We tend to get more of the hobby farmers here, but you could also look into homesteading forums.

Velvet ~:>

Velvet has very good questions, and your future farming venture should be based on those answers.

If it were mine (and not knowing the answers to the questions above) I would put in a few greenhouses, an orchard, a herd of meat goats to be sold for meat with perhaps dairy goats for making soaps ect for a hobby. Maybe some bees & maple syrup if you have maple trees. All are easy enough to do and can help sustain the farm.

Water on the property would help make things easier.

Once you can determine what you want to do with your acreage, there are specialty forums with detailed information for each segment of your plan.

Brendasue

If you don't have time to do the work yourself, could you lease the property to someone who can farm it for you?

I have a friend in N. Dakota who inherited 600 acres. They didn't live in the area and let the caretaker run things after their parents passed. They sold 5 prime acres (w/water) to the caretaker who is trying to hound them into giving him more. He is blackening their name in the small town where the farm is located.

If you decide to sell/lease any part of it, make sure you use a lawyer who is familiar with the laws regarding mineral/water rights, etc.

Links that might be useful:

forums.gardenweb.com/forums/homest/

www.homesteadingtoday.com/

www.farmland.org/resources/fote/states/top20.asp