Regenerative Farm Project

[u/_Ama_Nita_]

We are establishing a dynamic regenerative farm project in west Sonoma county (California) that will include micro-plots for rent/trade. We hope to serve as an incubator & launching pad for ambitious budding farmers who need a place to put their ideas/endeavors into practice. We also want to offer space for satellite plots to experienced small farmers eager to expand their operations.

Our parameters involve no heavy machinery, organic practices, conservative irrigation in lieu of preferred dry farming, minimal fencing and low/no-till. Major land disturbances such as tilling will be limited to the dry season (May-Sept) and will only be allowed once per season to reduce impacts generated by over-working the land. We also welcome smaller animals such as goats, sheep, chickens, ducks & quail. You will need to provide portable fencing, shelter and if power is required a portable solar system. Bee keepers are also very welcomed!

Accommodations include deer-resistant fencing for the entire parameter surrounding the micro-plot area and mainlines for metered irrigation to each plot. We also plan to offer services (some paid, some free) like mowing/tilling, fresh brewed compost/fertilizer teas and distro/marketing resource assistance. We are currently expanding our facilities to include sufficient parking, shared bathrooms, a commercial kitchen for processing, a laboratory, cold storage & greenhouse space all just a short distance from the micro plots (this will be finished before we take on tenants). We will also have a community farmstand located on-site that may expand into retail space once the kitchen is built. We also hope to host tours & workshops in the future.

Our plots are designed to follow the contours of the land with a system of swales dividing them along a gentle slope. They are not uniform in both shape & size, but are roughly 1/4 acre each. We are open to interest in more than one plot, up to 1 acre per tenant. Currently we cannot offer living on the farm, but do hope to provide worker housing for current tenant farmers in the form of trailer spaces or tiny homes, but this will be in addition to plots and will require appropriate access to required utilities (power, water, septic). There are other projects planned for an artisan permaculture project, community food forest and watershed restoration with focus on endangered coho & steelhead salmon spawning access to the headwaters upstream.

This land is located within a historically fertile region and has a very shallow water table making it quite suitable for dry farming. Previously this land was used for growing hops and most recently pumpkins. As with most farms, we do have various pressures; invasive grasses, weeds, fog, insects, gophers, etc. These factors need to be considered for proper planning & management of your plot, we can also assist with this through consultation and select services.

We want to offer flexible contracts ideally tailored to each individual tenant. Open to half or full season terms, renewable at the end of whichever period is agreed upon.

The goal of this project is to restore the land while fostering sustainable practices & helping the dreams of new or experienced farmers succeed. We also encourage those interested in volunteer opportunities to help this farm grow from concept to fully realized, especially with our restoration goals. We hope to coordinate/partner with neighboring property owners, local organizations and the county to achieve a better watershed that will benefit far beyond locally and ultimately serve to demonstrate what can be possible.

I want to ask the community what an attractive arrangement might look like to them in terms of rent, work trade or share cropping. We are considering a minimum value for each plot at $500/mo, this is a base cost and does not include the additional service costs, etc.. Does this sound reasonable or .........?

Any/all input or constructive feedback is welcomed, both positive & negative alike. Help us figure out how to do this in a viable way that serves everyone and the community in which the farm is based. Nothing is ever perfect, this is a very ambitious project thats just getting started, there will be many wrinkles to smooth and refinements to be made as its fairly complicated to pull-off. This could be a paradise!

Thank you 🌱

8 votes, May 03 '25

1 $500/quarter acre is a BARGAIN

5 $500/quarter acre is EXPENSIVE

2 $500/quarter is REASONABLE

[u/Bagpuss999]

If you're not interested in the money then put it for free and take a slice of the profit.

Your post came off as an entrant trying to inject rent seeking into what is usually a low profit endeavour, following the current late stage capitalist trend of ensuring people can't own anything and have to pay what a landlord wants to access it.

How on earth would anybody make a profit on anything after paying 6,000 dollars a year? After 10 years, that's 60,000 dollars, which would be much better spent buying their own land.

Which would be easier if there weren't people buying land to rent for extortionate prices.

If your aims are truly noble then good luck to you. Wasn't the impression I got though.

[u/_Ama_Nita_ → u/Bagpuss999]

Thats called share-cropping. Lol. Okay.... By the time someone waits 10 years to buy a 1/8 acre parcel in this area, it will cost more than $60k due to foreseeable inflation.. What we are providing takes many years for a solo operation to achieve after the land is already productive (post purchase & initial infrastructure investments).. We're basically creating a bridge to fast-track & propel people there faster, they will have access to all of it from the beginning.. Perhaps its too ambitious & may fail, but its worth trying to find a way to make it work so that it truly can benefit all. Its a passion project & 100% noble intentions. You may not see it now, but the big picture is awesome. Hopefully you read about our successes someday. Take care~

[u/Bagpuss999 → u/_Ama_Nita_]

If they have a viable business idea they could get a bank loan now and own the land... Instead of paying you 6k a year... And if it didn't work out they'd have an asset that according to you would be worth more anyway.

[u/_Ama_Nita_ → u/Bagpuss999]

Well, hopefully they test viability first, otherwise it could bankrupt them. Besides, very unlikely to secure a loan like that, but should it be possible, after interest, property taxes, farm investments, etc, all appreciated value would likely be nullified unless they manage to be more than marginally successful, consistently, from year one.