House and farm available for rent May 1st, to see if I can make a place for another farmer here faster than a sale can occur. At the same time I will consider offers to purchase some or all, but with mission-driven constraints.
From the bright, beautiful 1830 timber frame/plaster home with views across barn, to the productive garden and greenhouse, birdsong, brooks, waterfall, beautiful mature forest - to the location minutes outside of our thriving arts/book-loving/brewer/Localvore town, this is a unique and special place. There are no loud ATVs or snowmobiles, and the entire farm is non-smoking.
These 38 acres 5 minutes from downtown are as much a potential community housing resource as a farm - so I'm inclined to structure sale or lease so more than one household can live and work here, while protecting the farm & keeping it active and welcoming to the community.
I'm open to hearing from both farmers, and non-farmers who wanting to invest in creating a sustainable mini-neighborhood with a place for a farmer in it. Picture owning your home, some or almost all of the land, but choosing to do this in coordination with others to maximize the potential of this place for quality of life and productivity. However it gets structured, the goal is to keep someone who makes a living from the amazing sun, soil, air, and water right here on this land. This connection and knowledge is crucial to our community.
The barn is a huge resource, scheduled for updates with barn grant this May. Lessee/new owner can tune the renovation plans toward their own vision. The beautiful frame and views from the back over the gardens and pasture are amazing, and the lower level has housed animals, equipment.
Brattleboro is the economic hub of southern Vermont, with a fantastic year-round Farmers' Market and local Coop. There's a thriving network of farms, farmers, and farm customers within the community. The expense of being in town is worth it if your plans capitalize on direct-market or value added, or off-farm work, and for quality of life - music, movies, a welcoming community - and more just south in Greenfield and the Five Colleges area and east to Keene.
One could build small new energy efficient house on in the forest edges around the field without impacting productivity or beauty. The goal is to keep the land and farm central in all decisions, sustainability as the guide, and to lean toward sharing/coordinated ownership (leaving more time, energy and money for good causes) over possessing/locking down for the use of one person or family.
Lastly:. I am a science teacher, pragmatic farmer, entrepreneur with a sustainability and social justice bent - not a whack-job, vision-without-substance, hippy-dippy or wishy-washy scenario. Legal advisors will keep any agreements clean,
Please send a letter of interest about yourself and include your vision/goals, needs/wants, and experience/resources, including financial ability/budget, timeline and number of people. Photos aren't very good, try Maps for overview and FB for more photos?
Lisa Holderness
799 Upper Dummerston Rd
Brattleboro, VT 05301