Finding Farmland
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Collapse ▲FINDING and EVALUATING FARMLAND
In North Carolina, there are many ways that farm seekers can find farmland to purchase or lease. In addition to letting family and friends know you are seriously looking, please consider the resources below. Also see Buying a Farm for additional information.
NC FarmLink
NC FarmLink might be your first stop so you can sign up for a free account and create your own profile that describes your ideal farm. Note there are lots of options so only click on items match your farm criteria. Our farm opportunities influde farms that are for sale and for lease, as well as farms offering internships, apprenticeships, employment, and business partnerships. Be sure to select only the counties you would seriously consider.
Online GIS Aerial photography:
Visit the online Geographic Information System (GIS) resources in the counties you are exploring. From the ‘online mapping’ you can access the most recent aerial photography to reveal open ag lands and their current owners. If a drive by visit reveals the land is idle, consider contacting the owner of record. We strongly advise that you do not trespass on private property without owners permission.
Ag Review
Offers NC residents a free listing in the ‘Farmland Wanted’. Also offers ‘Farmland For Sale’, section.
Online Farmland Listings
There are many online sites that post farmland for sale, including Landwatch, Farmflip, Landandfarm . Other search engines like Zillow and Realtor are also available.
Auctions
Estate sales and farm auctions can also be a way to purchase a farm, but be sure to assess the property and your financial situation in advance of auction day. Consider checking into Proxibid (Category=Real Estate; State=North Carolina), Countryboys, Ironhorse, Rich & Rich, and Johnson Properties (share others and we will consider listing here). Remember to get include the commission charged by the auctioneer and if appropriate, visit with your mortgage provider before you place a bid.
Social Media
Sites such as Craigslist, Facebook, etc. Listservs like Growing Small Farms can sometimes offers information about available farmland. Local County Ag Agencies, Stores, and Service Providers often have bulletin boards and farm related service providers, as well as federal, state, and county ag agencies might also have leads on farmalnd in their service area.
Word of Mouth
Personal Network can extend your reach so let your friends and family know of your search. Try to plug into the farming community in the area you would like to buy a farm, and consider your social and work networks also including faith, civic, and recreation groups you may be a part of.
EVALUATING FARMLAND
These two handy resources can be printed out to help evaluate available options for your future farm. Soil productivity and water availability are very important. Infrastructure such as barns, greenhouses, farmhouse, storage facilities, post harvest prep areas, walk in coolers. buried irrigation or livestock water pipe, and fencing are also important considerations. Since water management on farmland is important, consider walking the land after a rainfall to see how topography and soil type affect how water drains from different areas on the farm.
Farmland Assessment Checklist Resources for Your Farm Search
While it is possible that forested land could be converted to productive cropland, the current land use is a strong indication of the suitability of the land for farming or forestry. Aerial photos are available through Google Maps and through respective county online GIS resources. Consider the handy Soil Web App offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and put it on your mobile device to find info on the soil wherever you are at any given time.
You can get great insight into the suitability of any farmland by using Google Earth Pro after you download it to your desktop. After searching for the location of a tract of farmland using the address, click on the ‘sun’ icon above the image to see the shadows throughout the day. This is especially useful for evaluating land in valleys and the mountains of foothills region of NC. Also consider looking at historical use of the land by clicking on the historical imagery icon just to the left of the ‘sun’ icon. Click the ‘wrench’ to change the date of the aerial image shown. While the digital imagery may only be available back to 1985, check with your local Soil & Water Conservation District office for older imagery and click a photo with your smartphone so you can refer to it as you develop your farm.
Some of the tips above are also noted in this informative video on the Greenshine Farmers Youtube channel. Note our website has been updated since this video was made so it looks a bit different now.