Chicago urban farmer

[Rabbitsbysara]

Hello from Chicago.
Well chicago suburbs. I am a self proclaimed urban farmer. I have gardens and rabbits. Looking forward to the opportunity to purchase more land outside the city where I can really expand and be more sustainable. I come to the forums to have conversations with like minded people and learn about rabbits and farming. Have a small rabbit herd, trying to do meat rabbits. I have champagnes, new Zealands, Californian, rexs, and crosses or mutts.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Hello and welcome to BYH from Florida

 

[ButtonHerder]

Hi! Welcome from Alberta. Make yourself at home!

 

[Rabbitsbysara]

Thank you thank you!! You all are so nice!

 

[farmerjan]

from the Shenandoah valley of Va. Love Rex rabbits but don't have any at this point. Cattle, chickens, sheep, garden, .....lots of stuff here.

 

[Rabbitsbysara]

Oh thank you. I went out to bathe County Virginia, a few years ago. Very beautiful. Totally different from where I live, lol.

 

[farmerjan]

Bath county is just west of us. I am in Rockbridge County, right near the Augusta county line. Bath is directly west of us and Highland county where the big Maple Festival is held in March.Known for all the maple trees that are tapped to make Maple syrup.
Yep, we have the mountains here, lotta rock, good amount of water/creeks/ponds etc. Are you fairly flat where you are? Never been to Illinois... or any of the plains or "breadbasket" states....

 

[Rabbitsbysara]

Well let me tell you I was a scared driving around there. People driving very fast on scary roads, with big curves and drop offs and rivers. Illinois is pretty flat, very populated. Lots of Farmland too. Just corn, soy, some wheat. Farms are a fading way of life here. And land is so expensive here.

 

[farmerjan]

Yes, it takes some getting used to driving on the narrower roads with the drop offs and such. I grew up doing it in CT and VT so not a big deal to me.... but if it is not what you are used to, it can be scary.
Land here in Va has gotten ridiculous compared to even 10 years ago. 5-20,000 an acre all according to where it is.... many farms here are being taken up by developments here.... dairies selling out and some going to beef as it is more conducive to grazing with all the rock/ledge we have in this area. Too many buying in this area that are getting out of the "beltway" around DC..... many coming down from up north.....and I am a true Yankee.... born and raised in Ct and have family that helped to settle parts of CT coming off the Mayflower, and early "immigrants" to the Northeast. But the "real" old type Yankee, is no more.....

 

[Rabbitsbysara]

When I was in Virginia I wanted to go to poly face farms, but I ended up not going. Yeah when we have no more farms and no longer produce anything, I am not sure where people think they will get food from. We need to be developing more local ag, and looking into to sustainable ways to do it. Reject the big company monopolies. Get back to health and caring about each other. This way of life is a slippery slope, we can easily be like Venezuela if we aren't careful. One thing is for sure they aren't making more land!