In light of the interest in investing in the local economy & particularly local small farms, Dave & I have engaged in doing our part for the movement. We returned to his family farm and I, who have always wanted to live on a farm have taken to the endeavor wholeheartedly. However, it is not an easy task and in order to make it work, we need to be able to sustain our efforts. This of course entails financial support. I have come up with an idea and would appreciate thoughts & feedback regarding this perhaps somewhat out of the box way of basically generating income.
I propose sponsorship/adoption of the farm by interested parties. In exchange for a contribution, your name, info, business or other literary endeavor would be mounted on a tasteful plaque around the farm. If you wanted to "adopt" a horse stall, it would be noted on the plaque that thanks to your contribution the "XYZ Horse Stall was made possible by XYZ Business" or "This stall belongs to Kentucky Rain thanks to..." or each bedroom would be renamed "The ____Room, thanks to _______."
I would even rename "The Chick's Inn" - the chicken house that Dave built. Another option would be to invite people to come up on the weekends (initially) to experience farm life in exchange for either a financial contribution or work effort. This would provide individuals/couples and later on families or larger groups a chance to experience farm life and contribute to the rebuilding - reestablishing the farm... We know that people like to come here so that would be a marketing point... Anyone who participated in any way could then feel a sense of ownership and the fact that they were a part of this effort to keep the farm effort going. This particular farm has deep roots in this area and we would like to see that continue. (Historically, the plot of land which we manage was part of the larger Miller Farm in the town of Claverack, NY. Dave's ancestors were farmers throughout the county. The Farm @ Miller's Crossing is just one of the family farms that Dave has ties to.)
Anyway- I'm open to other thoughts & guidance on this...I feel there are possibilities in these ideas which may need some refinement so hope to really make a go of this.
