3 businesses I hope to run from my brand-new farm in 2025

My Amish-built barn structure was completed July 2024. I have yet to open it to the public due to special use permitting issues. Here are my hopes for 2025.

Standing out in the snow, looking onward at pure Amish genius and meticulous craftsmanship that jumps out from every inch of my barn warms me with a smile. Yes it’s below freezing outside and a second layer of snow has just dusted the nearly 7 acres around the barn. Still, the bite of the chilly air doesn’t permeate my body as I let the vision for this space warmly fill me up, half in due to my own crazy dreams, and half in due to wanting to honor how hard the Amish worked to make this structure remarkable.

It’s one of the first times I am able to truly appreciate how perfectly placed the lighting fixtures are on the outside of the barn. I helped select the fixtures themselves, but for everything else you are seeing here, that was entirely concocted by the Amish. The pictures don’t do it justice, which is why I know as I stand there, watching my breath crystallize in the glow of the barn lights, a second permitting battle looms on the horizon for my farm in 2025.

As I broke down earlier this year in this article, the town in which my barn resides gave me an ultimatum:

“The structure is perfect and signed off on our end. All you need to do is create a parking lot that can hold over 30 cars,” they said, as if this was a no-big-deal request.

“I refuse to pave over protected New York agricultural farmland to make space for cars. There is plenty of space on the gravel road and the grass around it. Every farm in the area has shoppers park on the grass,” I said.

They wouldn’t budge. Not to mention, a parking request of this scale would cost around $50,000. I jumped through every hoop for months, having new sinks, doors, and handles installed to meet their demands. This one broke me.

So I’ve gone dormant for awhile. I backed out of the special use permit proceedings, though they told me I could return at any time. It’s been months since that discussion, and I suspect they know I have no plans of installing a parking lot. Over my dead body will I tear up an acre of land that has been part of the farming fabric of this region for over 100-years (I know this because the USDA brought aerial maps of my land to our first meeting last month - so cool).

Therefore, what’s the real plan for this property and my farm in 2025? I will tell you right now!

Business #1: Indoor + Outdoor Workshops

As I beheld my barn structure on that snowy evening, I knew it’s a disservice to myself, the Amish, and the surrounding communities if I do not welcome the public into my structure. In the coldest of climates, the welcoming nature of the structure makes any person who stops by the farm stand want to come inside.

Build it and they will come.

That’s the voice I heard in the back of my head over and over again when I purchased my land. I know in my heart that people are meant to be on and inside my property. That has always been the plan. And I know that avoiding the divine plan for the property will come to an end in 2025. And I am absolutely OK with that.

The first business I hope to run and manage from my farm is a workshop operation. My mother is an artist with 40+ years of experience tattooing, painting, drawing, wood-working, and wood-burning. She is a treasure trove of artistic knowledge and WANTS to share it with participants. We have already begun building out our wreath-making workshops and other hands-on activities that will bring participants through different steps using nothing but nature, plants, and herbs grown here or locally.

(I have had many talented and accomplished people reach out to me about hosting their own workshops in the space, too.)

As the weather gets nicer, these workshops could be hosted outside in the gardens as well. We are looking into purchasing more Amish-made workshop tables from a local family. Right now, we can comfortably seat around 18 people per indoor workshop. Our goal is to get that number to around 25 or so people (30 MAX). Contrary to what the planning board believes, I have no desire to have 100+ people at my farm at any given time. I want to respect the idyllic nature of the land and the surrounding properties.

Potentially, we may start offering some of our nature-made art products for sale inside of the barn as well (hanging wreaths off the walls, etc.).

I am still committed to no weddings at this space. It wasn’t built for weddings. It was built for community gathering, learning, art, and plants. Perhaps a few art exhibitions featuring local artists that are sustainable in their creations, etc. may make sense in this space.

This business could also encompass ‘nature walks,’ which is something I am toying with once the USDA is done designing my pollinator gardens. We have a lot of planning to do, and I look forward to our call next week with their biologist and pollinator specialist.

Business #2: Farming + Conservationism

I intend to farm some of my land. I want to be an example of how much can be grown in a small amount of space. If we’re going to save the planet, we need to engage people in urban areas to support pollinators, too. They don’t have dozens of acres to work with. I want to demonstrate that that’s OK!

I plan to farm and sell squash, beens, corn, herbs, flowers, eventually berries, maybe mushrooms, and easier crops (remember, I am new to this) like beets, radishes, kale, and lettuce. I will sell these at my farm stand. I may toy with the idea of a CSA pickup subscription, depending on the size of the yields. I purchased a CSA box of vegetables from a local farm for Thanksgiving this year. It was incredible.

With the herbs and flowers, I will also save and dry them for our workshops. I plan to have these businesses overlap, as you can see. And, most importantly, I will leave an ample amount of flowers outside for pollinators to enjoy and savor, never to be cut for a profit.

By gardening with pollinator conservationism as my sole focus here, I am hoping my property can become one of the ‘go-to’ educational spots for people to observe native plants and pollinators in action. I don’t plan to charge for this ‘observation,’ but feel there could be some creative ways to earn as I garden. For example, I would love to write my second book about this process, or maybe offer USDA conservationism consultations.

I also plan to look into applying either a conservation or agricultural easement to my property this year. I will be reporting on all of it to you all, of course.

Business #3: From a Farm Stand to an Online Purchase Point?

Those of you who have been following along with me here know that I adore my farm stand and have been blown away by its unexpected initial success. I barely farmed pumpkins and sunflowers this year - yet was able to turn consistent $50+ days just starting out. The stand is also stocked with my mom’s handmade art pieces and items from other people I know and love. I have even added organic rabbit fertilizer and books to the mix.

(I will be adding farm fresh eggs - and maybe even quail eggs - come this spring)

Hundreds of people have written to me on social media asking if I would bring the farm stand online. I offer free native seeds that people have told me they would gladly pay for if I would mail them the seeds. At first, I was ‘shipping averse’ to be as ecologically minded as possible. But, if shipping milkweed seeds saves the Monarch butterfly, then sign me up.

My plans for the farm stand starting April 2025 are as follows:

• 5-10x the amount of products we have for sale

• bring 50% of the products online

• design and open the inside of the stand as a ‘walk-in’ shopping experience

• add more design elements to the outside of the stand to make it ‘Instagram-worthy’

• secure my first $100+ day

• make over $1,500/month consecutively

• add signs outside the stand that encourage drivers to pull over and take photos - this is a media-friendly farm

In this article, I break down how the farm stand has the potential to cover the cost of my land loan with Farm Credit East every single month. I believe that can become a reality next year.

By investing a lot of time, design work, and coziness into the farm stand, I might even host ‘shop and sip’ events with the stand that then bundles into nature walks. I really believe ‘education’ can be a bedrock element of everything that goes on at this property. That was always the vision.

Far Off Dreams: A Hoop House?

I can obtain a hoop house or high tunnel for free as a farmer in New York State. I am tempted to take the state up on this offer and place the structure towards the back of the property. This structure could function as another space for hosting gatherings or workshops - or a place to process flowers, produce, etc. We shall see!

As for now, I think these three endeavors listed above will keep me plenty busy for the next 12-months. One of my favorite things about working for myself is that you never know how it’s all going to play out. But, I’ve learned having a framework doesn’t exactly hurt, either.

It should all be very interesting.

With $24 trillion worth of farmland about to be for sale in this country, the dawn of a farmland revolution is upon us. If you’ve ever felt called to pursue this life, I am here to tell you that you CAN do this. Farming doesn’t have to look like John Deere tractors and 100+ acres (though, John Deere tractors are pretty darn cool).

We need more small farms - desperately.

I am happily the focus of my own farming experiment here. Follow along!