# Amish farms for homesteading



## Obligated (Apr 11, 2011)

Good evening. I have been reading, thinking, taking notes, and processing for about a year now. Not in a position to buy land yet but hopefully by next year. 

I have seen several Amish farms for sale in Central Ky. Barns, out buildings, land enough for my adult children to build or homes already built. I would love to hear what others have to say on this subject.

There would be no electric so wiring and a solar system would be required.
There would be no bathrooms so that would be built as well as septic and leech beds. 

Part of the issue for my family is that one of my sons and I seem to be at odds. I am wanting to homestead and be as self sufficient as possible, while he is so survivalist minded. He sees the world as "when the sh.. hits the fan" while I just want to live well, keep the governement out of my business and allow my family to be safe without worrying about starving to death.

Thank you for any thoughts.


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

Obligated said:


> Good evening. I have been reading, thinking, taking notes, and processing for about a year now. Not in a position to buy land yet but hopefully by next year.
> 
> I have seen several Amish farms for sale in Central Ky. Barns, out buildings, land enough for my adult children to build or homes already built. I would love to hear what others have to say on this subject.
> 
> ...


Hello! I can't give much help on the Amish Farms bit except to say you should be able to talk to a contractor in the area to get an extimate for whatever improvements you would like. My husband and I lived in a home that was built in 1904 and how they ended up plumbing the home was to put a bathroom off the back porch, shared wall with the kitchen so all pumbing was in that wall and drains accessable under the porch.

Regarding the family issue, we have 4 adult children, all married, at varying degrees of "prepping". I too, wish mainly to be self sufficient, after all, the SHTF can take any number of forms, and has been widely discussed here on this forum, has probably ALREADY hit the fan, its just on slow speed so no one really notices, except our types. So for the LONG haul, your plan is great, let your son know that he and his family are welcome and important to your plan, and that his plan may well become a necessity someday. Yours is for RIGHT NOW.

We too, are looking for a large enough property to homestead where all of us could live, but we all acknowledge that we all may never actually MOVE there. So we are looking for something that could be used either way, as a hunting cabin, vacation home, or my husband and my "retirement" homestead that the kids (four families) can have in perpetuity as the "old family farm".

If there is enough land for all to build, i recommend you have a real estate lawyer work out an agreement on how to hold title, such a "tenants in common" where no actual boundaries are set, and if one wishes to sell in the future, wording could be attached that they have to offer it to the primary tenants FIRST. I'm not sure of the laws in your state so an atty becomes a necessary evil!

Best of luck in your purchase, and I hope your children can appreciate what you are trying to do!


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## Obligated (Apr 11, 2011)

Sage, thank you so much...I absolutely love what you said about my plan being for while we may need his plan in the future, my plan is for "right now". I just never thougth to put it to him that way. I am sad to say this, but sometimes I wish I could just turn off my mind and say "enough" when he gets on a roll. 

We had also discussed the issue with titles, etc. I think you have certainly pointed me in the right direction.

Again, right on target with the plumbing ideas...who says the bathroom needs to be upstairs.

One of my new favorite places is the Tractor Supply store ( If you knew me you would be laughing right now ). It is like heaven in there. I picked up two magazines yesterday, Mother Earth News and Countryside. While I had been using landwatch.com Countryside suggested UnitedCountry.com/cs I really like that resource. I have found several Amish Farms for sale in central Ky and Mo. from 2 acres on. I need to stay as inexpsnsive as possible so I think the most I looked at was 48 acres or such. One had seven bedrooms. While that is a bit much, at least now I know what is out there and can stop worrying about my wish list. 

So much to think about but you have really helped. My notebook is getting thicker :flower:


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

Obligated said:


> Sage, thank you so much...I absolutely love what you said about my plan being for while we may need his plan in the future, my plan is for "right now". I just never thougth to put it to him that way. I am sad to say this, but sometimes I wish I could just turn off my mind and say "enough" when he gets on a roll.
> 
> We had also discussed the issue with titles, etc. I think you have certainly pointed me in the right direction.
> 
> ...


BTW the Mother Earth News is promoting to make September 2012 "National Homestead Education Month" and is asking for folks to send them info on slasses or tours or informational venues around the country that THEY will advertise for you, to help promote.

Also, the 7 bedroom home would make a killer )excuse the pun!) hunting cabin!


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

Are you sure there is no electric or plumbing or bathrooms or leech beds??
All of ours are required to wire in the electric so when it gets resold it is all set up. They have pressurized tanks that are hooked up to generators around here to for water pressure for flushing.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I am just curious as to why you are only considering Amish homes? Also, most likely they do have wiring--it is just disconnected. Except for the Schwartzentrubers, most Amish have plumbing.


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## Obligated (Apr 11, 2011)

Thank you to everyone for joining in on this conversation. It helps me not churn the same info in my mind.

As for why Amish farms, I never intentionally sought them out. I came across one in my search for land/cabins and noticed the buildings, fencing, etc. They are less expensive than buying land and making all those additions. They are literally up and running allowing us to live on the land immediately. 

The farms I have seen advertised say no bathrooms or electric so I assumed that meant no plumbing and wiring. The information you all are providing is exactly why I sought out this forum. You are so appreciated.

What I had done is begin a "wish list" of what we would like for now and in the years to come...never dreaming what I wanted may already exist at a decent price.

My friend in Morgan County, Ky. said that though she was not allowed to have electric run to her trailer until she had a septic and leech bed finished, she believes her Mennonite neighbors do not have one. Again, just heresay.

Thanks to everyone for the help.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Well, other parts maybe different. I might be wrong about the community in your area. I'm just speaking from my experience with Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia Old Orders. We had a handpump at the kitchen sink and we had flush toilets on a gravity septic system. Could be that other groups are more strict. I know the Schwartzentrubers are very, very strict and they use outhouses. Mostly it is the women who suffer from the extra work. 

Living without electricity is not that hard. Just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to use it. You can flip the main breaker if you want to do without. Good practice for an TEOTWAWKI situation.


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