Type of opportunity:

Lease (1 to 5 Years), Lease with Option to Buy, Internship / Mentorship, Incubator / Mentored Lease. More info: Husband and wife that currently run a small free-range poultry farm in Eastern Durham County on 1.5 acres. However, the land that we rent will soon be under contract as development in this area is explosive. We have about 1.5 years of experience with broilers and laying hens. Our website with our info is: happyhensdurham.com We are initially looking to lease a patch of land near Eastern Durham or Granville County to move/expand our current poultry operation to, as well as expand our knowledge of pasture based agriculture. Within 2 years we will purchase a 30+ acre farm in Granville or Ashe County. Husband and wife work full-time off-farm, and part-time as farmer.

Equipment & infrastructure:

Well / Pond / Other water source. More info: Would like a water source to water the birds, but can bring my own in truck if needed. Would be willing to move if there is housing on-site, but it is not necessary if the parcel is nearby.

Current production on farm:

Poultry (Broiler/Layer), Vegetable production. More info: We raise broilers (About 150 per year from March to November) and have a free range laying flock of about 60-75 laying hens year-round. We also have a small garden just for us that we grow veggies in from February to November. We are attempting to base our poultry production model on pasture rotation combined with conventional feed. We raise broilers in chicken tractors on grass with meat bird feed. Birds are processed on-farm under the 1000 bird exemption, and our farm is registered with the NC Meat and Poultry Inspection Division as an exempt processor.

Current farming practices:

Ecological production but not certified. More info: -Broilers raised on grass and feed in mobile chicken tractors. -Bantams raised on grass and feed in a stationary coop with multiple coop doors for pasture rotation. -Layers raised on an acre on pasture/dirt/brush mixture with feed. Was about to expand and add second pasture for rotation when land was put up for sale.

Previous farming experience:

Volunteer, Employee

Number of years experience:

1

Other qualifications:

More info: Hard worker, critical thinker and business skills. I am an Eagle Scout with Bronze and Gold Palms, and have a B.S in Computer Science, which is my current career. I'm also a member of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. I enjoy working with my hands and solving complex problems. I track my income and expenses every month, as well as the number of customers. I can tell you how much a single egg costs to produce, how much a broiler costs to produce, and what my expenses and profits are expected to be for the current month.

Production goals:

Poultry (Broiler/Layer). More info: Our short-term, under 2 year, goal is to expand/move our poultry production to a small ~2 acre (or more) parcel. After 2-3 years we will be able to purchase our own property in Granville or Ashe County and add cattle, hogs, and turkeys. All enterprises will start with following goals: 1.Raise enough to feed our family 2.Learn enough to be competent 3.Market to consumers 4.Reach profitability 5.Move to next enterprise Our egg enterprise is 1 year old and is now profitable for 2 months in a row with an increasing customer base. We raised and processed 115 broilers last year for ourselves. This year our goal is to also raise broilers for consumers and reach profitability.

Personal experience and production goals summary:

As mentioned previously, our immediate goal is to move and/or expand our poultry operation from our current parcel in Eastern Durham to a nearby parcel in Granville or Durham County of at least ~2 acres.  Once there we would setup/make use of infrastructure for chickens, which includes fencing, and may include a watering system, and feed shed.  Once up and running we expect to use this property as an incubator, and learning experience where we can perhaps try to expand into pastured turkeys or hogs as well.

Within 2-3 years we will purchase our own farm (this can even be the current one we're leasing if it's large enough and for sale).  The expectation is that all of our experience, combined with our saving up for a decent downpayment will set a firm foundation to launch our larger and diversified farm from.