Farming part-time for income
Updated Jun 10, 2026
Seeking
- 11-50 Total acres
Desired locations
We're the Baum family, beginning farmers seeking land in the Highlands/Cashiers area to grow organic alliums & flowers
Plan
We're a young family based in Atlanta, GA, hoping to transition to farmstead living over the next five years. The Highlands/Cashiers area is our ideal: somewhere to put down roots as beginning farmers and build a small, regenerative operation focused on organic cut flowers and alliums, with fruit trees, bees, and ducks to follow. We farm soil-first and low-input, and we're in this for the long haul: to live on the land, raise our daughter on it, and steward it with real care for decades. We want to grow something lasting and leave the land healthier than we found it.
Desired infrastructure
Equipment and infrastructure details
Our dream is to own 10+ acres for a family farmstead, but we're flexible on the path there. We'd welcome owner-financed purchase, lease-to-own, or a mentoring arrangement with a landowner who wants to see their land stewarded well. We're especially drawn to working with someone looking to pass their land into caring hands for the long term.
Until we relocate from Atlanta, we'd be managing the land remotely. on-site roughly twice a month, with a plan to be hands-on and local as we transition. So a lease or lease-to-own would work best where the crops and setup suit periodic, intensive visits rather than daily presence (alliums and cut flowers fit this well).
Preferred type of opportunity
Opportunity details
Our dream is to buy 20+ acres for a family farmstead, but we're also looking to gain experience while we work toward that dream. Plot-sharing, lease-to-own, or purchase are all under consideration.
Desired farming practices
Practices details
At minimum non-certified organic, with a regenerative, soil-first approach: cover cropping, low/no synthetic inputs, building soil health, and pollinator habitat. We'd transition ground to organic standards over time and farm in a way that leaves the land healthier than we found it.
Production goals
Goals details
Primarily alliums (garlic, shallots, onions) and specialty cut flowers, plus fruit trees. We're also interested in honey bees and a small flock of ducks. Our focus is high-quality, low-input crops well-suited to the mountain climate and a long-term, diversified farmstead.
Farm experience
Years of experience
2 total years of experience
0 years employed as a worker (non-manager)
0 years as a manager
Education, training, and employment experience
Experience details
I (Emily) grew up around cattle and crops, and my grandfather farmed a plot on a friend's land. I helped him harvest and store corn and peas for years. After time in NYC and Atlanta, I felt the pull to get back to my roots and into the soil. Most recently I apprenticed for ~1.5 years with an organic culinary farmer in Chattahoochee Hills, GA, who taught me a great deal about growing organic crops and regenerating land before his family relocated. I'm now building toward a family farm of our own.