Well, I'm just $90 short for the farm, talked to the bank, when I miss the payment I'll go into default and have 90 days to make up the missed payment. I'll still have to make the other payments tho. With the coal mine coming, they won't have trouble selling the farm if I don't find a way to do this. The local government and the churches won't help me so I don't have too many choices. Seems like the farther down you are, the less options you have. Can't sell jams, jellies or bread via the farmers markets here, no large critters either. Fresh herbs but nothing dried or dehydrated. Need a cottage exemption to sell prepared foods and label everything. While it's easy enough to get the exemption, just a 2 day sanitation class and a test to prove you understand it, you have to have money to do it all. Again, hard to get much done with nothing.
My tomato plants are covered in green fruits, wish they'd hurry up and ripe up already. It's looking like a good crop, even with it being so hot and dry. I'm doing what I can to keep them going tho, of all the crops to lose, the tomatoes will put a huge hurt on the dinner table. Plus, tomatoes always sell well. If I manage to hang on here, next years garden will have produce that market sells. Never really thought much about that before, always just grew for me to feed us all.
Did I mention it's really hot? I wasn't looking forward to it being this hot so quick this year. usually it's just July and part of August for the oven house. Missing that extra month of cool weather puts a damper on rabbit production and egg production. This is just a lousy year all around, especially for those of us without a/c.
I'll be out in the blackberries again this evening. Without rain, the harvest is looking pretty lousy and the berries are small. Wish the chiggers would be less. Those nasty little ticks don't seem bothered by the lack of rain either!
Posts
Dang I didn't realize Illinois was so strict about stuff. Does that mean you can't even sell jams and jellies from your place? I know my mom who lives up the road from me is selling plum jam right now and as far as I know there is no restrictions if it is from the farm, might have to check up on that though. The goats don't look too bad. With that being said though I know hay is going to be very scarce this year. The wild blackberries are the same here...they weren't hardly even the trouble to go after and the vines are all dying, the tame ones though are starting to do pretty good thanks to watering and mulch. I don't know how crafty you are but what about selling homemade craft projects at the market or from home. Hopefully you can figure out something with the farm esp. if the coal mine is going to be moving in soon.
ReplyDeleteHey Coley, yes, very restrictive. I still have to have that exemption even from the farm to sell any type of prepared food. I made the mistake of planting the berries too far from the water source and now I'm suffering for it.
ReplyDeletecheck with farmers at the Farmer's Market, see if you can get any culls from their produce to feed the goats. Maybe a farmer or two can help you out. Also some grocery stores may let you have anything they are throwing out. Some churches will let you rent (money issue again) a kitchen to do canning to skirt the health department issues. Any chance of part time work at one of the Farms that goes to the Market? Maybe friends that could use help with yard work? housecleaning? Sometimes someone can use help with a one or two day project ... tree, hedge trimming? Hope this gives you a few ideas, hang in there, I know some people go to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Thrift Stores, find bargains and sell at collectable prices on ebay or etsy. Any flowers to sell at the Farmer's Market? Find an unusual container at thrift store, add flowers and sell as an arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI am truly sad things are so rough right now. I know personally how hard it is sometimes to come up with $10 much less $90. Somehow it all works out in the end though I stressed, worried myself sick, and got more gray hairs. Please don't give up homesteading. If you have to leave and start over, please do. You have so much knowledge to give the rest of us and are so good at homesteading. Come to NC. We would love to have your help getting our place into shape. Let you take care of things and we can move to the mountains near daughters
DeleteYou still have time to get the bank to accept only the interest for the payment. Even if you do get the whole payment, can you get one up for next month? If you only pay interest now, you could save some of what you do have for the interest next month.
ReplyDeleteIf you put it up for sale, you can make arrangements to not pay a dime until it sells. I have a friend doing that right now. She has two houses for sale and has not paid a penny for three years. It will work. Of course, at any tme you can say it is not up for sale and start making payments.
I hope you get some rain soon!
There's no way the bank would just work with you and put one payment on the end of the loan to give you a chance to get your feet under you?
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for you, and for rain for you there! Pray and believe. Sometimes it really is all you can do.
The lenders do not usually compromise when it comes to agricultural land. Houses are one thing but productive land is a whole other ball game and as well as it is selling right now to large scale investor funds my bet is they will be after it quicker than a duck ona Junebug.
ReplyDeleteIllinois being the liberal/progressive capital of the Mid-West doesn't help in the small scale salable production either I guess.
If you have enough equity maybe you could sell and move West to a state more homesteader/self sufficient/cottage industry friendly?
it is all these policies and regulations-big guys and little guys are suffering from it and election time cannot come soon enough! if you think you will get hired on for anything in the near future i would be happy to send you a check for $100.00 to help you out..not as a loan..if it would help, then you could just pay it forward someday to someone else who needs a little assistance or hand up. my e-mail is carynverell@yahoo.com and i am from northeast mississippi- i know what hot and dry is..
ReplyDeleteThere are some HUD federal programs out there. I know my mom was able to get her first paid for a year and that really helped her out.
ReplyDeleteHere is the hud.gov site that has some other info. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/avoiding_foreclosure
maybe there is something you can use.
Jen
because of a glitch in my email setup, I cannot email you from your page. Will you please contact me by email. Would like very much to have your email address. Thank you
ReplyDeleteSelene
Selene, it's an easy one. mmpaints@yahoo.com I love emails!
Delete