Looking for land
It's December 2017 and God has blessed us with having phase one, getting the 501c3 status established, paid for.
We are working on getting all the paperwork filed and one of the steps is to list specific expenses that the organization will incur in operating.
I started looking at the cost of building an operation like this and this is what I saw...
Land
Did you know that the average going price of farmland is $5000 an acre? On the shortest side of purchasing land we want to get 5 acres but no more than 20 acres. That means just to get dirt to start building our mission at will cost us between $25000 and $100000
Greenhouse
The type of greenhouse we want to use for the aquaponics farm costs $12000 before any of the plumbing, grow beds, fish tank, or ventilation is added.
Farmstand
To buid a 24 x 40 building, before any plumbing, heating or display tables or checkout counter is added, the building alone will be $8000
Housing
This was a difficult choice, but I've changed the design of the dorms again. To have two 40 x 120 dorms that can house between 10 to 20 people each, and a 70 x 100 resident assistant house in the middle which can double as a cafeteria and classroom, we are looking at $166000 before plumbing, heating, and furnishings are added.
Just to get started we are already looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $340,000.
To say that I'm a little overwhelmed is an understatement.
My dad told me that I can't worry about all the details at one time, just the next detail, so with that in mind we are looking for land. I don't know where the money will come from, but since God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, I'm sure he can come up with the right property for us, at the right price for us.
What exactly are we looking for?
We want something far enough away from town that clients will be discouraged from quitting and hiking back to town.
We need to be able to hook into electrical, hopefully natural gas, and high speed internet.
The ground itself doesn't have to be that great of quality since the majority of plants will be in the aquaponics greenhouse, and the rest of the soil can be amended with plant and livestock waste.
Maybe you know of a farm auction coming up, or a foreclosure, or perhaps a farmer who wants to donate some property for God's kingdom. I don't know how this next step will turn out, but until God says stop, we will continue to go forward.
