Seven Acres and Independence
Any size homestead that fulfills your needs is a good size but here are some things to look at when designing one. Different people desire different things and that will determine how much land you need.
I have determined that 7 acres is a good size small homestead that can provide all of the items you need to be self sufficient to a large degree.
Two acres for a wood lot
One acre for buildings, garden, orchard
Two acres for pasture
Two acres for grain crops
Two acres of mature timber will produce about 1.5 to 2 cords of wood per year sustainably. That will provide you with wood for cooking and heating during the winter months.
One acre is enough for a home and out buildings, a large garden and a small orchard. This will provide enough food not only for your family but extra to sell.
Two acres for pasture will provide enough grass for two cows. A milk cow and a beef cow to provide dairy products and meat throughout the year.
Two acres will produce enough grain for your family’s needs and extra to feed hogs or chickens and still have extra to sell.
The amount of acreage you need will depend mainly on the systems you decide to have for food production and how much extra you want to produce for sale but the 7 acres outlined above will satisfy the needs of most people. It is important to understand that different people will have different needs. Some people may not want to produce meat for consumption and elect to rely on a vegan diet. This would require much less land, while others may want to produce excess meat for sale that requires more land.
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