Day 55

Owning a farm is expensive enough without planning to restore it, inside and out. Working as a team, my wife and I divided and conquered. She made the decisions, I agreed. All jokes aside, she focused her attention on the inside renovations while I did the brunt of the planning for the outside and barn. I had already done tons of restoration research and communicated with those much more experienced and knowledgeable than I. 

Besides learning about the ins and outs of working the land, I learned that there were options for grants and financial assistance available to private landowners looking to restore their land. Being experienced in grant writing to acquire things for my classroom and school, I felt confident I could handle this process without much of a hitch.

Oops. 

Most of the available funding sources were from government agencies and let’s just say, these agencies, although meaning well, don’t always work as efficiently and expeditious as anyone would like. Still, we needed all the help we could get so we were willing to bark up any tree and uncover any rock to find any program willing to help us pay for this adventure.

I started sending another flurry of emails and got responses that provided hope and some that squashed hopes. Many programs required very specific and particular qualifications. Some were focused on different ecosystems. Some others were only available after having at least two years of property ownership. We weren't planning on going broke restoring the land but we also felt we could handle some aspects of the restoration plan on our own. This helped us get started right away.

We did however receive eligibility and interest with one particular funding opportunity. After filling out the application, we felt that twinge of excitement knowing potential assistance was on the way.

Until it wasn’t.  

Our restoration plans hit a significant snag. We didn't get funding in the first cycle but we were put on the waiting list and are hopeful we can cash in sooner than later and really take a more proactive approach to restoring our property.

Even though we didn't get funded right away, we got to work right away.