HomeMy WebLinkAboutWorking Farm Request5579 Working Farm
Hi Angie, please see attached information for your consideration to convert our property to
a working farm, per our recent emails.
7/23 email receipt for 4 new orchard trees.
Existing picture of Orchard showing 8 apple trees, 4 peach trees, 4 pears, 1 plum, 1 cherry
tree, 10 grape vines, all freshly pruned as of late last season and this winter.
We have also planted blueberries, which I do not have a receipt for. 6 plants total, with 6
more planned for this April. Picture attached.
We have an active timber harvesting location. Here, we fell deadwood, have recovered
native species to reside and repair our barn with historically accurate methods and
materials from the property. We have approximately 30 logs currently, and have purchased
a Woodmizer wood mill, which is on property to process these logs more efficiently. The
processed timber could be sold as well, but we haven’t currently sold any.
Here is a picture of some of the finished inventory . We additionally have a significant
amount of black walnut which we have pruned and made healthy for future harvesting
We additionally keep Chickens on the property. Picture attached.
Our barn is currently filled with processing and handling equipment. We have a tractor for
log moving, a skid steer on site for general earth moving and log moving. Utility vehicles for
daily operations of maintenance, brush removal, trimming.
Please find attached property map showing locations of each item discussed as well as
emails outlining our plans. We have been in discussions with Purdue to get guidance on
planting a vineyard, and are awaiting their guidance to proceed with that plan, this season.
I believe that the above information shows that we are actively raising livestock, we are
maintaining a fairly large orchard, that produces fruit, and we are adding to the orchard. We
have cultivated and harvested the wood in a sustainable way that makes the property safe,
and gives us a material that can be sold, used for property maintenance etc. Our next
expansion will be growing grapes of several varieties, but this takes time and planning to do
properly. We may have to add additional buildings for additional equipment required, for
this and so are waiting on the professionals from Purdue to come out and properly advise
us on best practices for this.
I have looked for receipts for the several years of pruning the existing orchard and cand find
them, but I believe the picture clearly shows that it is being pruned and maintained very
well. I also have lots of receipts from tractor supply showing chemical, feed etc purchases,
but I feel that the presence of the chickens and the actively growing nature of the plants
and produce should suffice as evidence of expenditures and maintenance.
-Josh Orahood, 5579 E 146th St.