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Monaskon Farm contains 460
acres, with approximately 200 acres in forests,
200 acres in row crops (corn and soybeans), and
the rest in pasture, streams, wetlands, ponds and
field borders. It is located in Monaskon,
Virginia, which is
near Ottoman, about 4 miles southeast of Lively on
River Road (Rt 354). It has a farm house, tractor
shed, tool shed, and horse barn, all of which are
rented to a couple who plan to begin a business
featuring horse boarding, training lessons and
trail riding.
We acquired the farm in three
parcels – two parcels were purchased in 2004,
and we will close on the third parcel in about 30
days. We acquired the farm from a couple who owned
the land for over 40 years and actively farmed it
for much of that time. The farmer was in poor
health, and when they decided to sell the farm, we
jumped at the chance to buy it to prevent it from
be divided and sold off in parcels. Our home is
across the street from the farm. Also, I have
always wanted to own a farm, and even though it
was a stretch for us financially, I knew this was
my best and last chance to own one.
Much of the forest (about 160
acres) has been clear cut over the years and
planted in loblolly pine. The pine varies in age,
with some mature stands (about 30 years old), some
stands that are about 13 years old, and some that
are about eight years old. We have a contract to
thin the 13-year old pine (about 90 acres) next
year. The remainder will be thinned in the years
ahead. The plan is to continue thinning the pine
over the years to promote the growth of hardwoods
and eventually return the forest to a more natural
mix of hardwoods and pine. Based on the advice
from the State Division of Forestry, we may clear
cut about 5 acres of mature pine and plant it in
grass to serve as a wildlife area.
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