This 13-Acre Organic Farm Can Be Yours for Just 200 Words

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By Dan Nosowitz

It is, we assume, the dream of many readers (and writers and artists and gardeners and … well … just about everyone who’s reading this site probably) to someday own a little organic farm of their own. But the costs of acquiring one—and the difficulties of certification—can all make that dream seem impossible.

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Norma Burns, an architect-turned-farmer, has owned and operated Bluebird Hill Farm in North Carolina for nearly 18 years. After all that time, she’s decided she’s ready to pass it on to someone new—but her selection process isn’t limited to, say, kids or employees. She’s holding an essay contest to determine who’ll be Bluebird Hill’s next owner.

Bluebird Hill Farm is located about three hours east of Asheville. It is a USDA-certified 13-acre organic farm on which she grows lavender, specialty vegetables, herbs and native plants and the pictures make it look absolutely gorgeous: rolling hills, fields of lavender, picturesque barns. Our State has some more information on Burns and her farm, if you’re interested.

Bluebird Hill Farm viewed from the pond.Bluebird Hill Farm

The contest is simple or as simple as giving away a farm valued at $450,000 can be: a 200-word essay laying out why you and your partner want to own the farm. Yep, partner: “Experience has shown that Bluebird Hill Farm can’t be operated successfully by a single individual,” she writes. Aspirants must commit to keeping the farm organic, at least one of the partners must be between the ages of 25 and 50 (“to ensure that the winning couple has the life experience and physical stamina that active farming requires”), will pay the closing taxes and fees and must chip in a $300 entry fee.

That’s about it, really. Oh, and the application is extremely clear that anyone entering the contest should not, under any circumstances, attempt to contact Burns via any method besides Facebook. (“Entrants who attempt to contact Bluebird Hill Farm directly will be DISQUALIFIED and your entry fee will NOT BE REFUNDED,” she writes. Caps lock is hers.)

The deadline to enter is June 1, so you can while away the winter hours hammering out your 200-word essay. Make sure each one of those words is perfect. Your future might depend on it.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Modern Farmer.

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