Where should I move to to start a farm?
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Hello. I currently live in North Dakota, but I dream of moving to the coast and starting a kelp farm. I have reason to move to Florida or Washington, but both of those states don't currently allow kelp farming, and I imagine they will be expensive/hard to get permits. I am willing to move wherever I can actually start a farm. I have looked at the information here, as well as doing some research on my own. Connecticut seems promising, but I fear living costs there will make it practically impossible to get started. This is an issue I am finding; It seems that no matter where I look, living near the water is expensive. Perhaps there are rural areas near the water, but how do I find the areas that are worth looking at? Do I need a proper "home base" to store things and do repairs, or could I live in an apartment and do all that stuff at the docking station? If anyone has any suggestions for a poor person on where to move to start a kelp farm, or just general advice for someone on a tight budget, I'd love to hear it. Thank you very much.
@matthew_poleschook
Alaska, Maine, Connecticut if you want to do temperate species! Rural areas in Alaska, however, aren't necessarily cheaper (larger utility and internet costs)...not sure about the NE.
The window for new farm permit applications closes on April 30 for the State of Alaska and I would expect to be able to start farming two seasons after the application was submitted.
@matthew_poleschook
I have a suggestion for your consideration. It is a little too complex to explain the concept here but fortunatly, I already wrote a lot of it out in a small booklet on my website at marinea.org It's free and though it covers other things, it will also answer your question. Good luck.