Have you considered becoming a village, which has smaller population requirements, or maybe even a hamlet, which is even smaller yet? Keep in mind that you’ll have to form some sort of governing body that meets state requirements, including possibly having to hold elections for the necessary governing position. Then there’s levying taxes to run the government and complete area related tasks. Your state should have some sort of body that sets the requirements for all the townships in your state and provides assistance to them. You should be able to contact them and see what you have to do. Here in Michigan we have such a group and I am registered with them since I’m a trustee for our township. They send out regular emails, answer questions, and have a group chat set up where we can talk to other communities to see how others have resolved problems and get ideas for just about anything township related.<div><div><br></div><div>Carl<br><br>On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Mogrits <<a href="mailto:mogrits@gmail.com">mogrits@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Our county is booming. We live in the last undeveloped corner of it. It's been family farms forever, admittedly small in the 100-200 acre range, some larger via lease agreements etc for beef, one dairy, and feed production. We are living on a small carveout from my family's original land grant and have a small almost contiguous parcel from the same piece. Cousins etc have carved it up and hold some and sold other pieces. Two cousins just listed and sold 40 acres for almost 15k/acre without the courtesy of a phone call before listing it. They don't care, don't live instate and the pines aren't big enough to cut yet. It's happening all around us.<div><br></div><div>Some of us looked into incorporating a town to try a form of density management but alas, our State law requires a population level we don't meet yet. I'll be watching these numbers climb and hopefully we can do it once we reach "critical mass", which is 300 people/square mile. I'm a big property rights guy but damn all these people with no connection to this land and this place are working on me.</div><div><br></div><div>All politics aside I just want to be left alone, and never thought I'd turn into my Grandfather, much less my father. I also worry for my Grandchildren and am sad they will miss out on the country I knew. Part of getting old I guess.</div><div><br></div><div>Warren</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, May 15, 2022 at 10:41 PM Carl Szabelski <<a href="mailto:c.s.szabelski@gmail.com" target="_blank">c.s.szabelski@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Mike,<div><br></div><div>In order to be considered a Centennial Farm, the farm has to be in your family for the required duration, not that it’s been a farm for all that time under different families. It also has to have been a working farm for that duration, not just idle land. Also, it can be developed if there are no family members interested in doing any further farming and it is sold out of the family, like to a developer. You have to apply for the Centennial Farm sign that is placed on the property and prove that the farm has been worked by the family all the time. Not a difficult process, just paperwork and family history information. The sign is just a status symbol to inspire continued farming by local families. It can even be customized to include your family name. You can even apply for Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial status if your family has had the farm for the required time. The farm only has to be 10 acres.</div><div><br></div><div>Carl<br><br>On Sunday, May 15, 2022, Mark Johnson <<a href="mailto:markjohnson100@centurylink.net" target="_blank">markjohnson100@centurylink.<wbr>net</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<p>One o' these days, development folks are going to realize that it
doesn't matter if you have a nice house and a nearby strip mall if
you don't have anything to eat.</p>
<p>Mark J</p>
<p>(shared owner of 2 Indiana farms, mostly planted in trees but
with about 100 acres of croppable land)<br>
</p>
<div>On 5/14/2022 10:27 PM, Mike M wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
In Michigan, you can elect to have your long term farm in to a
"Centennial Farm" it can never be developed and must always be be
farmed. You would receive a huge property tax break, but could
never be developed .<br>
<br>
Mike M<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div>On 5/14/2022 4:35 PM, ustonThomas
Mehrkam wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
Yep. I am on my grandfather's farm in Waller. Retired moved
house on the place. Built a 48x75 shop. Well septic power.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Running cattle and producing Hay. Now the land around me is
being sold and developed. 1200 acres here 2400 acres there
both residential and commercial. All roads under construction.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>😫</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Houston is moving to Waller. 😠</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Should have Retired 200 miles out instead of only 60. Land
is selling for $7500 per acre. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Probably Californians 👿<br>
<br>
<div><a>Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on
Android</a></div>
<br>
<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 20px">
<div style="font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(109,0,246)">
<div>On Sat, May 14, 2022 at 1:55 PM, Cecil Bearden</div>
<div><a><crbearden@copper.net></a>
wrote:</div>
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 0px 0px 20px;margin:10px 0px 0px;border-left:1px solid rgb(109,0,246)"> This just a rant, but I
gotta spill it..<br clear="none">
> I just found my landlords daughter mowing the best
area on the lease I <br clear="none">
> have so she can run her horses on it. This 6 acre
spot last year <br clear="none">
> produced 60 bales. I had fertilized it heavily for
the last 3 <br clear="none">
> years. It is on the 110 acres I have leased under
written contract <br clear="none">
> which specifies that any changes have to be made in
writing 30 days in <br clear="none">
> advance. I am supposed to roll over because she is
losing her place <br clear="none">
> for her horses after she moved here from texas. She
thinks she is <br clear="none">
> going to make enough giving riding lessons to pay for
the upkeep of <br clear="none">
> these 3 horses. I have to lease hay ground to have
enough hay for my <br clear="none">
> cattle. Due to the drought here, I have sold a bunch
and need to sell <br clear="none">
> 1/2 of what is left. Now, I lose another 5 acres or
more, fencing has <br clear="none">
> not been put up yet. For some worthless horses. The
loss of the area <br clear="none">
> is going to cost the equivalent of 30 bales of hay.
Last year hay was <br clear="none">
> $50/bale. It will probably be $75 this year.<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
I have another 30 acres rented that adjoins my farm to the
south. The <br clear="none">
landowner decided to dump 2 truckloads of dirt on one of
the better <br clear="none">
producing areas so his kids could have something to shoot
22 rifles <br clear="none">
into. Not concerned that my cattle were only 300 ft from
the fence <br clear="none">
line in the line of fire. I don't think they ever used
the pile, but it <br clear="none">
became a source of weeds for 300 ft north of that pile.<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
I lost a 160 acre field 3 years ago when a big farmer
decided he wanted <br clear="none">
it and accused me of not taking care of the place. It
turned out that <br clear="none">
the heir I was dealing with was accepting payment and not
sharing with <br clear="none">
the other heirs. I lost the field and picked up the one
that was being <br clear="none">
mowed today. The loss of the 160 was the very reason I
wanted a <br clear="none">
written contract on any future rentals. Now I was
informed that since <br clear="none">
this 110 acres is owned by 2 brothers they are surveying
it next week to <br clear="none">
split it up between their heirs. Land here is going for
over $5000/acre <br clear="none">
in large parcels. The heirs won't be able to list it for
sale fast enough.<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
Unless I move 70 miles to the south on the farm that has
been rented out <br clear="none">
for over 20 years, my farming and cattle raising days are
over. By <br clear="none">
the time I could get things sold to move this boom will
be gone....<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
We have so many people moving in here from the crazy
states I don't even <br clear="none">
recognize my state any more....<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
Cecil in OK
<div><br clear="none">
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