Are there any drawbacks living next to a farm?

[Owen Lucas]

If I were to live next to a farm or even in between two farm fields, is there anything I should be concerned about?

Is it common for crop dusting, fertilizers, and or chemicals to blow over onto the example property below? If so I can see it eventually getting into the house. I don't know what crops are being grown here. Are farms usually noisy? I assume the tractors come out only a few times a year. I'm mainly worried about chemical exposure though.

 

[Andrew1972]

The obvious one is stench if/when they deposit cow manure. I can smell it from over a mile away when wind shifts right. I can only imagine it penetrating my house next door if that is normal for a farm to do.

Looks like next to fields which is nice

 

[KrisZ]

Fortunately there are lots of trees around the property, so that should keep most of the dust and chemicals at bay, but some will get through for sure. Also, as mentioned the manure smell can be really bad, if they use it.

Also noise during the harvest season, they can be working all night long.

 

[brianl703]

If I were to live next to a farm or even in between two farm fields, is there anything I should be concerned about?

The inevitable day when those farm fields are sold off for a new subdivision.

 

[Owen Lucas]

The obvious one is stench if/when they deposit cow manure.

Also, as mentioned the manure smell can be really bad, if they use it.

How much manure would be required to deposit on fields of that size? I mean, that is ALOT of manure! Does it get um, liquified or something and sprayed? Would this be applied multiple times a year or just can you deal with it once and done?

Based on satellite imagery of the area, there doesn't appear to be any barns or pastures nearby. I don't know if this is a DIY fertilizer or you can just buy it somewhere.

 

[ChrisMU]

As mentioned, smells. In addition to livestock manure, the applications of anhydrous ammonia did smell a bit, but were tolerable for me. Farmers don’t apply fertilizer all that often. Farmers may occasionally burn their burn piles of downed trees and brush. I’m fine with that and have done the same myself. Rotting cabbage smells a bit, but it’s not that frequently grown. I’ll gladly take rural living over urban congestion and suburban HOA life any day.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I’ll gladly take rural living over urban congestion and suburban HOA life any day.

I completely agree. I don't want to hear neighbors leaf blowers, stereos, dogs etc etc. I want a little more control, peace and quiet. If there are occasional smells, but no dangerous chemical exposure, I'm fine with that.

 

[brianl703]

I completely agree. I don't want to hear neighbors leaf blowers, stereos, dogs etc etc. I want a little more control, peace and quiet. If there are occasional smells, but no dangerous chemical exposure, I'm fine with that.

Just hope that a certain crowd doesn't figure out that country roads are "great" places to do burnouts and top speed runs.

 

[Greasymechtech]

That farm will make a great racetrack, military base, nuclear powerplant, or airport one day. Nothing to worry about.

You get use to the smells and you eat/breathe plenty of chemicals daily. Get carbon filter for the well water and don't worry about it. Far enough from civilization? Zombies or farm smells? I'd rather be near a working farm than any city. I just never really cared for 'slaughter or meat processing houses'.

city.... too much population... electricity, heating/hvac, and vehicle exhaust and stack pollution 24/7
farm... nobody around.... couple times a year for chem applications

 

[Owen Lucas]

Just hope that a certain crowd doesn't figure out that country roads are "great" places to do burnouts and top speed runs.

I don't see any tire tracks or donuts on the street with satellite imagery. But thanks for the idea!

 

[PF52]

the applications of anhydrous ammonia did smell a bit....

I got caught in it one time when the wind shifted and I was on my bike.... That wasn't fun! But ordinarily the natural aromas of farmland isn't very bad at all.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Early part of my childhood involved living next door to my great uncle's farm. Occasionally we would get the smell when he spread manure.

Obviously wind can push pesticides and herbicides next door. Some residue could make it indoors (Shoes, Clothing, open windows, etc). IMO Kinda difficult to quantify how much.

 

[FT92]

I lived on or right next to a farm all my life, at 67 the smell of manure doesn't bother me at all, as far as chemicals the farm I lived on and worked on when younger used very little if any

 

[slo town]

The neighbors behind us have a 20 or 30 acre horse property. They have a manure pile that gets pretty large at times. Fortunately the wind usually blows in a direction where we don't smell it, but sometimes we get a good whiff. I'm glad we only smell it 2 or 3 days a month. But they are good neighbors so it doesn't bother us too much.

Scott

 

[aquariuscsm]

Dusty conditions would definitely bother me as someone who has horrible allergy problems.

 

[brianl703]

I don't see any tire tracks or donuts on the street with satellite imagery. But thanks for the idea!

There's always a fresh set of tire tracks or donuts around here. I don't think the people doing this live anywhere around here.

 

[Silver]

It depends on what's being done. Crops? Yeah you're going to have years and years, possibly centuries of chemicals in the soil and any well water within many miles. And if they crop dust then yeah there's no way to avoid breathing the stuff. Google "Waycross cancer cluster" .

No crop dusting and buy your water and you can enjoy a peaceful life.

Animals can make noise but typically only if and when they're fed by gathering. They'll get all excited and start moo'ing and oinking.

Probably no land internet.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I used to have an acre in the country with farms around me. I missed the mosquito control I had in town and the mosquito's and gnats and other insects can be very bothersome at times. You also have to worry about mice in your home, garage, and things parked outside. Mice would bite the wires on my trailer and it was annoying to have to repair things like that. Also, pocket gophers and regular gophers, squirrels, rabbits and deer can ruin a garden overnight and also wreak havoc on your lawn. Flies can be a real nuisance at times too. I live in town now and the country living has lots of advantages too. No noisy or neglectful neighbors to contend with. When going on vacation if you are in the middle of nowhere you have to worry about theft or robberies which can happen anywhere. I live in the city now but the country living is nice too especially if you have an acre or more.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My ideal living arrangement is to be in the big city, but with a huge yard, in an area where there are no nearby apartment complexes.

 

[brianl703]

I used to have an acre in the country with farms around me. I missed the mosquito control I had in town and the mosquito's and gnats and other insects can be very bothersome at times.

The mosquitos in Manassas, a city about 8 miles from here, are WAY worse than they are here, a rural area.

But Manassas is filled with slobs with a bunch of trash in their yards that provides plenty of breeding sites for mosquitos, and neither the city nor the county bother to spray for mosquitos anymore.

If you have a mosquito problem they are breeding somewhere within about 300 feet of it.