We are very happy to report that Bedlam Farm is getting a new resident in September. Jamie Nash, owner of Grandam farm in Northern Washington County, Chemical Engineer, and the host of an upcoming PBS series on how make small farms work, has rented Bedlam Farm with an option to buy. Jamie and his wife Jan have one son and two dogs (she is a passionate dog lover) loved every inch of the farm in just the way we hoped the new owners would, they love the barns, saw the work there, loved the farmhouse, the view and the porch – they loved all of it.

This is the family we have been hoping for, someone who gets the farm and loves it and wants to use every bit of it. Jamie is leaving corporate life to farm full-time, he wants to do a lot of things – have some dairy cows, make yoghurt, plant some berries, experiment with bovine nutrition. He also wants a place suitable for his TV series on farming, especially aimed at small “lifestyle” farmers, young farmers, people who are interested in growing their own food and having a life with animals. He is also a lifelong hunter, and loved our acreage out in the woods.

Jamie wants to make all kinds of adjustments to the barn and some to the house, and is eager to maintain the property himself –  he loves caring for a farm, it is obvious. The farm has been on the market for more than a year, and it has been a long haul in many ways. The financial pressures are obvious, but especially dispiriting to me was the long string of people coming to the farm who had no interest in a farm, farm history, barns or the way of life here. People watch too many reality real estate shows and come in wanting a perfect home, and old farms are not like that. Jamie loves old farms that have character.

I remember one woman who wouldn’t buy the farm because it didn’t have an attached garage, another because she didn’t like the wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. We wanted to sell the farm, but not too any of the people who came to look at it. So life works out in its own way. I am  happy beyond words that someone will be loving the farm and living there, using every one of its  barns and pastures, seeking a meaningful life in a meaningful place. Maria and I are heading out to dinner to celebrate.