Aquaponics Here We Come!!!?

09/25/2012

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I've gotten really interested in Aquaponics recently, for those of you who don't know what that is check this out: AQUAPONICS EXPLAINED

So we think if we build a big enough set up we can fund the whole nonprofit through the revenue we bring in from selling the veggies and fish from our aquaponics set up. The veggies appear to be where 90% of the revenue would be made, but we can sell batches of fish throughout the year as well. More info to come as I work out all the details.

I am hoping ot take out a farming loan to do it for first time farmers, as a portion of farming loans are reserved for first time farmers. I'm not sure if it applies to this, but I am going ot try.
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Our first Dream Life Farm Community Garden!

08/29/2012

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We are working on securing a site for our first community garden, 2495 Reliez Valley Rd. in Martinez.

We have settled on the price of $330,000 and now we are trying to raise as much money as we can to make this happen. Please tell your friends and family and help us achieve our goal so that we can help those who need a good meal, or want to get involved and learn how to grow organically and sustainably.


All the materials from the barn we will remove will be reused as part of the project, leaving zero waist. For example, the boards that make up the barn siding will be cut to appropriate length and make into the planter boxes and potting tables. Recycle, Reuse, Reduce :)


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Thank you NetSuite!

08/17/2012

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The wonderful people over at NetSuite have donated their ERP and CRM system, which is a cloud based accounting and people management system, to us as part of their NetSuite.org.

Companies like NetSuite who have a philanthropic outlook towards nonprofits and those trying to better our world are few and far between. So it's so refreshing to see this kind of commitment to groups of people like ours who just want to make this world a better place.

Thank you NetSuite, your donation to our organization is much appreciated.

UPDATE: UserVoice has also donated their products to us to help us achieve our goals. If you have a website and want a good help desk or feedback tool, check them out!

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Nonprofit here we come!

08/13/2012

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Good news everyone! We have just completed our order with LegalZoom to become a nonprofit organization. We have also changed the website from DreamLifeFarms.com to the DreamLifeFarms.org site you see here to reflect our change in direction. We are excited to be able to pursue our dream here and hope to even have one more big thing to share in the coming months.

While we have our own plot of land for our main base and home, it's not easily accessible. So, we are looking into grants and fundraising opportunities to be able to raise enough money to acquire a 2.55 acre plot of land to be the first Dream Life Farm's Community Garden! This would be our first of many community gardens, and we are really excited to see if we can buy the land. We plan on raising the money through a series of fund raising efforts using sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We hope that if enough people believe in our project, we can get it funded enough to do great things.

Stay tuned...
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A New Direction

07/31/2012

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So At first the Dream Life Farms project was just going to be a sustainable organic food growing effort where we did the farmers market scene, sold through LocalHarvest.org, and donated the extra to shelters and other places that could use a good meal; and while that was a great start, we want to do more.

Introducing Dream Life Farms 2.0! (beta). We will be creating a non profit that will be attempting to obtain local plots of land, first in Contra Costa county, and set up sustainable organic food producing community gardens. We will use these as a way to teach people how to grow their own food naturally while engaging with other members of the community. Food will be sold at farmers markets to raise money for the project, and we will be looking for donations to further fund the effort. Not only will we be selling the food grown, but food will also be donated to worthy causes in need of a good healthy meal.

We are really excited about this new effort and are hoping those who believe in it will help us in our journey.
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The Wind Turbine Is Here!

06/22/2012

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The new Eddy GT verticle access wind turbine is being delivered this coming week and should be enough to power operations on the site all by itself! This is great as we have streched out budget to the max and are unable to get the solar pannels at this time.

The wind turbine alone (without the 7 meter poll) is almost 9ft by 6ft! Check out Urban Green Energy if you ever want the best wind turbines ever for residential or commercial use. Great people over there commited to green renewable engery.

http://www.urbangreenenergy.com/

Our wind turbine: http://www.urbangreenenergy.com/products/eddygt/specifications
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Permits and such

05/23/2012

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So many permit applications... Yikes! The good news is we are slowly and steadily making progress. The bad news is that due to a hit in the stock market we are down on our funds a little and not everything will go live at once, and somethings will be moved to state 2 (rain water collection system, and the solar panels). All in all, it will work out in the end, but of course we want to do as much as we can now.

In other news, I have decided to plant teff as a cover crop to crowd out the weeds on the property. Teff is an extremely nutritious grain similar in nutrient value to quinoa. Yummy! Only grows about 1 and a half feet tall.
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We are now on Facebook and LocalHarvest!!!

03/07/2012

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Well we made it into LocalHarvest.org and I'm setting up the Facebook page. Check them out!

http://www.localharvest.org/dream-life-farms-M51217?ul

https://www.facebook.com/DreamLifeFarms
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State of address.

03/07/2012

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Welcome to Dream Life Farms! We are growers of organic and all natural fruits, veggies, herbs, and medicinal plants. We specialize in unique and fun foods, as well as herbs to help heal the body and mind. In the future, we will also have organic eggs fresh from the farm; brown, white, and greenish blue (very unique and tasty).

We are building the farm to be completely sustainable. We will be getting our power from our own wind turbine and solar panels. Our water will be provided by our rain water collection systems and everything will be recycled and reused, leaving no by products wasted. In short, we will be one of an elite few with such a commitment to sustainability and overall eco friendliness. Any fertilizer used will be minimal and totally organic, focusing more on using composting methods and reusing plant material back into the earth. No pesticides will be used to prevent bugs and insects from damaging the plants edible parts. We are simply using a mix of water and canola oil shaken together in a spray bottle.

Our products will be submitted for certification to be confirmed Certified Organic and Certified Natural.

We are debating on having our own online store front but will likely use www.LocalHarvest.org instead as they hold true to many of the beliefs we have for our natural food. LocalHarvest.org is an online community and store front for local organic growers to come together and sell their products. I have used them for years and eagerly await to be a part of it. I highly recommend checking them out for your own needs.

Extra food grown will be donated to local shelters and organizations that could use a
nutritious and tasty meal.
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First Post!

03/05/2012

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Well we purchased the land and we are planting all the unique trees and veggies, as well as all our medicinal plants for Piper's Natural Living (our remedies and natural health products). Only good things are coming along from here on out :).

To check out my lovely fiance's natural living business and holistic health coach services check out www.PipersNaturalLiving.com

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