Dear James-
I just recently found your blog through a story on The Daily Crux by Stansberry and Associates. I am very impressed by the amount and quality of the info. I now feel less alone! The people that I have tried to talk to here don’t have a clue-they either say that if something bad happens they know we will take care of(feed) them or they say that they have guns and will take what they need. I only know of two other preppers and they are many miles away. We run a greenhouse business and vegetable farm in northern Wisconsin. We also raise chickens ,turkeys and pigs.We freeze,can and dehydrate and keep stocking up but doubt we can defend it. The economy is slowly going to put us under. Our balloon is due and no one makes commercial loans here anymore. Sales are declining and people keep expecting more for less. While this is a rural area, the majority of residents work for state or local government.
We desperately want to move to the mountains but funds will be tight. If by some miracle we can sell out we might have $150,000 but if we lose this place we might only have $30,000. Far too little to buy a place with live water and a few acres for veggies, fruit and animals. Are there like minded people who want to live off grid, be self sufficient and are conservative that would like to buy a larger piece of property to share. Maybe a mini community of people that could rely on each other. We like northwest Montana, the panhandle of Idaho, and northeastern Washington. I am looking for someplace quiet but need to be within driving distance of farmers markets to sell produce, eggs and meat. If you have any thoughts or ideas please let me know.
Thank You, – M.J.
JWR Replies: There are lots of towns in the American Redoubt that have active farmer’s markets from Spring through Fall each year. I have found directories of Farmer’s Markets posted on the web for Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Needless to say, the presence of farmer’s markets is a good indicator for towns with arable soil and some self-sufficient folks and hence a locale with some retreat potential. (Although be advised that there are lots of larger cities that host farmer’s markets wherein the “local” farmers often drive 75+ miles, to attend!) Furthermore, in a post-collapse America, it will likely be the local farmer’s markets that will be the genesis of a revived economy–whether it is via barter or with some new currency.