ksfarmer and fancifowl pretty much hit the nail on the head! (Again!) A lot of the "farm" classification depends upon the state and county you live in. If you are in a zoned county/state it may depend on the number of acres you own/rent and it's zoning classification. In my state (Missouri) there is no general requirements other than those imposed by county authorities. (Counties here are both zoned and unzoned. Local inniative type thing. My county is unzoned, so anyone living outside of an incorporated town can consider himself to be a farmer, even if all he raises are cockleburs and thistles.) The most deciding factor is the percentage of income derived from the farming business in relation to the total household income. This too can be very deceptive because your first years in the business you might be operating at a deficit. (Paying off start up costs, loans, and depreciation of equipment/property.) One thing that you must realize before you begin handling/raising livestock is the new requirements for premises and animal registration. Many small farmers are dead set against it, and in many ways rightly, but the idea is to improve tracking of livestock from birth to death. The reasoning behind this was the recent cases of BSE. As you are planning on raising sheep you will definetly need to consider this as my understanding is that all hooved animals must be microchipped for individual identification, and that all poultry must have a registration per flock. If it works the way most detractors predict it will, you will not be able to sell, transport or have processed any animal that is not individually/flock identified, and if you are found to not have proper premises registration you could also face fines for failure to register. I recommend you review the information available at your state Ag Department website to see what they say on the matter. Right now it is being billed as "voluntary", but eventually it will be mandatory. I know your question was about what it took to be considered to be a "working" farm, but there is no one single way of answering your question because it has too much depending upon your local area, and the requirements of the federal government.

>Never publish without your material['s] being proofread.:-) In marked contrast to today, only 50 years ago EVERYTHING that was published, even billboards and toy packaging, was double-proofed, twice. And English teachers taught sentence diagramming rigorously; those are the reasons our generation spells and punctuates so much better than subsequent ones. My favorite author, for example, Georgette Heyer (d. 1974), could get away with a sentence that took up most of a page, because she punctuated so perfectly. Back to the thread: Loving language, revering the bon mot, and admiring those who can wrangle words down until the reader is hogtied -- if those feelings make you want to express your own unique truth, and you do, and someone else reads and understands it, then you're qualified. If people turn to you when they need something written or deciphered, you're qualified. And if anyone has ever said of your words, "Damn, I wish I could write like that!", then you're qualified. You may not be wonderful at the mechanics, but that will come with time; and, if it doesn't, that's what editors and copyeditors are for. I know: I are one (freelance pro copy chief for outdoor magazines and for a columnist, newsletterer and feature writer), and I write some, too. Someone earlier said that talent is wasted on those who are capable but content to putter. I take great exception to that statement: Sometimes puttering is simply preparation. And sometimes such puttering sells. So it's not the Great American Novel; big deal! Stand tall at being small. Go for the cash -- ask Ogden Nash! AHR

Thanks again! This is extremely helpful! My house is 2 stories and the first floor is 2000 sq ft and the 2nd is 2200 sq ft. This system is just for the 1st floor. It's an older home so even though it's a lot of sq ft, it doesn't have any high ceilings so volume of air is not as much. The current system (when it had freon) did a good job of cooling all the rooms on the first floor and it's a 20 year old carrier 4 ton seer 10. I'm not replacing the 2nd floor system right now (it still works) but I know I'll be replacing it in the next few years (if not next year). Not sure what you mean by what stat was quoted - probably just due to my limited knowledge - could you explain what you mean by that? He did mention a filter box would be on the end of the furnace that needs replacement every 6 months but I don't see it in the quote so I'll follow up with him to find out. Yes, under 4 grand - and TX has an energy star tax free weekend coming up - need to see if this equipment qualifies - if so, no sales tax. Yes, first floor system with furnace in attic. Will ask about lineset also - didn't mention a new one so I assume flushed - but I'll double check. Thanks again!

Hi Erin, Do you think they will have a hard time qualifying for a second mortgage? It depends on many more factors you haven't disclosed, such as their post-retirement income streams, *WHEN* retirement is planned (the banks can look forward no further than 3 years, and generally only ask for certainty of 2.) It also depends on their assets/reserves. It does *NOT* matter how old they are... it is illegal for lenders to underwrite based on age (other than the borrower being old enough to legally be in contract.) Seems risky..how do they know (the bank) what they are buying??? You said your sister is refinancing, not buying. The refinancing bank is apparently comfortable with the comparable values of similarly sized homes in that neighborhood. They don't have to see the color of the wall paint or the cupboard pulls. Thoughts on my parents? Mildly curious what their desires & plans are... and their understandings & assumptions of the project they are pursuing. Landlording as a business is certainly not for everyone... on the other hand, the "3 AM broken toilet" story is an old wive's tale for the most part (I've owned rentals for almost 10 years, and have *never* had an after-hours emergency on any of them... HOWEVER, I also have several handymen on my call list in case we ever do. MUCH depends on the quality of tenant you rent to.) Cheers, Dave Donhoff Leverage Planner