I will always remember riding in the country with my dad as a kid, and catching the pungent smells of nearby farms with livestock, and he would always say, “barnyard perfume”. Such an interesting way to call it for what it is. My dad grew up on a farm, helping his parents work the land and livestock, and he also worked on neighbors farms as a young adult.
If you ever consider buying a house in farm country, be sure you are aware of the potential of this smell traveling in the direction of your new home. It may not be a problem most days, but depending on the wind and the time of year, it can become an issue for those who live in the path of such smells.
One such farm area I am always curious about is about an hour north of Delaware County on the NE Extension of the Turnpike, not far from Quakertown. There is a very large turkey farm on the one side of the highway and a newer development of houses just on the other side of the highway. This very large turkey farm is massive, with many many low framed structures cover the countryside. Recently we headed north on this highway and I could see inside the large low framed structures. Hundreds of turkeys, maybe thousands, were being raised and fattened up for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. So how does the smell from these thousands of animals affect the quality of life for the owners of the local houses? And did they know what they were getting into before they purchased their houses?
It pays to research the area you are buying into before you buy, especially in a farm community.
Farmland can be beautiful for sure, but it can come with unpleasant smells, barnyard perfume.
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