From tech founder to sustainable farmer

[MoonShadows]

 

[Mini Horses]

Well, I'm not a "tech to farmer" but --

I remember plowing by horse because it was all there was.
I remember holding the rabbit for granddad to skin/clean to cook for dinner, helping grandma cook, churning butter, foraging for nuts, wild huckleberries, apples, etc.
I remember outhouses and wonderful wood cooking stoves, kero lanterns (because no electric), a rope with bucket at the well.
I remember NO phones, then party lines, then private lines, then cell phones.
I remember first a TV, black & white, eventually color (poor color - almost just tinted).
I remember we used to ride bikes & climb trees...no laptops.
I remember the bulky first computers in our offices and the "floppy disks" that held data as there were NO hard drives then.

Now, I own a tractor, have electric & indoor plumbing, a cell phone, computer, a grocery store on every corner and want to be out there playing in the dirt, growing my food, being a good steward of my current little plot of "farm land". (I've had several small farms over the years). Selling enough to offset livestock feed & operating costs of gasoline & power use would be so wonderful that I could barely stand it!

I enjoy the many improvements and utilities I have now but, I sure respect what it was like having lived in both worlds of "have & have not". It is still a marvel to me that both sets of my grandparents raised 6 & 7 kids by their own hand style gardening, preserving, hunting & farming efforts. There were no jobs like now.

Like Bee says....it's country....it's just how you live day to day. Some people under stand it and some can't see it . I'm ok with that. But really like to hang with you guys who know & share what pleasure the lifestyle brings

 

[Beekissed]

Not many small time(not commercial)farmers can make a living off their farms around here, most work outside the home and off farm, but are still considered very much farmers. They raise cattle to sell each year, they make hay and use and sell some, they raise corn for feed/silage, raise hogs, raise up a garden and even small crops like soybean and oats to sell but most still have family that work off the farm.

Even if they can't make a living off it, it's still farming right along. I don't consider myself a farmer at all, nor really a homesteader...when we moved back in the holler on 110 acres and lived off grid, in rough hewn log cabins, carrying water from a spring, milking a cow, growing or hunting most of our foods, etc., we were homesteading.

Now, I just consider it living in the country. I'm country.

 

[sumi]

@MoonShadows We all have different views and feelings and ways of expressing ourselves and I found if 5 people read something, it can be interpreted in 3 different ways. Heck, if you read something now and read it again in the morning you may well see it completely differently!

What Beekissed finds important and what she feels strongly about may be different from what you do and I'll have my own thoughts and feelings on things and so would everyone else here. Sometimes we meet and see eye to eye and sometimes we don't. It's part of communities such as this and every other one out there. We're not always going to agree with each other's views and opinions. The best we can do is respect each others' thoughts and ideas. If something bothers you (all of you), ignore it and find another thread or post to comment on. If you agree with something, participate. You get my drift.

I personally like and value each of you and that is all of you here. We have a wonderful little community here and I enjoy hanging out with you all. Let's keep it that way, please?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

p.s. @sumi - I value your patience and diplomacy.

 

[sumi]

You're right, NH Homesteader. It's water under the bridge.

Back to the original topic of this thread. We had a fairly sustainable little farm in S.A. We raised, processed and sold pigs, chickens, eggs and alfalfa bales (from the pastures after selling our cows). We didn't charge premium price for our products, though we could've. The pigs and chickens more than paid for their upkeep and we recouped all the money we spent getting started. It took time and it wasn't always easy, but we managed. We were lucky though that the place we were in and the location and the people around us and a few other factors made it easy for us to do this.

 

[waretrop]

I sell lots of eggs each week .I text my customers on Wednesday and hand deliver to their homes on Thursday. Sort of like the old milkman and ice man. My customers say I have an egg farm and I always tell them, no I don't, I am just a hobbyist. I have grown lots of food that I give away. We will be giving up our veggie gardens now. If you wanted some bell peppers, you could have them fresh or cleaned out and sliced or even diced. I put them in a food saver bag and even froze them to give away. I even grew and gave away celery.

Sharing the wealth is the most important thing to me.

 

[waretrop]

I personally like and value each of you and that is all of you here. We have a wonderful little community here

Even though I am a new one, I am liking it here too and value what you all post.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

through introspection

It goes both ways... Just sayin!

I value what both MoonShadows and Beekissed have to say - don't always agree with both of their views, but try to be appreciative of their ideas and knowledge.

I recall a controversy in the not so distant past about those of us who journal. We lost members over that one, but attitudes cooled and we moved on.

This is a public forum and as such there will always be a multitude of views and opinions.

 

[NH Homesteader]

X2 to Sumi!