So you want to own a farm…

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

Being raised on a farm affects one profoundly. Being raised on a farm is so acutely part of my dad that his boyhood experiences surface now and again–long after the boy has left the farm–as a personality trait. Farm life is a fiber of his being that sinks down to his achy knees and runs through the weathered veins in his hands, inspiring his knees to painfully plod down hills on the farm and his hands to joyfully cup fresh eggs on any chance he can get.

In my new book, Sweet Maple, (aff link) I wrote a lot about how my parents’ farming experiences impacted my decision to start a homestead.

But if you weren’t raised on a farm, but you hope to some day own a family farm, scroll to the bottom for some insightful questions to help you know if you have what it takes.

When I first moved to this pie-shaped piece of rocky soil that runs along the bank where the lake empties into the sun-kissed river…

I never thought Dad would walk the land with me. I never thought he’d help water our garden, or walk to our coop with me, or watch the sun paint the evening sky beyond our tree line while standing by my side.

You can’t take the farm out of the farm boy

While garnering a factory job and raising a nuclear family in suburbia called him away from rural farm life long ago, I have no memories of summer heat when I didn’t spend time in my father’s little suburban gardens…

I longed for him to spend time in my rural rows of green, edible growth. Rows that resembled those of his farm-boy memories.

I’m thankful I was wrong. I’m thankful he’s seen two of our New-England-summer gardens…

… and learned about our sugarmaking operation here on our homestead. (Read this article if you’d like to know more about how to make delicious all-natural maple syrup. This one about why it’s a fabulous family activity. And this one if you’d like to know how we bake with maple instead of refined sugars.)

…and even opened gifts beside me last Christmas morning. His visits have taught me that his boyhood farm, long-since overrun and deserted in the rolling hills of West Virginia, is still an intricate part of him, now in his 80th year.

The Downhill Egg Shuffle

One of his first days of his recent visit, his elderly feet shuffled along on the downhill walk to the chicken coop and the duck house. His knees weren’t too sure of their ability to navigate the slope, but his feet were slowly determined.

He was unsure footed stepping up, and then back down, the concrete-block steps of our old chicken house. His unsure balance wouldn’t allow him to bend into the 3-foot-high duck house to confiscate the duck eggs, so I gathered those jewels for him.

He gingerly placed each egg in his bucket and slowly shuffled back to the house. I asked him if he’d like to collect the eggs every day of his stay with us. His unhesitant smirk made it clear that his comment was joyful nostalgia of sweet boyhood days long gone by. “It’s been a long time since I gathered the chicken’s eggs.”

 

He slowly transferred the eggs, one-by-one to the basket on my counter. (You can get a similar egg basket here. –aff link)

I knew he’d be doing the downhill egg shuffle again tomorrow.

 

A farm brings youthful joy

What IS it about a farm that brings out youthful joy? Maybe it brings such pleasure because it was what we were originally made to do. It was, after all, the first occupation. Whatever the reason, it’s undeniable. Being raised on a farm is in the fiber of his being; it sinks down to his achy knees, shuffling along to the coop, and runs through the weathered veins of his hands, cradling the day’s crop of eggs.

Last weekend Dad celebrated his 80th birthday. I love that old farm boy who himself is part of my own fiber. I hope to soon convince him to retire to our little farm. Retire back to his youth.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

 

Wonder if you have what it takes to own a family farm?

So if you weren’t raised on a farm but you wonder if you have what it takes to own a family farm, read through these statements and see if they sound like you…

And if you’re looking for just one small way to live more sustainably, no matter where you live, you’ll love Sweet Maple, (aff link) Go here for a peek inside and to see what others are saying about this book that Joel Salatin says is a perfect addition to everyone’s self-reliant bookshelf. 

Or check out my mini crash course for all you need to know to Make Maple Sugar in your own kitchen today.

 

1) I prefer to work outside no matter what the weather is like.

 

2) I don’t mind bugs, mess, mud, and slimy stuff that other folks may call “gross.”

 

3) I am good at deciding what needs to be done, and I can prioritize tasks pretty well.

 

4) I like to notice details, and I generally see details that a lot of other people miss.

 

5) I’m mechanically inclined.

 

6) I am pretty thrifty, and I can make due with what I have rather than buying new things.

 

7) I don’t tend to wallow in my mistakes. Instead I look for a lesson I can learn in the midst of my mess-ups.

 

8) I like physical work, and I like being tired at the end of the day.

 

9) I am not easily bored by mundane tasks.

 

10) I like to get up early, and I usually work hard until I feel like I’ve accomplished all the things I needed to get done.

 

11) I don’t need confirmation from others in order to feel satisfied with the things I accomplish.

 

12) I’m a good long-term planner, and I realize that the simple joys in life require hard work.

 

Other Articles Like This One:

So you think you’re ready to be a homesteader? Take this quiz & find out!

Meet my 200-year-old farmhouse (and the joys and heartaches it brings us) right here.

And then there’s this post about how I have 3 jobs that I love & 12 ways you can make money on a small family farm.

Print out this Checklist of 54 Things to do Every Season on a Homestead.

But whatever you do, you should glance at the 8 Things Every Wanna Be Homesteader Really Needs to Know.

 

Those Things I’d Hate to be Without on our Farm:

Hop over here for my favorite items in my farmhouse kitchen.

The things I wouldn’t want to be without, for my chicken.

 

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Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Genesis 2:15

 

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And have you tried my a-MAAHZ-ing Maple Sugar Cookie recipe that’s in my Resource Library? You won’t find this deliciousness anywhere else… until Sweet Maple is in print this fall.