181–190 of 201 posts
Off-topic but what is the original source of the trend of talks/articles that start with "So you want to..."? I find it very annoying, though I don't know why.
Haha :) yes it was a little clickbaity. But as long as it gets many to understand and act on this a little better than trying to flog dead soils to produce something, worth it.
I have a YouTube channel which follows similar processes and I document the procedures I use for growing plant based foods on small scale in Connecticut, Agricultural Zone 6b. Check out my latest video here: https://youtu.be/IAaBBjMFWEs I'm trying to get to 1k subs to unlock mobile streaming so I can stream my garden chores to show the work involved. If you are into this stuff please subscribe, I look forward to answ…
People vastly underestimate how much work "simple" lifestyles are. It's the same with van life. It sounds great in practice, but simple things like showering, defecating and preserving food become very difficult. I suspect that with farming or homesteading, you forego things like financial safety and the ability to take vacations. I value those things a lot. In my opinion, the best way out is a lifestyle business, or…
> It's the same with van life. It sounds great in practice, but simple things like showering, defecating and preserving food become very difficult. I have to both agree and disagree. I've been living in my converted bus for about 3.5 years. It's harder and more complex than living in a fixed location but it depends a lot on the setup of your vehicle and how you use it. If you have a low end conversion with no shower…
I always laugh when someone who has never worked on a farm talks about buying one. Most farming is hard work, much harder than an office job. And most small farms do not make much money, especially if you don't know what you're doing. If you're thinking about it go get a job on one first before you buy anything.
Certainly it is a lot of work - bu if you're growing food for yourself and spend your days outside, why do you need to make much money?
Your body rewards you for eating fresh food and I think it's because it is really really good for you. Same with fresh air and a little sunshine.
So there's something to be said for growing food and spending time outside. I think it's what our bodies were designed for.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Self sufficiency is possible if you are given 5-10 acres with no taxes. Where do you get the iron for your implements? Or are you going to use wooden hoes? Where do you get medicine, when you need it? Where do you get clothes? Et cetera.
Wooden hoes. No modern medicine either. You have to make sacrifices for true self sufficiency. For clothing, you grow it. Between Flax, wool, furs, and cotton you can grow something anywhere (except near the poles). Having to grow clothing and shelter more than doubles your needed land area in some places.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ya, the thing you have to realize about running a small farm is that you are either competing with the huge industrial scale guys or you are competing with all the small town family farms that were born into it. And most of those who were born into it have either bought and built their farm over their entire life or inherited it. It's hard to make a living selling farm products when you have a mortgage payment and yo…
Most large farmers start in livestock because you can afford 10 acres, put cows on it, and then go to the nearby town for a job that supports your life. All the profits from the cows is reinvested into more land until you have enough to get 100 acres of crop land. Then it is farm nights and weekends while working your day job. If all goes well (it doesn't always go well) about the time you are 45 you have enough land…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ya, the thing you have to realize about running a small farm is that you are either competing with the huge industrial scale guys or you are competing with all the small town family farms that were born into it. And most of those who were born into it have either bought and built their farm over their entire life or inherited it. It's hard to make a living selling farm products when you have a mortgage payment and yo…
There's another gap between small family farms and huge scale enterprises. There is a lot of demand for local but quality. Whether it's grass-fed beef, eggs from truly free-ranging chickens, or heritage breed pork that's well butchered (harder than you'd think to find quality animal processing) people are looking for things that the more traditional farms don't know about and the big farms can't afford to do. I think…
Also, I have found that the old timers are pretty slow to change, but there is actually good reason for that. They have seen the trends come and go, some have jumped on those trends and eventually gotten burned (in my area, it was ostrich and emu farming).
Also, the slow methodical farm build-up over the years tends to evolve out a pretty efficient and effective farming method. I remember a few years ago, my brother and I got on this kick thinking there was a lot of money to be made on the farm by further fattening or "finishing" the cows before selling them. As traditionally, a lot of farms will sell yearlings to feedlots for a lower price. The feedlot then fattens them up and sells for a profit. But after a lot of research and number crunching, we found that the math just didn't work because we would have to pay to ship in the grain, since it isn't grown very locally and then we would also have to eat the higher cost of shipping those heavier cows to the auctions which are also not that close.
The old timers knew this wasn't a profitable pathway even though they didn't all necessarily know the whole story of why it isn't a profitable pathway. We have found this to be true in a lot of cases with older farmers. They know some things won't work, even if they don't fully know the details why.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It's the same with van life. It sounds great in practice, but simple things like showering, defecating and preserving food become very difficult. I have to both agree and disagree. I've been living in my converted bus for about 3.5 years. It's harder and more complex than living in a fixed location but it depends a lot on the setup of your vehicle and how you use it. If you have a low end conversion with no shower…
Are mobile mechanics not a thing for RV?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wooden hoes. No modern medicine either. You have to make sacrifices for true self sufficiency. For clothing, you grow it. Between Flax, wool, furs, and cotton you can grow something anywhere (except near the poles). Having to grow clothing and shelter more than doubles your needed land area in some places.
OK, but then, how do you make your wooden hoes? With wooden tools? Wooden knives and saws? How do you sew your clothes? With wooden needles? Sooner or later, don't you need some metal somewhere? If you don't have it, aren't you essentially living a Stone Age existence?
People vastly underestimate how much work "simple" lifestyles are. It's the same with van life. It sounds great in practice, but simple things like showering, defecating and preserving food become very difficult. I suspect that with farming or homesteading, you forego things like financial safety and the ability to take vacations. I value those things a lot. In my opinion, the best way out is a lifestyle business, or…