Live data from Hacker News

Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

github.com

201–210 of 309 posts

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The woman who ran PR for Chicago Tribune did the same thing with her husband. She now has a small farm in Michigan. She runs a PR agency from the farm. I personally couldn’t do it… I prefer loud noises and bright lights but I lived in Rincon Hill and Times Square at various times…

> I personally couldn’t do it… I prefer loud noises and bright lights How old are you? You don’t have to answer, but I’m guessing you’re probably not past 45. At some point, you start to prefer quiet. I haven’t lived in a really large city, but have been around noise enough that I’m hoping our next move will distance us from neighbors and highway noise. And yes, maybe we’ll have a farm animal or two.

>At some point, you start to prefer quiet.

> I haven’t lived in a really large city, but have been around noise enough that I’m hoping our next move will distance us from neighbors and highway noise.

I feel this, and I'm mid 40s. I keep my eyes open for places to live which are somehow both remote and near decent healthcare options. I don't need the healthcare options now, but I am aware that I am only going to get older and that's something that I'd want.

I do my best to keep my yard full of life and tend to my plants and my gardens, but there's always the noise from the highway a mile or so away. It's less annoying when it's hot out, but the drone bothers me in the winter months.

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's always interesting to hear from people who moved to Michigan because the better part of my adult life has been devoted to getting out of Michigan. It sounds like you have a peaceful life though

Everyone else's grass is always greener it seems.

Not in west Texas I'll tell you that!

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#203
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You need to be a welder, plumber, vet, horticulturist, builder, metrologist I love this about farmers. They are the polymaths of our age and folks dont get it. Farming YouTube is a trip because there's more tech in a tractor than in some startups. > and if you're doing properly, crooked accountant as well. Yea, most people dont get what a "future" is, and why corn and lumber have them (but not onions... thats a les…

> You need to be a welder, plumber, vet, horticulturist, builder, metrologist Not sure how commmon this is anymore. The age of the family farm with a mix of livestock, rotating crops, and woodlands are long gone in the developed world. Each of these tasks would be handled mostly by a professional in any serious farming operation.

Depends on what you farm. But if you have pasture, then you are all of those things. You need to make sure that the land is growing something edible at the right time, it needs to be drained.

All of that requires big machinery, and that breaks or is expensive. So it needs fixing. specialist fixers are there for expensive things, like combine harvesters. but for unfucking a plough or much spreader, thats a you problem.

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#204

I do hope they enjoy it. I grew up in a farming community, and whist it can be rewarding, if you are trying to make money, or be self sufficient, its fucking hard work. Is it harder than programming? thats a subjective call. Objectively its physically harder work, mentally its way more varied. You need to be a welder, plumber, vet, horticulturist, builder, metrologist, and if you're doing properly, crooked accountant…

I don’t know the details of this person’s situation, but farming is much more enjoyable when it’s done as a semi-retirement hobby than as a way to bootstrap one’s career. The farmers I know in my family all struggled mightily because every year was about accumulating a little more capital so they could rent some more land or buy the next piece of equipment they needed to grow in a few years. The people who do it as a…

you put this much more poetically than I could have!

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#206
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You need to be a welder, plumber, vet, horticulturist, builder, metrologist I love this about farmers. They are the polymaths of our age and folks dont get it. Farming YouTube is a trip because there's more tech in a tractor than in some startups. > and if you're doing properly, crooked accountant as well. Yea, most people dont get what a "future" is, and why corn and lumber have them (but not onions... thats a les…

Does the Farming Simulator series of games aim to replicate this complicated variety of skills?

Press A to stick weld your plow in the middle of the field.

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#207

Every time this topic comes up I say the same thing. If you've never worked on a farm and have some kind of romantic idea about it then you shouldn't do this. Farming is hard work. Modern farmers have college degrees, millions in equipment, and a vast amount of knowledge and experience you do not have. If you're thinking of doing this and do not have experience go work on a farm for a year before you buy in.

Every time this topic comes up a rhyme of your comment bubbles to the top and speaking from my own experience growing up in a winery. I can say: yes, it's hard, but no, it's not impossible to take up later in life. Stop assuming he just threw away his notebook and bought a tractor and stop spreading coffee table knowledge. Let people discover things for themselves, or even better, try finding things out for yourself.…

This needs to be the top reply. I know many people who have taken up homesteading while also keeping a foot in tech. They want to grow their own veggies and fruit, raise their own chickens, etc. They want to be closer to nature. And by and large they succeed.

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#208
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they have saved enough from working in tech that they can grow vegetables for themselves in a very low scale way. Its nice to escape from the career you've had for decades. Sometimes its not even an escape from the career, but the career and the city you've lived in. Moving to the forest and growing some vegetables and raising chickens isn't that difficult. You certainly don't need "millions in equipment". Its…

It's always interesting to hear from people who moved to Michigan because the better part of my adult life has been devoted to getting out of Michigan. It sounds like you have a peaceful life though

I grew up here and left as soon as I turned 18! After living all over the US and trying out different cities and locales returning to Michigan made the most sense. Buying a home in the SFBay area isn't feasible unless you're willing to work multiple jobs or sell your soul to FAANG.

Want a house? Get ready to replace: The foundation, the roof, the sewer lateral, oh and the addition wasn't done with a permit so its not to code at all. All for the low low price of $500k! On a lovely 1/4th acre plot, you'll be hearing your neighbor while they fart in the bathroom. What, you only got $500k? Don't worry, this other person here has $550k and they don't have a problem with the house need to be rebuilt!

Oh I'm looking at $500k houses? I should be looking at 1.1mil houses to not deal with all those problems? Now I've got 1.1mil mortgage for 30 years. I don't want to work into my 70's for a house.

Compared to... come to Michigan, you can get 5 acres for less than $300k and your house is functional, maybe it needs a new roof within 5 years. My mortgage is 15 years and will be paid off before that.

I think "competition" is the big thing that drove me back home. I was tired of competing with my neighbors (people who live in the same city) for _everything_. I don't mind people, I loved meeting people in every city I lived. I just felt like I had to fight for every "inch" in most "big cities" (but especially SFBay area).

It's very peaceful here. I love it. Maybe I'll go to the big lake (Michigan) later and swim.

Re: Neofetch developer archives all his repositories: "Have taken up farming"

#209

I do hope they enjoy it. I grew up in a farming community, and whist it can be rewarding, if you are trying to make money, or be self sufficient, its fucking hard work. Is it harder than programming? thats a subjective call. Objectively its physically harder work, mentally its way more varied. You need to be a welder, plumber, vet, horticulturist, builder, metrologist, and if you're doing properly, crooked accountant…

> if you're doing properly, crooked accountant as well Don't know if it was intentional, but this maligns some of the hardest-working and down-to-earth people that I've ever known as crooked. But perhaps this is just referring to taxes, but farmers are also not incented to fudge too much on their taxes: they receive subsidies, and very little is paid with cash anymore, so is easily tracked. Sadly, most farms today ar…

> Don't know if it was intentional, but this maligns some of the hardest-working and down-to-earth people that I've ever known as crooked.

you misread me.

I don't mean, they rip off other farmers, I mean subsidy farming.

In the UK there were such things as flying herds, that were bussed in when inspections were due. Do they get rich from it? fuck no, does it allow them to survive, it did, until the UK government threw them under a bus.

Post reply on HN