Why We Farm

We stay so busy on the farm, I don’t often take the time to think about “why” we do it.  Yes, this is our income. But beyond that- why?

This post is inspired by a series of videos that I watched this morning from a website called whyifarm.com.  I definitely recommend taking some time to watch these videos. It will bring a new perspective to that crazy concept called “farming”. One video that really stuck with me was this one:

This really gets you thinking about the different circumstances that have brought you to what you are doing today. 5 years ago, our family never thought that we would be doing what we do- milking cows twice a day? Raising calves? Milking goats? Giving farm tours? Living off farm sales and farmers markets? We knew about animals, we had always had a homestead, but knew absolutely nothing about how to live off the farm. But through a series of events, we somehow found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a maxed out operation.

To think we used to call the vet out to do every single little shot and now we are practically our own vets. We are doing things that we never imagined possible, but this is all through God’s will. It’s amazing how He brought us here. At the time, we had no idea what made us stop in Palmetto Nursery that day- we had driven past it for 9 years without stopping-  just to see a sign advertising milk goats for sale.  Or why we met the people who have helped us in such a random way. But now, we can look back and see that those events were just leading us to be able to live off the land, to be able to have the joy of what it feels like to be so close to an animal that you can look at them and know if something is wrong and, most of all, to have the joy & pride of what it’s like to work together as a family.

But not every day has been lollipops and roses- this is difficult! Most of our days are cheerful and the animals are healthy and the processes go just as they are supposed to. But then, one evening, the pulsator broke on our milking machine. And when you don’t have a replacement on hand, and you have to milk by hand, it’s not a good moment  for anyone. But, we got through it. And to think that God allowed that to happen just so that we would order a new one from a company and that receiving that product would plant the seed in our minds to start our own dairy and farm supply business- now that’s something. That is part of our amazement from this journey. That is part of keeping ourselves open to new ideas and new doors opening. 

Today, we are farther embedded in farming than we ever thought that we would be. And it’s only because of God’s incredible mercy and grace that it is possible. We are a happy family. We are hard working family. And, most of all, we are a God loving family.

If you have thought about homesteading or farming, just open your heart and mind. You never know when it will be you talking about why we farm!