From tech founder to sustainable farmer

[Beekissed]

"No offense but you're self righteous"... Not sure how one could not take offense to that.

I have a feeling I missed something..... If expressing one's faith and liking it when others and I can share is deemed self-righteous, I'll take that offense and wear it with honor. No offense taken at all and no offense was meant by me, either.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I have no idea if you saw the rest of this thread before it was deleted... I hope you don't think I was calling you self righteous. That was a response to someone else...

 

[Beekissed]

I have no idea if you saw the rest of this thread before it was deleted... I hope you don't think I was calling you self righteous. That was a response to someone else...

No, I didn't think that. I kinda got the drift of what had been said without actually seeing who or what said it, but that's okay...I can do without seeing it. I thought your comment was pretty apt, though...and sort of funny.

I probably shouldn't have commented, it just struck my funny bone.

 

[Hinotori]

See the glorious thing is we don't have to agree with everything. It's actually much better to have differing thoughts and opinions that converge on a few things. That makes for a stable group that can cover all the bases in whatever is being done.

 

[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

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Well said, MH!

 

[NH Homesteader]

That sounds lovely except two things. No electric and outhouses. I don't do those things!

I am actually thankful for the times I was dirt poor because I was forced to learn skills I never would have otherwise. I might still be floating around in that "other" world. I certainly value what I have more and waste less because I know how hard it was to come by. I don't throw food out, it all goes to one of the animals after I've gotten a few human meals out of it.

As for disagreement... I think it helps you learn and stretch out of your comfort zone when someone says something you may not agree with. I get along with a lot of people who have wildly different views than me. It works out great. IF we are all decent to each other.

 

[lcertuche]

Well I've been watching this thread and I definitely missed something. Probably just as well because I have enough drama in my life, lol. If someone can get rich raising turkeys then WooHoo but until then we just take away the best ideas to use in our own little patch of dirt. Success to one person may not be the same for another. I would love to be able to grow a good amount of fresh, organic food and hormone free meat on as little money as possible with the least amount of work as possible. An impossible task? Probably but that is my measure of being self sufficient. Better yet if I can share and sale a little to help offset expenses. This is Tyson central here with huge automated houses but not my dream. I should say I haven't been able to see the video. Sorry, that self-righteous remark spark my imagination.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I think Sumi would prefer we not rehash it here

It's hard to make a living farming. It seems like the Tyson growers don't do very well either for sure! And not how I would want to raise my animals.

I've changed course many times trying to figure out what's sustainable and what's not, what's worth the effort and what's not. Constantly learning new things!

 

[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.