GFP065: Is a Homesteader a Farmer?

When it comes to owning and operating a farm business there is a lot of talk about scale. Are you big enough? Are you too big? What is right, what is wrong? There is only one right answer, whatever works best for you is what works best for you. I operate at a large small scale. I mean that I only have 52 acres and at the same time I can't believe I have 52 acres, it's insane. It is not 10,000 acres or even 1,000 acres, but there is a lot that can go on with even just one acre. On the show today is a guy with about 10 acres and he is striking a balance that works for him and his family. He is also approaching farming or homesteading in a very smart way and has a lot of good information to share from doing so. Is there a right or wrong scale, it depends. It all depends on what your holistic goal is. What are you looking to get out of your hard work on farm. And it will be hard work no matter what scale you operate at. For me personally I have been trying to balance the scale of the many different operations on farm to balance the fact that I am unable to do any one of them at a large enough scale to benefit from the economies of scale. Not only have I been trying to balance how big or small things need to be to make money on farm, but taking into account that I miss my friends, I love spending time with my family, and I want to have a semblance of a life outside of farming. It all comes down to what your goals are and what life you want to live. Can farming provide that? We'll find out in this episode and throughout 2015. So, can a homesteader be a farmer? Listen to the podcast episode and find out. Right click here to download the MP3 In this farm podcast you will learn: Whether you can consider a homesteader a farmer How to start and grow your farm sustainably How much time is spent marketing vs. "in the field" Different business models for farming A great resource for all things homesteading A free cow is not free Getting time off from farming Interview with Austin Martin of This Is Homesteady In Austin's words from his website: "Imagine this scenario. Farm girl moves to city. Farm girl meets surfer boy. Farm girl shows surfer boy country, chickens, and how to shoot. They marry. Surfer boy becomes country boy. Then came the babies. After the birth of our son, we quickly realized our third floor apartment was not going to be right for the family we wanted to have. We wanted to find a place where we could put down roots. After a year-long search, we found Squash Hollow. Surrounded by fields and woods, so began the idea of starting a small farm. With our farm we could provide our family with the freshest food available. Now we grow enough to share our harvest with your family as well! Our Farms' Mission: We believe the earth we live on and the animals around us are beautiful gifts to be taken care of!  We strive to give ouranimals the happiest life possible, and enrich the land around us." Items mentioned in this farm podcast include: Squash Hollow Farm This is Homesteady Chicken Tractor eBook Homesteady Podcast Farm Finance Challenge HUB Squash Hollow Farm's Farm Finance Challenge Page Take aways: What would be your first step on your farming journey? Or, what is your next step to improve upon your current farm? What scale do you think you would be most happy operating at? Answer in the comments section below. Farm quote of the episode: "The road is rocky, make Homesteady." - Austin Martin -- Thanks for taking the time to listen in, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, reach me on Facebook , or leave a 5 star rating in iTunes if you liked the show. Click to subscrible to iTunes Support the podcast with $1 a month Past Episodes