4 replies to this topic

[LilysDad]

I just finished a book titles Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard.

 

This is a story of a young man just out of college who took over a West Virginia family farm that was failing under a mountain of debt. He tells the story of how he raised free range, grass fed cattle and chickens to develop a profitable business selling at farmers markets.

[oldedeeres]

Thanks, I'll look for that book. I've read many articles/books of that nature over the years, starting in the 60's with the "back to the land" bibles like Mother Earth News and Homesteader, etc. It seems the principles involved come up cyclically, every 15-20 years or so, and are currently at a high again. Very sound in a eutopian society, what my Olde Deere called " the Walt Disney" mentality. He, being a lifetime farmer and realist, had come to these conclusions about this "life style". One, Initially works best if you are a college graduate- this means you have the confidence a degree gives you that you know best. Two, be prepared to actually work. Three, be satisfied to live with very little, and have a partner who is equally willing to go without. Four, be independently wealthy. Five, don't quit your day job. lol.

[ol' stonebreaker]

I have nothing against higher education, but I've met many people over my years w/ a degree that didn't know best. I think a lot depends on what the degree is in.
Mike

[oldedeeres]

Yup, he was being sarcastic.

[Reverend Blair]

We have a word for those who sell things at farmer's markets. "Hobbyists."  

 

There were some brothers here who got into the custom free-range beef business when the borders got closed due to mad-cow a few years ago.  They did okay, didn't lose the farm, but one of them happened to to be a trained butcher.  They still do it as a sideline, but as soon as the borders opened they went back to shipping truckloads of steers to Alberta to be finished and slaughtered.