Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Challenges and Pleasures of Homesteading

One of the best things that you can do in any undertaking is to see what others have done. You can learn from their successes and from their mistakes. Most people are happy to help someone to avoid the mistakes that they have made. 

It is with this in mind that we present the article below from Mother Earth News. This article is a series of experiences and advice from some Facebook friends of Mother Earth News that have bought land and started to homestead. Reading through them, I would say that the most important thing to consider is your water source. Water is necessary to keep you alive and for sanitation.  Make sure that you have a source of clean, potable water for drinking.  Water that is not generally potable, such as collected rainwater, may be fine for irrigation and cleaning.  Remember that treating water or buying water can become expensive.

Related to water is sewage. If you are not on a public sewer, then you will need a septic tank.  If there is not an existing septic system, then you will need to install one. In order to design your septic system it may be necessary to do a percolation test on your soil.  This will tell you how fast water will be absorbed through your soil. The design of the septic system will then be determined by local health and building codes.

I think the other best thing to do is to be realistic about what you are going to be able to do.  Do you have any physical limitations?  I have arthritis and am not able to lift and carry heavy loads.  Farming and even gardening requires physical labor. Be realistic about how much land you can handle and what you can do on it.  Also know that if you have animals on your farm that you will not be able to just leave for a couple of weeks without providing for the care of your animals.  Milk cows for instance must be milked every day.  And be realistic about living in the country.  I grew up in a rural area and have never really liked living in a city. This is one of the reasons why I am pursuing moving back out to the country.  There are challenges to living in the country. Access to medical treatment, retail shops and other things that we take for granted in the city can be distant.  And you will not have the variety of choice you have in a large city. There are bugs and wildlife in the country. We all love the wildlife, but remember that wildlife will eat your food trample your garden, kill and eat your pets and livestock and can be dangerous to you. 

But despite the challenges and hard work, I still look forward to a time when I will be back where I belong - in the country.

Finding Your Dream Farm: Ideas From Our Facebook Friends

Purchasing the right property for your dream farm is a difficult decision with plenty of varying factors to consider. For our Facebook question of the week, we asked you, “If you've managed to buy a small farm, what advice would you give to others who want to do the same?” and here is what you told us.

April Peterson Animals and gardens depend on water. Understand where yours will come from and what legal limitations are on its use. Study your state’s water laws before you select your property. 

Elisa Hahn Boe Test your water for quality and availability. Some water is bad enough it can't be fixed and a farmstead that hauls in water won't last long. And, if you have no water pressure, or a very low water table in the summer, you will regret your purchase quickly.

Julia Ford Bolin Have the property surveyed so you know where your boundaries are located. 

Joybilee Farm Talk to the neighbors about their gardens and find out how many frost-free days you can expect. Make sure there is a good source of water and that the water is year-round, not seasonal. Make sure the place is zoned for livestock.

Colleen Hajek My advice is to buy land in a gorgeous state, full of nearby recreational activities and beauty, because you won’t be able to get away often. At least the beauty and recreational activities will be within close driving distance. 

Leeann Fitzell Coleman Don’t buy more land than you can manage. Ask lots of questions. Read blogs — bloggers who are farmers are honest and open about their mistakes. Join local ag organizations. I recently bought an 11-acre, foreclosed farm in New Jersey — it took me 18 months to find it.

Diane Davis Sample I haven't bought the farm, yet (so to speak), but I would say, “be realistic, and take your time.”

Todd N Dina Johnson Make a list of your wants and don’t-wants for the property you’re looking for. That way, you and your family are all agreeing on what it is that will work best for all of you.

Julie Patrick Clark After nearly 25 years of sacrifice, we bought a three-acre property to grow our own food. The operative word is sacrifice. Too many people don't like that word today. I suggest then that they think of it as an investment in their future to forego things they don't need now to fulfill their dream down the road. I hate being told that we are "lucky" when it was sacrifice and hard work that got us to our little three acres...not luck! I'd tell them be prepared to work. Do it right the first time because it is time consuming and costs more to do things over.

Patrick Young Things are different in the country. There are few services and not many jobs available. Job skills in the country are different; you may need to take a job that you consider to be menial. Can you buy a property, develop the lifestyle you want and live on one-half to one-third of your current wages? Plan to have enough money to live for a year without an income, while you get things going.

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