Filed under: February 2015 | Tags: Horse Progress Days, niche market, Small Farming
February 19, 2015
Are you feeling like you are on a treadmill? Does everyday seem the same? I have been there, feeling like I was stuck in a rut. I spent too many days wishing and hoping for a change, but then one day, I decided to make change happen. I decided to make my heart happy, giving roots to my restless soul.
After too many people telling me that farming is a dead-end, unless you have a huge mega farm, I set out to prove them wrong. I will say that I had the safety net, of an off farm job, but many farms in America are supplemented that way. Farmers sell seeds, drive school busses, or work at a government job like being a township trustee. Some have wives that work off the farm in factories, as nurses or some other vocation where they get insurance benefits and wages. My point here is this; having a safety net is not a shameful thing, it is a prudent thing.
I kept my job so as to pay down debt, both farm and personal, as well as having a steady paycheck and benefits. I choose to work my butt off on the farm, working around my off farm schedule just so I can keep my heart and hands immersed in farming. This farm grounds me, keeps me happy and feeds us to boot. I farm small, in the way of my grandparents. I have a very tough time leaving this place. It is my home, my haven and my pride and joy.
We built this place from a field of redbrush and goldenrod. I work to pay down debt, build infrastructure and buildings. My hope is to farm fulltime one day. I have had that goal in sight since the first day that I stepped foot on this farm. I knew that for me to create a living here, I had to create my market. I have done that by producing safe wholesome food, of great quality and insisting on that same quality from our processors, our help and even my family members.
I am hard on myself, but that makes for consistent product. I know that everything that I sell is a direct reflection on my name. I want my name to stand for honesty, quality and all things good. This attention to detail makes for good farm products. Good farm products makes for a good market. A good market makes my farm able to sell its products, keeping it in the black. This community based farming allows for a small farm to make it in a niche market. So contrary to all that negativity… I made it. It was worth all those days on the treadmill!
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RicelandMeadows 
….and your family is thankful for all your hard work, effort and keeping them / us fed. 😉
Comment by Charlie February 20, 2015 @ 2:02 pm