Farming for Fun not Finances
Farm visitors and blog followers often ask us if we do this for a living. My husband's reply is always, "No, this is a non-profit organization." It's funny but true! We have another business that affords us our living and thankfully allows us to live the farm lifestyle that we have dreamed of. We are beyond blessed! The truth is, we have yet to make a profit on any of the animals or produce we grow here. You may be able to turn a profit on a small family farm but I have yet to meet anyone that truly does if they figure in their biggest investment ~ time. The sad reality today is that the world wants things cheap & now and the small farmer has a hard time competing with that. Our focus is different. We do everything to the best of our ability because quality is important to us. Nothing we do here at the Rockin' S-Squared Farm is inexpensive or fast.
"But if you don't make money at it, why do it?" you might ask.
The answer, or rather answers, are simple:
1. We enjoy it!
2. Living close to the land allows us to appreciate simple things that many take for granted.
3. We like raising & growing food for our own table and being able to share those things with others.
4. Animals are rewarding to raise and enjoyable to watch, certainly more entertaining than television.
5. It has given us the opportunity to instill work ethic and a sense of accomplishment in our boys, something that is lacking in many of today's youth.
6. Shepherding gives us special understanding into why people and sheep are paralleled so many times in the Bible and how great was the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
7. We have the priviledge of living out our family verse:
I Thessalonians 4:11&12
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,
to mind your own business and work with your hands,
just as we told you, so that
your daily life may win the respect of outsiders
and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
You are blessed indeed!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a community full of small farms. Many have gone away and many Amish have taken over the area farms. it's sad that so many kids will miss growing up the farm way. A couple of our local kids went viral on YouTube with their video of Farm It Maybe. worth watching if you haven't already. Spells a lot out to the non-farm folks. Enjoy what you have. I continue to squeeze too many veggies around my back yard and love eating my home grown stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. It might be farm it baby! I haven't watched it in a little while.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. I love that you share glimpses of your life with us, as well as your faith. I love picking things from our garden (and cooking/putting them up), tending to our chickens, seeing my husband get immense satisfaction working on things, and watching my boys be boys on our place. Most of our friends really don't understand why we do what we do but several of your answers would help explain it. It's a lifestyle--and you're right, a blessed one.
ReplyDeleteYou are truly blessed! Your boys will grow into the type of young men that I want for my daughters. Hard work has never killed anyone but it does make them have higher morals and realize that life is blessed in ways that no one considers anymore.
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