Comments on: The Fulfillment of an Agrarian Life? I Wish I Could Be A Farmer http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/ a good girl's notebook of her culinary world Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:01:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: cathy http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-60127 cathy Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:29:21 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-60127 This is my dream, too. Four years ago we bought a rambling ranch-style house in the suburbs. The house needed so much work, but we were drawn to the 2/3 acre it sits on. We've been working on the house and slowly doing work outside to make the land productive. I want to grow *most* of the vegetables and fruit we eat, and I want to grow herbs to help keep us well. We have a long way to go, and I'm an enthusiastic beginner at it all. I'd love to belong to your adult 4H group. <blockquote>Exactly! I look forward to hearing tales of progress from your garden plot! --McAuliflower</blockquote> This is my dream, too. Four years ago we bought a rambling ranch-style house in the suburbs. The house needed so much work, but we were drawn to the 2/3 acre it sits on.

We’ve been working on the house and slowly doing work outside to make the land productive. I want to grow *most* of the vegetables and fruit we eat, and I want to grow herbs to help keep us well.

We have a long way to go, and I’m an enthusiastic beginner at it all. I’d love to belong to your adult 4H group.

Exactly! I look forward to hearing tales of progress from your garden plot!

–McAuliflower

]]> By: Elarael http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-59680 Elarael Sat, 03 Nov 2007 19:26:45 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-59680 Do you know about this site? It may be a helpful resource! www.microecofarming.com <blockquote>thanks Elarael- It's new to me, I'll look into it. --McAuliflower</blockquote> Do you know about this site? It may be a helpful resource!

http://www.microecofarming.com

thanks Elarael- It’s new to me, I’ll look into it.

–McAuliflower

]]> By: Leslie http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-59191 Leslie Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:14:15 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-59191 You, my sweetie, the spin concept and the tool lending library down the street seems like a match. Do a I smell a spring project or did I catch the stove on fire again... <blockquote>Ooo <a href="http://www.northportlandtoollibrary.org/index.htm" rel="nofollow">tool library</a>?! I had no idea. Your hubby has been an inspiration in his lawn-to-garden transformation. Wish he had the time to blog it with harvest reports! *darn, just heard back and my address doesn't qualify me for membership with the tool loan people. --McAuliflower</blockquote> You, my sweetie, the spin concept and the tool lending library down the street seems like a match. Do a I smell a spring project or did I catch the stove on fire again…

Ooo tool library?! I had no idea.

Your hubby has been an inspiration in his lawn-to-garden transformation. Wish he had the time to blog it with harvest reports!

*darn, just heard back and my address doesn’t qualify me for membership with the tool loan people.

–McAuliflower

]]> By: Jon http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-59176 Jon Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:38:09 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-59176 Farming tends to pay badly compared to other jobs because it's at the bottom end of the economic value chain, along with mining-type jobs. Factory jobs, for example, pay better because they add value to farm products and thus involve products worth more. Information and engineering jobs (except for entertainment-related jobs that everyone wants) pay better still. Yep, utterly and completely unfair. Of course, those stats are only for the on-the-books laborers, probably a minority. The rest are almost certainly younger and worse-paid. Plenty of farmers just go slowly farther and farther in debt. Given the unfair realities, I'm surprised anybody farms, but fortunately there are enough to make an easy surplus. I went to school near a farm, and watched day-in-day-out hard labor in the sun and after it had gone. No farming for me, thank you very much. Farming tends to pay badly compared to other jobs because it’s at the bottom end of the economic value chain, along with mining-type jobs. Factory jobs, for example, pay better because they add value to farm products and thus involve products worth more. Information and engineering jobs (except for entertainment-related jobs that everyone wants) pay better still. Yep, utterly and completely unfair.

Of course, those stats are only for the on-the-books laborers, probably a minority. The rest are almost certainly younger and worse-paid. Plenty of farmers just go slowly farther and farther in debt.

Given the unfair realities, I’m surprised anybody farms, but fortunately there are enough to make an easy surplus.

I went to school near a farm, and watched day-in-day-out hard labor in the sun and after it had gone. No farming for me, thank you very much.

]]> By: Roxanne Christensen http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-59006 Roxanne Christensen Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:50:38 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-59006 You can fit farming into your life, regardless of your lifestyle and life cycle, with <a href="http://www.spinfarming.com/" rel="nofollow">SPIN-Farming</a>. SPIN is a non-technical, easy to understand and inexpensive to implement farming system that makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size. Minimal infrastructure, reliance on hand labor to accomplish most farming tasks, utilization of existing water sources to meet irrigation needs, and situating close to markets all keep investment and overhead costs low. SPIN therefore removes the 2 big barriers to entry for first generation farmers – they don’t need a lot of land or money. It's now being practiced by a growing corps of backyard and front lawn farmers throughout the U.S. and Canada who are causing people to not only re-thinking how to farm, but what it means to be a farmer today. <blockquote> Thanks Roxanne. I'm not familiar with this concept- planning on delving more into it today. Are you yourself farming this way, or just in knowledge of it? Have you purchased the series (It's a set of instruction modules that one purchases- the whole set looking to be ~$130)? --McAuliflower</blockquote> You can fit farming into your life, regardless of your lifestyle and life cycle, with SPIN-Farming. SPIN is a non-technical, easy to understand and inexpensive to implement farming system that makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases under an acre in size. Minimal infrastructure, reliance on hand labor to accomplish most farming tasks, utilization of existing water sources to meet irrigation needs, and situating close to markets all keep investment and overhead costs low. SPIN therefore removes the 2 big barriers to entry for first generation farmers – they don’t need a lot of land or money. It’s now being practiced by a growing corps of backyard and front lawn farmers throughout the U.S. and Canada who are causing people to not only re-thinking how to farm, but what it means to be a farmer today.

Thanks Roxanne. I’m not familiar with this concept- planning on delving more into it today. Are you yourself farming this way, or just in knowledge of it? Have you purchased the series (It’s a set of instruction modules that one purchases- the whole set looking to be ~$130)?

–McAuliflower

]]> By: Laura http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-58929 Laura Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:58:45 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-58929 I'm always having fantasies of these sort (usually about owning/tending an orchard and garden) Let me recommend two books... A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell Simple Living: One Couple's Search for a Better Life by Frank Levering and Wanda Urbanska. And while I'm on a roll...You might enjoy Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich. I'm not Jewish, but I found her memoir of learning to keep a kosher kitchen as an adult and spiritual practice fascinating. <blockquote> Thank you thank you Laura! I am always looking for books to sink my teeth in. --McAuliflower</blockquote> I’m always having fantasies of these sort (usually about owning/tending an orchard and garden) Let me recommend two books…

A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell
Simple Living: One Couple’s Search for a Better Life by Frank Levering and Wanda Urbanska.

And while I’m on a roll…You might enjoy Miriam’s Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich. I’m not Jewish, but I found her memoir of learning to keep a kosher kitchen as an adult and spiritual practice fascinating.

Thank you thank you Laura! I am always looking for books to sink my teeth in.

–McAuliflower

]]> By: Mimi http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/comment-page-1/#comment-58923 Mimi Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:50:51 +0000 http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2007/10/30/the-fulfillment-of-an-agrarian-life-i-wish-i-could-be-a-farmer/#comment-58923 I dislike my boring job so I have this same fantasy a lot. I have a feeling that in reality, life as a farmer would be really difficult. I think the idea of an adult 4H is great. It would be very telling to get a preview of that life to see if it is truly "a grass is greener" sort of fantasy or not. <blockquote> Yeah- I'm with you: farming is a stout work schedule. That's part of what scares me! There was mention of work-on-a-farm tourism in the Kingsolver book. That might be a good route for us to get a peak in the farming world. I'll try to dig up more info. --McAuliflower</blockquote> I dislike my boring job so I have this same fantasy a lot. I have a feeling that in reality, life as a farmer would be really difficult. I think the idea of an adult 4H is great. It would be very telling to get a preview of that life to see if it is truly “a grass is greener” sort of fantasy or not.

Yeah- I’m with you: farming is a stout work schedule. That’s part of what scares me!

There was mention of work-on-a-farm tourism in the Kingsolver book. That might be a good route for us to get a peak in the farming world. I’ll try to dig up more info.

–McAuliflower

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