3 Things They Don't Tell You When You Move to the Farm

The mower sitting where it died. It's old and cheap and K doesn't have time to fix it.

1) That it will be expensive. Naively, we thought that raising and preserving our own food, line drying, recycling/composting, etc would mean we would live a more financially efficient lifestyle.

NOT.

Maybe after a few years when we are established . . . but let's take into account all the land that we have to mow. Mowers are expensive (very).

Gas is expensive (very).

Garden seeds are expensive. Open-pollinated varieties will let us save them to plant next year (for free) but up front costs means you don't save any over going to the store.

Livestock is expensive. Sure, they reproduce to replenish and pay for themselves, but up front? Whew.

Driving to town for everything is expensive.

Lesson learned: don't expect to save any money for at least two years. Unfortunately for us, since we are just renting, we're going to have to do this all over again when we buy our own property.

2) How. Much. Time. Everything. Takes. Maybe that's just because we have a two year old and no babysitter? Hmm...

Lesson learned: HAVE A BABYSITTER!

3) That the first year on an old farm will be mostly clean up. We've spent days . . . no, months . . . cleaning up scrap, trash, old wood, and rocks, out of the "mow zone." And the rest of the property. Taking it all to the scrap yard netted us a whole $50. Whoo.

Lesson learned: Relax. We're not going to go gung-ho the first year. It's a learning process, and we've learned a lot already. Enjoy.

Still.

About WildHearts Farm

Wild at Heart was founded on passions: the passion we have to create the life of our dreams while raising our daughter together, make a difference, and to grow -- plants, animals, and ourselves. Wildness is in our souls, from our migration across the country (twice) to the moment we fell in love on a Harley. Becoming parents has settled us down some, but the beat of adventure still pulses in each of our hearts.

It is that same passion that has compelled us to face what we truly felt called to do with our lives and to pursue it with all our souls. For us, farming is more than just a way to make money . . . it is a lifestyle, a calling, and the only way we can see living our lives. Sustainable agriculture, or farming in harmony with nature rather than against it, is a process that we believe in wholeheartedly. Our farm will never use chemical inputs and will include a diversity of crops and livestock to promote good health for the soil and all living things.

Rare livestock breeds and heritage fruits and vegetables are another passion of ours. We are saddened to see so many breeds and wonderful cultivars becoming extinct in our "one size fits all" society, and we hope to create a haven for some of these farm treasures to survive for the next generation.

Above all, we want to create a community with our shareholders and farm customers. Without you, who would we be farming for? Our vision is a farm in which shareholders become friends and group cookouts and potlucks are a frequent occurence.

We hope you will join us!

The Vision for Wild at Heart Farm

The mission of Wild at Heart Farm is to produce the most nutritious food possible in a sustainable manner while actively participating in the local community and economy.

Our vision is much deeper: imagine a beautiful place, filled with flowers, happy animals, and good friends. That is our farm. We wish to operate on a farm-share basis for our raw milk and meats, and we see want to see our shareholders as our friends. Our goal is to host frequent cook outs and family days to get everyone together and inspire a sense of community and belonging to Wild at Heart Farm. We aim to have a garden spot for everyong to participate in, and take vegetables as their family needs. It is important to us that our nutritious food is accessible to everyone, so we will donate surplus to members of the community that cannot afford it, as well as offer work shares so that more people can afford it. We also want to sponsor classes to teach folks how to become more self-sufficient. We want to be a farm that does a great deal of good for the local community and economy.

Because we desire to be a big part of a community, we are seeking to do this with as little debt and bank interferance as possible through sales of farm shares, cow shares, and a fundraiser. You can help if you like! Email me at briannawrench at yahoo dot com for info on how to get involved.

We can make this happen!

Introducing: Wild at Heart Farm

We have been taking steps in faith lately to bring about our farm, and one post that is way overdue is the name that we have settled on and absorbed as part of us: Wild at Heart. It fits us so completely that there is little doubt that the name of our dream could be anything but that.

We have been doing a lot lately, actually. I have completed the first draft of our business plan for a cow-share dairy, as well as put several feelers out there for land.

See, I always had this "order" in my head that things had to go: 1st, money to buy/rent; 2nd, marketing; 3rd, find customers, begin farming.

But now I have realized that tough times call for extremely creative measures, and only people that show perseverance in being creative will really make it. So we're doing things a little different for Wild at Heart Farm. :)