Imagine that a family with small children comes to your farm one day to purchase some of your products. While there, one of the children picks up your friendly old barn cat. The next thing you know, the child is crying because the cat scratched him. Oh, well, that’s unfortunate, you think, but he’ll be […]

Many farm-related businesses are seasonal. Our farm stand is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend through the end of November each year. It can be quite tricky to have enough inventory to have a nice selection of items for customers without being stuck with more than we need over the winter months. In […]

Crops have always been a source of food and fuel for humans and animals alike. As the population of the former continues to grow and the climate of the planet continues to change, the importance of farm crops rises with every passing year. Why Crop Yields Matter The demand for plant materials not only concerns […]

How to Define your Ideal Customer: Part Two Use our free 3-page worksheet to better understand who your ideal customer is! In my last post, I discussed why it’s so important to know who your ideal customer is. Understanding who they are will allow you to: Stand out in a crowd because your product/service was […]

 Get your homestead hero the perfect gift with this helpful gift guide! Great Reads: Epic Eggs: The Poultry Enthusiast’s Complete and Essential Guide to the Most Perfect Food – By Jennifer Sartell Retails for $16.89 Creating Your Off-Grid Homestead eBook – By Teri Page Are you ready to go off-grid? Creating Your Off-Grid Homestead is […]

A big part of Etsy is the ability to connect buyers with makers. (If you’re not familiar with Etsy, be sure to check out Part 1 of this article!) One of my favorite parts about running the farm stand is meeting my customers face-to-face. While this isn’t possible when you are selling online, Etsy does […]

Every year Zach and I take a tractor ride around the property gathering greens for holiday décor. I used to buy them. Then it dawned on me that we are lucky to have a pretty large selection of wild conifers around our property.   We have some pine trees in the front yard, some bristly […]

We live in Michigan where the lake effect snow can bring in several feet of the white stuff and temperatures often dip below zero. But you won’t hear me complaining.   Don’t get me wrong, I love our life on the farm. Even that hardest days like bringing in the hay crop in 95 degree […]

Professional farmers and ranchers, as well as homesteaders use farm equipment to improve efficiency. While the use of a hand spade may not seem equal to the use of a tractor, both are tools that ensure a greater return on productivity for your efforts. Even with the right equipment, though, it’s important to plant, reap […]