Discovering your familial past through ordinary objects will enrich your knowledge of the many who came before you. Open up that attic or dust off that trunk and see what you uncover.

A self-sufficient lifestyle is fulfilling, but not as simple as it first appears. Someone who visits your homestead might see your garden, chickens and compost pile and think to themselves, “This doesn’t seem so complicated,” but as you know, it takes a lot of work. Especially when you’re on a budget and still need to […]

Monday, April 15 is around the corner, which means it’s time to prepare your taxes for the last calendar year. Unlike other career paths, a farmer’s filing might require a bit more finesse, especially with so many changes being implemented in 2018. While I’m by no means a tax professional, here’s what farmers can expect […]

A successful homestead typically has multiple income streams, and that means many things to attend to, especially in the spring. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to take care of everything that needs attention. This is especially true for me this time of year. […]

No matter where you live or what stage of development your business is in, there will always be rules and regulations you must be aware of. As cities, counties, states, and the federal government take action to protect the public, selling homegrown or homemade goods will continue to be regulated. UPDATE!  March 20, 2018 The […]

One of the great things about making a living on your homestead is earning an income doing things you love. But there are some things to keep in mind to successfully transition from hobby to work. If you want your hobby to be a successful business venture, you need to treat it as a business! […]

Setting Up Quickbooks Excerpted from The Farmer’s Office by Julia Shanks The Initial Setup When you first open up QuickBooks, you will want to Create a New Company and select Advanced Setup. QB will guide you through an interview process. Following are the questions QB asks, with my suggestions on how to answer (and set your preferences). You may […]

When did that happen? What day did we do that? How long has it been since we started this? These questions are always popping up around the farm. With lots of things always happening, it can be hard to remember what happened when to whom! And this is where you need something quick, easy, and […]

Excerpted from Market Farming Success by Lynn Bycynski Record-keeping The only way to benefit from your experience is to keep records of everything you do. You may think that you will remember when you planted which variety and when you started to harvest it. And there may be a few geniuses out there who really […]

Excerpted from Homemade For Sale by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko   As a small CFO, you don’t need to spin wheels and spend lots of money to figure out the value and sales viability of your product. Depending on your products, options to connect with your customers and garner actionable information may include: • Follow-up e-mails […]