In the 8 years we’ve lived on our farm, each summer, it seems, we invest in 1 or 2 large pieces of farm equipment. Our first purchase was a hay rake, then a sickle bar, then a baler. After that, we got a tractor-size rototiller, another sickle bar, a hay wagon and only this spring […]

Tapping our Sugar Maple trees is the first sign of spring here on our Michigan farm. It’s always one of those sunny days where everything is dripping. And even though it’s only 45 degrees, it feels like t-shirt weather.   One of these years we will sell our maple syrup. We usually end up with […]

Geese are some of my favorite animals to have on the homestead. They have this regal-stoic quality as they waltz around the property. Head held high, lower beak up, like they are over-looking their lowly subjects.   Despite their looks, our geese were incredibly friendly and would let you feed them out of your hand. […]

I went to Goodwill yesterday to drop off a trunk full of items to donate. The line was so long that I decided to go to lunch first and try again later. Evidently, everyone is thinking the same thing. It’s a new year and time to start fresh. I’ve seen more organizational ads and commercials […]

The seed catalogs are coming in. Last night I enjoyed a cup of tea and a good look through the Seed Savers catalog, one of my favorite seed companies. Seed Savers isn’t just my favorite because of all of the amazing seeds that they offer, but also because their non-profit business plan is amazing! To […]

We’ve all heard the optimist phrase that “it’s what is on the inside that counts…” and that may be true when it comes to people. However, when it comes to business people are not always willing to spend a lot of time “getting to know” your product. Clear concise branding can help your customer to […]

We all wish that we could go back to our younger selves and give some advice. For example, I’d like to tell my 20-year-old self to get married sooner, have kids younger and save more. Although we can’t go back in time, we can learn from those who have lived before us, and who have […]

For many of us, we are perfectly content to just be on our farm and that is the best life for us.   I’ve heard that George Washington said: “I had rather be on my farm than emperor of the world.”   There is also the saying that it is wise to create a life […]

For many of us, the dream of owning a farm takes a while. There’s property to purchase, things to save for, job positions to consider, current living conditions to sell, contracts to fulfill…it can seem like it’s taking forever to get to finally get to your homestead.   This “waiting for your life to begin” […]

Many times networking can be hard for rural folk. Most of us are trying to get away from the hustle and bustle…away from all the people. We hole up on our property with our gardens and our animals and go into town once a week to get the essentials. But the funny thing is, that […]