The Woman Hobby Farmer E-Book

Karen Lanier

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 361

Beschreibung

Hobby farming is alive and thriving in semi-rural, suburban, and rural areas across the country, and female farmers have been cited as the fastest growing sector within the farming community in recent years. With more than 1 million women in the United States and Canada describing farming as their primary source of income, and many more for whom hobby farming is just that—a hobby—the time is right for a publication dedicated to hobby farming from a female perspective. Written for women, by a woman, this insightful volume is packed with stories and advice from women hobby farmers and looks at female-specific farming challenges as well as issues that all farmers face.Inside The Woman Hobby Farmer:•Discussions on the who, what, why, and where of hobby farming•Deciding on your farming goals and making a plan•What to expect in your new endeavor•How to decide what to plant and prepare your planting sites•Advice on feeding, caring for, and housing different types of livestock•A look at "agripreneurship"—running and marketing your hobby farm as a successful business•Stories, quotes, and advice from successful female hobby farmers

Leseprobe

The Woman Hobby Farmer

CompanionHouse Books™ is an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishers International Ltd.

Project Team

Editorial Director: Christopher Reggio

Editor: Amy Deputato

Copy Editor: Laura Taylor

Design: Mary Ann Kahn

Index: Elizabeth Walker

Copyright © 2017 Fox Chapel Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishing, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

Print ISBN 978-1-62008-260-7

eBook ISBN 978-1-62008-261-4

This book has been published with the intent to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter within. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein. The techniques and suggestions are used at the reader’s discretion and are not to be considered a substitute for veterinary care. If you suspect a medical problem, consult your veterinarian.

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Introduction

Welcome, Women

This book is a place to explore the feminine side of working with the land. It is for any gender and any level of farmer or gardener. The gentle wisdom shared here penetrates across boundaries. Why, then, do we need a book about women farmers?

When I first began researching for this book, I delved into the gender issue because I didn’t want to make assumptions about who is biased against whom, what feminism is all about, and why being female makes someone a minority in the field of agriculture. If you take a quick look at the list of references at the back of this book, you’ll see that my research led me to exploring gender identity. With farming, an endeavor that can be deeply soul-fulfilling at one moment and can bring up shame and guilt the next, it helps if we gain a deeper understanding of women in agriculture and build supportive relationships to do this work well. Farming requires your whole self, and the more you can see that self for what it is rather than what others have labeled it as, the truer you can be to your calling. It doesn’t take much for food to grow, but consciously planting the social and environmental seeds for future generations of female farmers—and for all human beings—to flourish will be truly, deeply, and genuinely nourishing.

In my quest to understand and connect with more women who work the land, I interviewed farmers and gardeners: some I’ve known for years, some I’ve just recently met, some I only spoke to long-distance, and one I’ve known my entire life. I also attended the Southeast Wise Women’s Herbal Conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Immersed in the diversity I found there, I forgot that I was around only women. I heard their stories and learned from their generations of accumulated knowledge. In a place where trust is assumed, it is so much easier to share and learn. This is the power of finding your community and settling into it. This book will give you some ideas about how to create or join a trusting community where you can give and receive food, medicine, and knowledge.

Living in a bubble of love and protection where wise women nurture and teach us is possible at times, yet we also have to deal with the uncomfortable realities of going it alone, getting confused with conflicting information, and facing fears that threaten to stop us from following our desire to grow food and/or raise animals. Progressing in any chosen path calls for crossing boundaries, dealing with discomfort, and stepping up into a leadership role when it’s called for. In this book, we’ll take a look at how some of our farming sisters handle challenges and gain confidence from understanding that many of these barriers are invisible, imagined, and easily dissolved.

If you look around at those who inspire you, what are they doing with their lives? When you think about your future, does it look like a typical retirement? When you assess the talents and skills you have accumulated thus far, can you imagine unique combinations that don’t necessarily fit into a box? We all have so much to offer and the potential to grow in healthy ways. Identifying your personal boundaries, where you won’t compromise, can actually open up an immense freedom to explore the ways you can live every day to its fullest. At the risk of sounding like a self-help author, I want to encourage you to always keep your values and intentions a strong priority, no matter what work you do with your life. Our work does not define who we are. We define the meaning of our work.

There is no “normal” farm anymore. Regardless of widespread industrial factory farming, a new wave is rising throughout cities, suburbs, and the countryside. Think permaculture, agroforestry, aquaponics, urban vertical farming. A farm is anything but a series of straight lines, and the same goes for a farmer (curves are nice, aren’t they?). The farm of the 1950s did not look like the farm of the 1850s, and we can define what the farm of 2050 becomes. We are poised at an exciting time in which anything is possible. Hemp or hazelnuts can power our machines. Farmers can sell oak logs inoculated with shiitake spores, and customers can be co-owners and harvest their own food. Scarcity does not define our market or our future. Nothing is set in stone, and everything can be as fluid as you choose or as nature intends. Listen to what the land wants. She would like this to be a continuing conversation with you.

This book does not attempt to provide the specific instructions on how to plant, raise, harvest, preserve, and sell. Farming, whether for fun or profit, and its diverse interpretations are much too expansive to fit in any single book. Many great resources exist to provide specific instructions on growing crops and raising livestock. The evergreen advice of “consult your local agricultural extension agent” is one very valuable tip that I can pass on to you. Not only will the knowledge of your local cooperative extension cost you less than this book, it will be exactly what you need for your growing zone and microclimate. There are volunteer Master Gardeners in every state just waiting to lend you a hand, whether you are in a rural or urban setting.

In this book, you will find a wealth of wisdom, the kind that normally doesn’t come in written form but through years of mentorship, trial and error, and hands-on learning. Without those types of knowledge, growth in your garden or in your soul will not amount to much.

If you are a female who is interested in supporting a feminine approach to agriculture, curious about what women’s strengths as farmers are, or drawn to the idea of balancing all aspects of your inner and outer self, this book has something for you. You need not be a hobby farmer, a serious gardener, or a woman to effect change in your own body, community, and environment. The women in this book bring you opportunities to explore the hidden mysteries of natural cycles and our intuitive connections that help us get in sync with nature and with each other to grow food and to grow personally with ease.

Chapter 1: Assessments

“Idealism is good and you want to hold onto that to a degree, because that’s how you make change in the world and achieve your dreams. But you also have to have some structure to it.”

—Jessica Ballard, GreenHouse17

First Steps: Getting Real

Planning is an action step. Never underestimate the importance of thinking through a task, a project, an interest, even a small whim. Daydreams belong in the toolbox, along with phone numbers, recipes, spades, and hoes. Farming on any scale is about bringing a seed to fruition, be it a literal seed of a plant, or a metaphorical seed of an idea. Seeds of all kinds require time and nurturing. They cannot be hurried along until they are ready and the conditions are right, and they also can be surprisingly forgiving, tough, and resilient when the odds are stacked against them.

No matter where you are along the spectrum of farming experience, all of the stages this chapter will explore are worth looking into. Rather than thinking of any type of life experience as a linear progression from point A to point B, try to view these phases as spiraling around, and you can find yourself recognizing your plans and projects as fitting various points along these cycles. You can (and really ought to) revisit the earlier stages occasionally to see how you can refresh your point of view, especially in times when you may feel stuck or particularly challenged.

The exercises in this section begin with a quick, shoot-from-the-hip question to prompt your intuition. Jot down your ideas in the space provided on the pages, or designate a specific farming journal. Thinking and analyzing will come in due time. Along the way, absorb the examples and stories to stimulate your imagination, start conversations, compare notes, or even see how not to do something.

There are as many different ways to farm as there are farmers. Everyone is doing it right to some extent. Some are doing it right for the greater good of a sustainable planet; others are working for the good of their own children’s future. Some may be doing it to benefit their retirement fund, while their neighbors may be doing it to honor the legacy of the generations before them. These reflect the personal and relationship values that guide decisions on a daily basis. The more conscious and deliberate we are about directing our actions to be aligned with our values, the more likely we are to reach our goals and live a fulfilling life. This applies to anyone, farmer or not.

Planning: Want, Know, and Have

To put it into terms that relate directly to your farm, this chapter takes you through a simple process of assessing your situation and identifying what is important to you. In short, we’ll discover the answers to three important questions:

• What do you want?

• What do you know?

• What do you have?

The overall goal is to want what you have and to have what you want. Our farmer stories and your self-evaluations will help you discover ways to move in that direction.

Want

What do you want?

This question is intentionally vague. Think and feel broadly, and don’t limit yourself to ideas about farming or gardening. What do you really want in your life? Your heart’s desires. Your gut instinct. Your longings and needs. If you are struggling to come up with anything, sit in a quiet place and listen to what bubbles to the surface. Take as long as you need.

What was the first thing you came up with? Write it down now. Don’t think, just write. Complete sentences are not necessary. Doodles and drawings are welcome.

This is not a time to overthink and analyze. Your subconscious knows, so let it be free here. Daydreams and fantasies are allowed, but try to focus on your deepest and strongest impulses rather than passing whims. What has been nagging at you? What have you been ignoring? What do you know you would be capable of if only you had a chance to try it? If you need to let out a lot of ideas and emotions, scribble away. Again, take as long as you need.

Now close this book and let it sit for a day or two, but not longer than a week.

Look at these beautiful desires. They are what you value: your priorities, your hopes, and what you esteem as important and necessary. Carry them with you, leave notes to yourself, and send yourself text messages with these words. Make cute signs and decorate your walls with them. Just do whatever it takes to keep these precious gems in sight so that they guide you and remind you of what you truly want.

Welcome back. Take another look at your wants.

What pops out at you, rises to the surface, grabs your attention? Circle or highlight it. What did you write that you don’t really want? Cross it out. Can any of them be combined? Are any contradicting each other? Are any a prerequisite for meeting another want, need, or desire? Pull out your main ideas and write them here:

Connect and Find Support

www.thegreenhorns.net

The Greenhorns are a fun and diverse group based in New York. They are reaching the nontraditional farming crowd with their media and outreach events, and their collaborative and inclusive approach is catching on nationwide.

www.farmhack.org

Farm Hack is exactly what folks who need tools and machinery need to know about. It is an open-source community that primarily lives online, but its events are popping up in rural and urban farm sites everywhere.

www.wfan.org

Women Food and Ag Network (WFAN) provides a listing of regional networks to connect women in sustainable agriculture. (Psst! Hey, farmer men! If you want to avoid dating websites and aren’t afraid of strong women, you may want to get involved in some of these networks as well.)

www.nal.usda.gov/afsic

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) provides many resources for beginning farmers, including the hows and whys of running a small business. AFSIC also specifically addresses women and minorities in agriculture.

www.fsa.usda.gov

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers its Microloan Program, and its website states that it is designed to “serve the unique financial operating needs of beginning, niche, and the smallest of family farm operations.”

https://nifa.usda.gov/Extension

Your local agricultural cooperative extension office keeps tabs on the grants available to small farmers. Watch for educational opportunities designed not only to teach you the latest on topics such as ecological pest management but also to help you meet supportive farmers in your community.

Farming for One

If you are now trying to farm on your own, or if you just feel that way sometimes, finding a sense of confidence and belonging in a field that has traditionally revolved around patriarchal families can be particularly challenging. The good news is that you are not alone.

Jessica Ballard made a decision to begin college as a single mother who found her passion in farming. Her favorite college professor assigned Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. For extra credit, Jessica was tasked with writing a mission statement for herself with goals for the next five to ten years. Jessica remembers, “All the other students turned in theirs in the next class. I took the whole semester. It was so important to me to be intentional.”

She sat by herself and pondered why she wanted to farm. Her journey had begun in culinary school, and she felt deeply drawn to caring for the earth as well as wanting people to eat well. She says now, “I wrote out little goals, like get off food stamps, find a community garden to work in, maintain an agricultural job. Everything I wrote ten years ago has come about.” She is glad she had a professor who encouraged her to create a strategy to move toward her goals.

Jessica’s passion for farming led her to help other women through working the land.

Storey Slone readily admits, “I was a really rebellious young person. My foray into agriculture began with figuring out how to not be dependent on others, the government, and consumerism.” Like many new farmers, Storey is a single female who is not inheriting any family farm. She has tried hard to bravely go it alone, and she recently made the decision to finish her college life before starting her farm life. At age twenty-five, she has earned an associate’s degree in sustainable agriculture, worked for three different single female farmers, started a gardening club with more than 100 members, and, for an entire year, actively looked for someone to farm with by posting ads and networking like crazy. Her breaking point may have been when she went to lease land from a man, and he said, “Is it just you? We’re really looking for a couple.”

Storey’s decision was partially a financial one. “I honestly don’t mind if I have to work a job if I get to come home to a farm, whether I’m single or with someone.” At Sterling College in Vermont, her self-designed major in sustainable agriculture and integrated forestry is grooming her for a foundation in an outdoor career so she can support her farming habit. She plans to return to her home state of Kentucky when she finishes. “My goal is not to get rich farming. I really want to make Appalachian products and create a sustainable model for others.”

Marlena Bolin credits her decision to become a farmer to a doctor who advised her to change her eating habits for the sake of her own health. She shifted away from processed foods and toward nutrient-dense vegetables. Her immune system improved tremendously. She reflects, “Perhaps it’s a sense of duty that pushed me to pursue a career in farming. I wanted to contribute to the health of nearby groundwater, wildlife, and air quality.”

Marlena rents two acres and grows more than thirty types of vegetables, specializing in heirloom tomatoes. Over her first five years in farming, she has discovered her deep roots in agriculture. Marlena says now, at age twenty-eight, that she is uncovering her heritage. “It wasn’t until I took up farming did I learn of the rich family farm history that ran in my blood. I’ve been delighted to carry it on despite the lack of mentorship or the promise of inherited land or equipment.”

She recounts a story that gets to the heart of what lone farmers fear most: sustaining an injury when nobody is around. “I got pinned between a tractor tire and a tiller once,” she remembers. “It wasn’t engaged, thankfully. I was able to shift the tiller away from me and squeeze out. I had a bruise from hell and didn’t work at all the next day. I still have a tiny scar from the impact.”

Marlena finds support in the Community Farm Alliance, Kentucky’s grassroots network that does a great job of making friends for farmers. Workshops, conferences, and social events provide venues for formal partnerships and informal tailgate conversations. Learning about grants and programs offered by nearby universities has opened more doors for Marlena. She explains, “I’m opening up more land for additional CSA (community-supported agriculture) members and wholesale sales. I’m planning on hiring one full-time person to carry out major farm activities. I’m increasing my value-added products to [include] marinara, sun-dried tomatoes, and other shelf-stable goodies.” Marlena is also planning on buying property in a few years where she can build some infrastructure, such as greenhouses, which renting won’t allow.

Infrastructure is a common challenge that single farmers, new or experienced, deal with. In her mid-fifties, Susana Lein has been building up Salamander Springs Farm one block at a time, and she molded those blocks with her own two hands. Thirteen years after finding very affordable yet very inaccessible land, Susana has created a model off-the-grid sustainable lifestyle without going into debt.

Susana found a niche in growing heirloom popcorn, beans, herbs, and other vegetables. She says, “The corn has been one of my best and most famous things, but I didn’t want to assume it ahead of starting.” She started small and tried out a variety of crops. Now she teaches others to do the same.

Susana relies on her two capable hands and a supportive community.

With more than thirty years of farming experience, Susana is transitioning into teaching and writing by hosting permaculture and natural-building workshops as well as traveling to conferences. She says that the national network of organic, biodynamic, and permaculture organizations provides peers with whom she connects to exchange information and to grow personally.

Apprentices and WWOOFers (members of Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) make up her seasonal family and labor force, and her reputation as a powerhouse is well known in the community near Berea, Kentucky. Susana credits this very community with keeping her sane through the trials and tribulations of farming solo. “People up and down the creek barter for things like raw milk and provide emotional support, which is so important. We’re not an island, and you really can’t farm solo.” She continues, “Some people build up the land and don’t build up the community. The only way to live sustainably is to share everybody’s crops and everybody’s talents.”

Relationships and Farming

Charting your course is not so simple for women who aren’t single. Identifying personal values and goals is only the first step. In a partnership, be it household or business, our individual needs and values must be balanced or supported by the relationship, an entity that exists with its own distinct principles and demands.

Rachael and Brent Dupree spontaneously bought a 50-acre farm just a few months before their wedding date. While they have their whole lives ahead of them to figure out what they want to do together on that farm, their preliminary discussions revealed separate but complementary values. Rachael explained, “I care more about cooking and growing my own food, and he sees this property as a [financial] investment monetarily. We both see it as a happiness investment. I see it more as a way of life investment—how we can better the world—and I’m more dreamy about what it is we’re doing.”

I asked her if she would have done it alone. “Not 50 acres! I never expected it to be more than 5 or 10 acres. I would have gardened on my own, but it’s better with another person. If he wasn’t super excited about it, then it wouldn’t happen.”

Rachael and Brent on their wedding day.

Melissa Calhoun met her match when she was a young apprentice on an organic farm in Maine. The man who would become her husband was studying to be a farmer, and she fell for him while she was falling in love with the freshness of the garden. (This was Melissa’s first time really tasting farm-fresh beets and peas.) Ten years later, growing challenges in the couple’s divergent ideas on how to support a farm business culminated in their separation.

Many women hold down full-time jobs to support their partner’s farm business, and in Melissa’s case, she moved to a different state with her husband, who tried to make a serious business from organic farming. The couple bought property and, with three friends, established an intentional community. Melissa felt the strain of meeting her own needs in the midst of all this. “I felt like I was doing a lot of life changing, so income wasn’t really on the top of my list. It never occurred to me that maybe I should make money to support his farming. Maybe it occurred to him…that [it] would have been nice for him to have a partner who supports him. I know a lot of farmers who do.”

Melissa’s story continues, now solo, three years after the divorce and the exodus of the members of her small community. She has the forested property to herself, where she practices herbalism with her own unique approach. Melissa muses, “People used to cut things down. Now it’s only me, and I get to decide what lives and what gets moved away.”

My Aunt Judy shared a great example of why it’s important to discuss the values of both members in a partnership, not only in terms of an overall lifestyle but also in the way that they handle projects. They needed a fence. She and her six children were at home on the farm while her husband, James, worked on a cattle ranch. Judy and the kids got busy building a fence with some big timbers, and they all had to pitch in to move them into place, figure things out, and cooperate. It took a long time, but they got it done, and when James came home, Judy was very proud of their accomplishment.

James took a look at the fence and then went to one end and looked down the fence line. Judy was surprised. “He asked me if I had eyeballed it. I didn’t know what he meant, and then he showed me. Our fence was all crooked.” It was not something they had paid attention to, and she didn’t realize she even needed to.

“I got it done, the animals were in—shouldn’t he have been happy?” Judy continued, “It didn’t matter to me, but he liked precision and wanted straight lines. It mattered to him because it was a reflection of his place. We learned what’s important to the other person by working back and forth with each other.”

Families should check their expectations that the children will carry on the farming torch. For Judy’s half-dozen, who grew up with goats, horses, chickens, and a garden, the results are mixed. Her daughter Elizabeth thinks goats are just a problem, but she has always had a passion for horses that she is now turning into a business.

Melissa does it all on her farm.

Judy remembers, “That was something I originally wanted to do, but it wasn’t so much for me because there was so much to learn to get there. She’s had a start with it that I didn’t have, and she’s got a natural talent for it.” Judy admires how Elizabeth has taken her passion and honed it through dedicated training.

Judy’s other daughter, Rachael, doesn’t see horses or any farm animals as necessities, but she enjoys them casually and recognizes how enriching they’ve been in her life. If her kids want them, then she’ll accommodate them, but for pleasure only. One of Rachael’s daughters already displays a deep affection for horses and by age two was spending a great deal of time interacting with horses by her grandfather’s side and riding with her Aunt Elizabeth’s guidance.

Judy’s sons also developed distinct opinions about having livestock. Benjamin and Nathaniel both would like to have animals if someone else takes care of them. But Judy was surprised to learn recently that Samuel, a burly yet sensitive welder, loves chickens. “He likes just having them around. He likes their noise, watching the way they scavenge, and it just soothes him.”

A few of Aunt Judy’s herd.

Daniel, Judy’s first child, was the reason she became a goat farmer. He had an allergy to cow’s milk, so the family who had never farmed before got goats. Not all parents would take that leap to provide fresh milk for their babies. As a military man in his forties now, Daniel still craves goat’s milk. Judy shared this anecdote to describe the lengths he would go to: “Daniel was overseas in Hungary, and he could not check out a vehicle but could check out a bicycle. So he got a bike and rode a few miles down the road to find a goat dairy to get the resource that he valued.”

For this family, the entertainment value outweighed the feed, vet, and fencing costs of having horses and other animals. Judy recalls, “When they were kids, when we watched and observed the way they interacted with horses, we knew they needed it. Against everybody saying it’s too expensive.” Judy and James saw beyond that. “There was something they needed from that environment—responsibility, but not only that—a place to interact, create a relationship with responsibility, and enjoyment.”

Look back at the list of your main wishes and desires. Have your partner complete the same exercise. Compare your list with your partner’s. What overlaps? Where are there points of conflict or concern?

Work together to create a new list of five main desires for your relationship.

Now, how do these words connect to farming? Those qualities that you hunger for—which of them can be satiated through working with the land, raising animals, harvesting wild herbs, or canning and preserving? In what ways will building a greenhouse or planting a food forest bring you closer to your dreams? Brainstorm about each of your five main wishes and how they tie into your ideal farming lifestyle.

Lisa shares the fruits (and vegetables) of her labor at farmers’ markets. Expressing Your Values

Alvina Maynard loves the farming lifestyle for her young children but is grateful that her farm lies just minutes from an interstate that connects her to the city. Her alpaca farm is not simply a space for her kids to enjoy a farming lifestyle—it incorporates her mission to change the way consumers affect the textile industry. When I visited her farm, she was conducting a tour for college students majoring in product development and fashion. Alvina has done her homework, and she strongly believes that she can make a difference. “You have a 300-percent increase in textile waste since the 1980s. Three hundred percent that’s going into landfills. Most of that is synthetic fiber. You all are going into fields that are going to influence change so that we can have more sustainable textiles,” she told the wide-eyed students on the tour.

Even for educated and environmentally conscious consumers, we are much less aware of the environmental impact, the sustainability, and the human-rights issues that touch our skin through our wardrobe. “The timing is right in terms of natural fibers. We’re paying more attention to where food comes from, so now I can leverage that traction: where do your clothes come from?” Alvina’s question is difficult to answer, but she doesn’t shy away from difficult conversations. She believes in bringing this conversation to the forefront, to the general consumer, so that we realize the impact of our dollars, which can either support a sustainable, healthy future or support the continuation of damaging the earth and its inhabitants.

Lisa Munniksma’s values are reflected in working with animals. “Livestock farming is important because I don’t eat meat unless I know where it came from. I do believe animals are here for a purpose but also that they should live the best lives they can possibly live while they are fulfilling their purpose. I realize that people are not going to stop eating meat. But I want to give people the option of eating meat that comes from animals that are truly cared for and that live sustainably.”

Sometimes the longing to work on a farm is there, but we don’t know why. We can’t foresee where the path will lead us. While Lisa had a history of enjoying horses and working with them, it wasn’t until she committed to owning one that her normal life became a farm life. It began with a passion that surpassed logic and led to a deeper understanding of what it would require of her. “I loved horses first and then figured out how to manage the equipment I needed. I got a horse, so then I got a truck and trailer. I couldn’t rely on other people to drive me around, and I had to learn to be self-reliant.”

Lisa trained with a couple who she credits with changing her life as much as her decision (years later) to leave her full-time job to travel and farm. They helped her see the therapeutic qualities of working with an animal. Lisa admits that she had a “problem” horse. “It turned out that I was a ‘problem’ person and would have had the same problems if I got another horse today.”

Know

What do you know?

Quickly jot down as many things as you can think of about your own knowledge of farming.

In preparation for talking with the women I interviewed for this book, I made a list of questions that would help me get a baseline understanding of their experience in the field. You can use the same questions in your self-assessment. Answer the following as thoroughly as possible.

What is your primary role or title?

Other roles or titles?

How long have you been in your primary role?

Who else farms/gardens with you?

Where and how did you learn your skills? Please describe briefly.

Did you grow up in a farming family?

Formal education:

Apprenticeships or internships:

Mentors:

Self-taught skills:

Other (conferences, trainings):

What resources do you wish you had when you first began farming?

What resources do you wish you had once you’d gained some experience but still needed help?

What resources do you still need today?

Conferences

Every season brings its gifts, and with winter comes farm conferences. When the fields are put to bed, learning and networking opportunities blossom across the United States. Conferences are efficient ways to learn new skills, explore potential markets, network with the farming community, and pick up new ideas. You can attend the EcoFarm Conference in California, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Conference in Wisconsin, the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference, the North American Biodynamic Conference, or the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) Conference in Kentucky, to name just a few.

Getting away from the farm for even a few days can be tricky. You may need to find responsible animal caretakers, justify travel expenses, buy tickets, and pay for hotels. All of that trouble, and it’s not even a vacation! Or is it? If you work it right, you can have fun, learn, meet new people, and experience a different region’s culture, which adds up to a worthwhile investment in your farm business.

Here are some ways to make the most of a conference before, during, and after the trip. If you read no further, this one simple tip will pay off: take notes.

Before the Conference

Be purposeful. Think about what you are doing well and what you really want to learn. Consider the past year’s successes and write down a few main trouble spots. Consider whether these issues are geographical, biological, philosophical, or business-related. Consider why you are farming and what kind of moral support will boost you. Contemplate ways in which you’d like to challenge yourself and ways in which you hope to grow.

Choose wisely. Look through the conference schedule, including pre- and post-conference workshops or field trips. Consider whether a single day would cover your interests or if it would be worth the money to register for multiple days. Is there a cancellation policy? Is transportation offered for off-site sessions? Are hotel rooms available at discounted rates for conference attendees and, if so, is there a deadline to make reservations?

Consider whether you want to bring along the family or if you’d rather embark on a solo personal-development journey. If you want to visit family or friends and make a vacation out of it, look for good workshops or conferences in their area and then plan to stay a few days longer for socializing and sightseeing.

If you are staying overnight, you might want to treat yourself to a Jacuzzi and room service in the hotel. Or you could round out your farm-networking experience by staying at a nearby farm bed-and-breakfast, where you could learn a thing or two. Check out www.farmstayus.com.

During the Conference

Come prepared. Presenters appreciate when attendees ask thought-provoking questions. If you have your list of questions and you know what you came for, you’ll be a good student. Balance your main goal with curiosity and imagination. Find something you’ve always been interested in but have never tried, and attend a session on that topic with an open mind.

Be flexible. Sometimes golden moments happen between formal sessions, when folks are milling around, chatting, and the pressure is off. Presenters can speak candidly over lunch or at the bar, and you could get personalized answers and meaningful conversations with both the presenters and the attendees who represent different perspectives.

Conference such as Southeast Wise Women offer a supportive, female-only environment. After the Conference

Debrief and share. You may feel overwhelmed with all of the new information and ideas you come away with. Before returning to your normal schedule, take the time to write up your notes. Summarize ideas and organize papers so you can find them again. Hold a short meeting with your family or workers to discuss what you’ve learned.

Look back at the initial questions you prepared for the conference, and choose one of the things that you learned. Make a plan to apply that skill or concept to your farm practice for the next six months, with weekly check-ins. Hold yourself accountable to just that one thing and take note of what happens.

What Is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a holistic design system based on natural ecosystems. The word permaculture indicates a permanence in culture, and it is most often applied specifically to agricultural systems. However, the ethics of permaculture—earth care, people care, and fair share—encompass much more than growing food sustainably.

Earth care focuses on observing ecological functions and recognizing our place in the system as we design gardens, farms, organizations, or households that work with the flow of energy and resources. People care refers to a basic need to sustain humanity, whether in the context of a global need to feed the world or as local priorities, such as paying a fair wage and creating work environments that support people without harming the earth. Fair share is also called return the surplus, meaning that we don’t take more than we need from the productive systems, and we limit consumption while distributing the surplus equitably. In permaculture, we reinvest our profits, whether it’s through composting food scraps, saving seeds, or paying employees. The purpose of a permaculture system is to proactively regenerate, repair, and strengthen the earth, just as the earth provides for our needs. Woven throughout the three ethics are intertwining philosophies of social justice, human rights, and environmental stewardship, and twelve guiding principles shape the permaculturalist’s approach to designing a system.

1. Observe and interact: Before you can begin to modify your environment, you must understand its patterns and possibilities and be able to watch and work with nature’s cues. Return to this primary principle again and again.

2. Catch and store energy: The cycles of nature rule our bodies, our days, our animals, and our plants. Notice when resources and by-products are most abundant and plan your action to maximize their potential.

3. Obtain a yield: Our systems must be reciprocal to be sustainable. A yield is not limited to a monetary profit or the fruit that a tree bears. Yields could be knowledge gained from firsthand experience, physical renewal from outdoor work, improved water and air quality from green plants, and community consciousness through collaborative work.

4. Self-regulate and accept feedback: Solutions arise organically out of problems if you take the time and interest to understand the situation. Sense what is out of harmony and recognize your own role. Take your cues from nature’s tendency to create balance, and modify your behaviors to enhance homeostasis.

5. Use and value nature’s gifts: The services nature provides are beyond measure and can strengthen a system on many levels. Learn about the most abused and least appreciated ecosystems in your area and restore a portion of your property. Imagine relying on animal power rather than fossil fuels. Learn how to responsibly utilize potentially renewable resources (sun, wind, hydro) as your system’s allies.

6. Create no waste: Nature has no discards; everything is of value. Compost, recycle, reuse, repurpose, and upcycle everything you use. Reduce or eliminate anything that cannot be “digested” by your system. If you can’t use something in your system, connect with another system that can.

7. Design from patterns to details: Energy efficiency and productive functions result from well-designed forms. Branching, spiraling, and triangular patterns show up in nature everywhere. Cultural patterns influence and inspire our systems as well.

8. Integrate, don’t segregate: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Inclusion of diverse people strengthens social dynamics in a community garden. The elements of a homestead can support each other if each part serves many purposes.

9. Small and slow solutions: Slow food, slow money, and slow fashion are examples of movements embodying the idea that a healthy lifestyle is dependent on making clear-headed, premeditated decisions that will affect change in incremental, yet powerful, ways.

10. Value diversity: Diversity is the backup plan to the backup plan, or intentional redundancy. We can expand the limits of our systems by integrating a variety of plants, animals, structures, and ideas that bring unique attributes and overlap functions.

11. Mind the margins: Action begins on the fringe of a system, which often supports the most vibrancy and diversity of life. Permaculture has arisen as a marginal concept from a variety of mainstream disciplines, including philosophy, architecture, landscape design, forestry, agriculture, and economic development.

12. Creatively respond to change: We are cultivators, indicators, observers, and participants with nature and the systems we design that mimic and maximize nature’s gifts. When we are in sync with our vision, our space, and our community, we can intervene at the right time as we refine our creative course.

Permaculture is founded on respect and reverence for the soil, air, water, and plants that our ancestors formed relationships with from the beginning of humanity. Its goal is to utilize the tools we modern humans have not only to simply sustain our current level of consumption but also to enjoy a lifestyle of fruitful and mindful prosperity that restores and regenerates the health and stability of all life.

The Ring of Knowledge

The following is a modified version of a post the author wrote for the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group’s blog, SSAWG BLAWG, www.ssawg.org/ssawg-blawg, published on March 15, 2016.

I don’t expect to feed the world or even fill a shelf in a grocery store. I do expect to grow most of my own food and share a surplus. My plan is to steadily increase my skills and growing space until I have a full larder consisting largely of homegrown food. I’m sure I can do it. I want to do it. Do I know how to do it? Well, yes and no. That’s why I went to the 2016 SSAWG conference—to learn enough to feed myself and share the surplus of information with readers.

In my blog posts, I’ll recap what I learned at the SSAWG conference, where a diverse field of topics enticed farmers of all levels of experience to enrich their knowledge, hone their skills, and boost their motivation to farm for the greater good.

On the first morning of SSAWG conference sessions, Joel Salatin drew a big crowd. I, on the other hand, drew circles. Three rings, overlapping in the middle. This simple Venn diagram would become a symbol of my farming future.

“If time and money were not an issue, what would you do tomorrow?” Joel challenged his audience with this question, and I followed his instructions. I wrote the words love inside one circle, good at inside another, and know inside the third.

Just because I know a lot about something doesn’t mean I’m good at it. Just because I’m good at something doesn’t mean I love to do it. And so forth. Joel’s goal with this exercise was to encourage movement toward the center of the diagram, where the rings overlap. This simple reminder becomes a compass, guiding me toward the sweet spot in the middle of those three realms. The focus area is the place where what I love, what I’m good at, and what I know how to do all come together.

My current relationship with farming falls outside of the center of the three rings. I know a lot about organic farming, and I love to work outdoors with plants and animals, but I have far less hands-on experience with growing food successfully.

I was an armchair farmer in the high desert and dusty plains of the West, reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle