Hobby Farming For Dummies

Theresa A. Husarik

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118052532
• Edition: 1

Do you long for the country life??Get back to nature and feel your toes in the dirt with this friendly guide to a new farming lifestyle

Don't know the first thing about how to handle the basics of small-scale farming, from growing healthy crops to raising livestock and managing your property? Hobby Farming For Dummies is the no-nonsense guide you need to decide what to farm, find the right piece of property, set up utilities, select plants and livestock, protect your investment, and so much more.

You'll get a realistic look into what it really means to move from your current lifestyle to a life farming in the countryside, starting with figuring out if the farming lifestyle is right for you. From what you need to know about maintaining country property to how to access a power supply, you'll get help with major decisions of hobby farming:

• Whether you're better off with subsistence farming or a more ambitious project
• Which outbuildings you'll need for shelter and storage
• What tools are best for various types of farm labor
• Which animals you want to raise and care for
• Where to buy the land and how to acquire it

This comprehensive and user-friendly guide also shows you how to:

• Avoid common farming pitfalls
• Choose plans for your farm
• Get along with your neighbors
• Maintain your equipment and machinery
• Raise and care for animals, including caring for sick or injured animals
• Get creative by turning fiber into scarves and making cheese or yogurt
• Enrich your soil with manure and compost
• Reap the benefits of preserving fruits and vegetables

Additionally, you can read about opportunities for fun in country communities and the top ten misconceptions about farm living.?Grab a copy of Hobby Farming?For Dummies ?and discover how you can live the simple life.

Part I

Hobby Farms 101

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

Oh, the joys and challenges of country life! You can enjoy beautiful scenery, fresh air galore, no long lines of traffic, and lots of quiet. But this life comes with its share of problems, too, such as droughts (or floods) and power outages. Being so far out means you have to be at least somewhat self-sufficient and be prepared for whatever you may encounter.

This part discusses some challenges that a small farmer faces, as well as some of the amenities you may have to provide for yourself as a hobby farmer. It also helps you make the distinction between a for-profit farm and a hobby farm and gives you advice on choosing your property.

Chapter 1

Heading for the Country

In This Chapter

Determining whether this is the life for you

Deciding which operations to get into

Getting ready to go

So you think you want to move away from the hubbub of the city and move to the peaceful life of the country. Doing that offers so many rewarding consequences, but you also have to keep some challenges in mind before taking the plunge and buying the farm. After all, you want it to be a pleasant experience that doesn’t do you in!

One of the best parts of hobby farming is the wonderful feeling of getting your hands dirty, growing a small crop of farm-fresh vegetables, and ending up with something you can actually eat and enjoy. Or perhaps you experience the joy and wonder that occurs after you care for a pair of animals who’ve given birth. You can proudly show off your crops and newborns to your friends and relatives, saying, “Look what I did!”

But the downsides include simple inconveniences such as being farther away from the grocery store, eateries, or even the fire department. Most farm areas are also more exposed to dangerous weather just because they’re out in the open. And then you face the issues that come from drought, insect attacks, and too much work but too little time.

But with all the trade-offs, you just may find the country life is the best thing that ever happened to you and wonder why you didn’t embark on that journey sooner. In this chapter, I touch on some of the pros and cons to consider and point you to other places in the book where you can find more-detailed information.

Analyzing the Lifestyle

Think about why, really, you’re considering the move and the lifestyle change. Are you trying to escape the city, or do you truly enjoy being one with the earth and getting your hands dirty on a daily basis? If escape from city hassles is your motivation, just be aware that you’re trading one set of hassles for another. In this section, you discover some of the pros and cons of country life.

Looking at some drawbacks

Moving from the city or suburbs to the country isn’t always a smooth transition, especially if you decide to build your own place. For instance, if your homestead isn’t close enough to the city’s or county’s services, you may need to get your own propane tank or use some other alternative power source (see Chapter 7), dig a well that can cost several thousand dollars, and set up a septic system to deal with household wastes. Besides the initial costs of building these types of systems, you have to put in time and money to maintain them. Chapters 2 and 3 go into more detail about these utilities.

Even if public services such as power, water, and sewage are available, you’ll still run into some problems — power outages, road washouts, or a drought that can threaten your crops.

Ask yourself whether you’re willing to deal with the trade-offs, such as not having the opera nearby but instead going to the local high school musical for your cultural entertainment. Are you willing to give up short trips to the store for clean air and a quieter life? No traffic for no movie theater around the corner? Chapter 2 discusses some other sacrifices you may not have thought about.

And consider the concept of fitting into the neighborhood. You want to do your thing without making enemies of those who are already up and running. Respect what’s already going on and try not to make big changes that may cause rifts between you and your neighbors (such as deciding you don’t like the odor coming from your neighbor’s pig farm and attending every city council meeting to voice your opinion about it, hoping to get the operation to cease and desist). You can’t always pick your neighbors, and making a big investment in land, animals, and equipment means you can get yourself into a situation where you can’t easily walk away. Look and smell before you buy! Chapter 4 discusses some ways you can ensure you’re a good neighbor.

And of course, farming is hard work. There will always be a fence to mend, an animal shelter to build, or planting and canning to tackle. Although many tasks can wait, some of them have to be done immediately. Much of this book explains what kinds of work you may be taking on.

Looking at a few rural benefits

Despite the challenges and rigors of farm life, you do get some benefits that you don’t find elsewhere — quiet streets, being able to see stars and meteor showers at night, and neighbors who tend to look out for each other and lend a hand when needed.

Growing your own food and knowing just what kinds of processes and chemicals were involved (if any) is one of the joys of farm life. And homegrown fruits and veggies just taste better. After you’ve eaten your own fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, you won’t be satisfied with a store-bought one again.

Having animals can be a lot of fun (but a lot of work as well). You can raise animals merely for the joy they provide, or you can get them to help you in some way — by pulling equipment, giving you meat or fresh eggs, or giving you fiber that you can turn into beautiful fabric.

Envisioning Your Farm

Your motives for moving to a farm, whether you want to raise plants or animals or both, tie in with choosing a location. And if you’re not going solo, a lot of what you decide depends on what the rest of the family has to say, because everyone wants some input on such a big change. The bottom line is that you need to look at a lot of interrelated issues that go into making your farm dream come true. In this section, I discuss these considerations from different angles.

Size matters: Comparing a small hobby farm to a for-profit operation

Whether you’re looking at a true hobby farm as opposed to a fully for-profit farming venture clearly impacts your perspective on the shape your farm should take. Hobby means doing something for the fun of it, not necessarily to make a living. Moving to a small hobby farm means you’ll likely be pouring more money into it than you get out (if you get something out of it at all). And most likely, you’ll be working in your “real” job and commuting into town every day. This leaves less time for your farming chores and challenges.

If you’re looking to go after a for-profit venture, your decisions wi...