Ever dream of living the rural lifestyle? Raising your kids on the farm, growing your own produce, and tending to your own livestock? Lots of people would love the change of pace from the fast-paced city lifestyle. To have a small piece of land to call their own and be at peace. The great news is, if you’re interested in starting a farm for your own personal use and enjoyment, hobby farming might be just what you’re looking for.
What is a Hobby Farm?
There are several ways a hobby farm can be set up, however, the main idea is that it is a small farm that is designed for pleasure as opposed to a larger farm where you’d raise livestock and produce to generate a profit. In most cases, those who have a hobby farm still have a full or part-time job, or some other form of financial resource to purchase things like livestock, shelters, pasture seed, farming equipment, and other supplies.
Benefits of Starting a Small Farm?
The number of reasons to start your own farm are too many to list, however, here are a few key reasons it is worth every penny to start a hobby farm:
- Grow your own produce. Starting your own garden within your farm allows you to grow your own fresh crops from scratch. You’d be the deciding factor on what goes into your crops meaning it would be a lot safer and healthier for your family to live on.
- Raise your own livestock. Again, the food industries around the globe are using some unsafe measures to collect and sell food. From improperly treating animals to using chemicals and hormones, it’s causing a lot of health problems. You can keep your family safe by raising your own livestock. Having your own chickens to get fresh eggs from, cows for milk, and other animals for eating (if you so choose), keeps you away from the contaminants found in food today.
- Save Money – Ideally, if you’re growing enough fruits and vegetables and raising enough animals to sustain a living, then you don’t need to run to the grocery store as often. This can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year depending on how large your family is.
- Great Exercise – As important as it is, not enough people take exercising seriously. Yet, having a hobby farm means you’re putting in hard work more frequently. As you cut the grass, tend to the crops, feed the animals, and harvest supplies, you’re working your muscles, building stronger bones, and shedding unwanted fat.
- Therapeutic – Being away from the hustle and bustle of the city life, being in the presence of life (plants and animals), and being responsible for it all is a rewarding and therapeutic experience. It allows you time to take your mind off of unnecessary stresses and simply focus on those simple things that have such great meaning.
Advice for Getting Started
As you can see, starting a hobby farm has a ton of health and financial benefits for you and your family. If you’re interested in starting one of your own, there are some things you’ll want to do prepare:
- Decide what kind of crops you want to grow and livestock you want to raise.
- Decide where you’ll start your hobby farm. Perhaps you’re interested in finding your dream home with lots of land surrounding it or you want to buy land from another farmer so you don’t have to start completely from scratch.
- Decide how much money you have to invest in a hobby farm, including, how much will be needed to maintain the property throughout the year.
- Farming isn’t for everyone. Though you like the idea of it, perhaps it would be best to start small and then if you enjoy your first few years, expand. Talking to farming vets about their experiences and asking for their advice can give you a better understanding of what life would be like.
Sometimes in life, you need a change of pace. If you’ve been thinking of relocating from the city to the country for a more laid back lifestyle, have a passion for animals, or are pretty good with gardening, starting a hobby farm might be ideal. There are a ton of benefits and even though it’s a lot of hard work to get started and maintain it, the advantages to you, your family, and the environment are plentiful.