Monday Thoughts…
I’ve been bothered a bit by a trend I see. To many people have bought into the idea that they are going to make all sorts of money from small scale farming. On the eve of economic collapse, people are counting on selling “natural food” to rich people at expensive prices. It might work as short term plan but I don’t see the wisdom in thinking it will last. If homesteaders and agrarians are really in it for the long haul they had better be working more on providing for themselves the things they are using all that money to buy. Now this also means that people are going to have to start learning to live with less of the crap the industrialists are peddling to them. This will separate the agrarians from the people who like “the agrarain lifestyle” without the agrarian reality. I’m not trying to discourage anyone, just sound a wake up call. Everyone of us has areas that we need to work on, myself included. I live off of what most people would consider “next to nothing” and I’m still not where I need to be yet. Common sense should tell us to work on weaning ourselves off the industrial tit, but our flesh sees a book that promises we “can earn the same salary as a cityslicker” selling pastured poultry and thats what we chase after. And the sad truth of it is this, the guy that wrote the book is the only person making any money off the deal. Oh, I forgot, the feed mill will make a bunch of money selling you corn too. I’ve been suckered again and again over the years, thinking that you can make money farming. I’m a farmer and I’ll always be a farmer, but over the years I’ve learned that a farm is a place to grow food and children not a place to grow rich. And I must not care that much about the money becouse I’m still scratching out living off this old hill dirt. A Living, thats all I make. If a A Living is anything but Living to you, you ought to find something else to do. If not having health insurance and having holes in your boots and your pants don’t sound appealing to you, don’t even try to leave the city. You’ll be just as miserable here as you are there. You can’t live in both worlds, it just doesn’t work. Yes, you might have to be in both worlds for a time of transition, but don’t get comfy. Its too darn easy to get comfy. The blessings of this life are unimaginable and real blessings for those who are willing to pay the price. That price is to serve the true God and not mammon. The cult of mammon worship has dug its claws in deep into everyone of us who has grown up in pagan America. When we think we’ve finally broke free, this is the time to reexamine ourselves; lest we be fooled. Its a battle for sure, but one we must fight. There are hard times a coming, and thats not the time to start making adjustments. I know that I sure have a long way to go. There are areas that our homestead is still dependent on the system for survival. We tackle them as we see them and I humbly suggest, brothers and sisters, that you do the same.
Also see…. Diversify so that he may live rather than grow rich
August 11th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Great post, Scott. I was thinking about some of these things while picking raspberries to sell to people coming up to spend their free time at the local lake. We’ve done quite well this year, but it probably won’t always be like this.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Bravo, Scott! These things have been on my mind as well and you put it so much better than I would have. Thank you.
August 12th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Scott, you are so right. We get caught up to easily in this. We don’t make lots of money, but we do sell enough to make our meat free, but that might not always be the case either. We have spent time in smaller log homes and I look around and think how easy it would be to take care of such a small home, but then I think of all my STUFF!!! How did they do it? I wrote a post a while back about all the different tools out there today. You can 5 different machines for your kitchen that in the past you used one pan to do what those 5 machines do. We all need to learn to simplify and do without if we don’t have it.
We have a friend nearby who lives by herself on her farm. She lives well below poverty level. If she doesn’t have anything to eat, she eats lambs quarters out of her garden along with milk from her cow and anything else she can grow. God provides for her and that is who she relies on.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Scott,
Thank you for this post! As one who’s in transition…unfortunately more on the wrong side than the right side, it is very easy to be tempted to take easy way and embrace Mammon but I’m fighting it every step of the way!You’re right in sounding a wake up call- if the economy keeps on its downturn, those cityfolk won’t be able to afford their ‘Fourbucks’ and organic soy free meat and all those niche type products.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for the wake up call Scott. I need to hear this constantly, so if you don’t mind, I’ll bookmark the post and perhaps even pass the link around. You could be famous.. or not.
Really, I’m trying not to be double-minded, but I confess to constant vacilations between preparing for a ’second career’ in the economy as it now is, or, just preparing to leave behind the economy as it now is. And then I think; ‘just do the moral thing, no matter how hard it may seem, and God will take care of you whether you have worldly credentials or not..’ It’s easier said then done though.. especially when others are depending on you.