Welcome to The Country!

Farming is more than just growing things. It’s a lifestyle, and a business, and the rules and realities aren’t always clear. Hopefully I can shed a little light.

Welcome to the Country!

If nobody’s said this to you yet, let me be the first.

I’m Patty, the fingers on the keyboard, your somewhat reluctant tour-guide, ever perplexed that anyone finds what we do around here interesting. I’m a farm kid, turned corporate type, back to being some sort of adult version of a farm kid.

I’m basically the to urban to rural function of Google Translate.

Who is this blog for? It’s basically for anyone who needs to have a better understanding about how decisions are made on farms.

You may have purchased farmland as an investment

You may have married into a farming family

You may have inherited a farm

If you’re looking for instructions on how to farm, this isn’t quite the right place. This is more like a guide book to rural living.

But no matter how you got here, or why, this blog is about the ins and outs of country living.

I don’t spend a lot of time talking about the specifics of growing things. Farming is so much more than crop production.

Land and Soil

Even though they may seem like natural landscapes, farms are highly managed. Ponds, woodlands, and pastures require care. So does your home infrastructure, like driveways, water distribution, and septic syst

Home Design

Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one, the more land you have, the more decisions you have to make. I spend a lot of time talking about what to build and where.

Animals

Pets, domestic animals, wildlife, insects – They’re all part of our everyday lives.

Business, legal, and financial stuff

Government programs, taxes, lease agreements, landowner – tenant relationships, business structures, transition planning. Having a basic understanding of these concepts is essential to the financial stability of your operation.

Cultural Stuff

County fairs and Friday night football are obvious cultural events, but supporting our local emergency services – they’re largely volunteer – is another big part of our social lives around here.

And even if you decide that maybe this isn’t the place for you, I hope you enjoyed your visit. If you did, maybe tell a friend, share via Facebook, or sign up for our occasional newsletter.

Because whether you were born to it, buy it, inherit it, or marry into it, living the simple life isn’t quite so simple.

Welcome to the Country!

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