Why do you garden, have chickens, raise a cow, maybe milk a goat?
Do you do it because you have decided to be a "farmer"? Is it because you saw a cool website of these people who were totally organic, and you thought that was pretty hip? Maybe because one of your good friends has started doing some organic farming, and you are kinda tagging along, seeing how it works?
What ever your purpose is, you need to REMEMBER it. You need to weekly, if not daily reflect back to that purpose and ask yourself if you are keeping on track to that purpose? Is there any TRACK to keep on, in your purpose?
If you are doing it because it looks cool, or because "so and so" is doing it, save yourself some time and money and stop now. You MAY be able to make it with that purpose, but chances are slim.
You have to have an idea, a dream, a GOAL that DRIVES you. THAT is your purpose. That will drive you for MUCH longer than a "fad".
SO what if you started out thinking it would be cool, and then now you really want to DO this? Decide your purpose. Why do you want to do this? Money? Recognition? We may as well stop there if those are going to be your purposes! In farming, there isn't much money. Farming, farming for health, farming for families has started to become a job similar to a Steam Engine Conductor... nearly non-existent.
Yes, but I drive by farms all the time! HUGE ones!
You may... but those are most likely producing GMO corn or soy, working FOR a bigger company. A bigger company that tells THEM what to do, how to farm, WHAT to farm...
If you want to have an organic (or nearly organic) garden, meat, eggs, milk... You have to get yourself a purpose. Because when you are standing in your local farm supply store and all there is on the shelf for insecticides is chemical, you have to look back to your purpose. What about feed? GMO, or expensive organic? Maybe raise some grains yourself?
How far do you go?
That is where your purpose comes in handy!
OUR purpose is WORKING TOWARDS organic. We don't have money to burn. And to buy organic feed is going to take CA$H.
My husband works a more than full-time job, and I stay at home. We have 4 young children. Working towards that goal for us, is the best we can do. One step at a time.
Simplify. Our purpose is to try to improve our ways of doing things, slowly. Making things more organic, and more healthy. I always look back and imagine what it would have been like to live in the Great Depression. There were no frilly extras there. No boxed meals. No hoppin' in the car and running through a fast food drive thru because we didn't have time to make supper because of work.
Things were simple. Simplify. Does that mean we take out all of our luxuries? No. We still have ceiling fans, but we don't but use a window air conditioner a few days out of the entire year. DO we never eat fast food? Well, not if we can help it! We have gotten to the point that home raise chicken, organic carrots and potatoes and fresh baked bread is WAAAAY more enjoyable to us that a processed chicken sandwich and some grease fries with a super-sized soda.
SO what is YOUR purpose? How will you achieve that purpose? Where do you see yourself in a month? In a year? 5 years? How will you get there? Where do you find your inspiration? Who tries to knock you off course? Who or what will cause the most resistance in your journey?
Are YOU READY?
What is your purpose?
