Searching for Homestead Community: There are your people

It might be challenging to find a community in the house because it is a solitary business. Nothing else can coexist in perfect harmony with the environment and our spirit. If we’re lucky, we’ll come across someone or a relationship that is sensitive to the call as well. However, there are instances when finding more than one individual is necessary… It would be helpful to look for those who wish to live off the city’s heart and wants to produce vast crops or rear their livestock. While researching a topic or looking for construction workers, I’ve found that this need to discover people comes most frequently (beyond our few reliable and trusted pals). One of the benefits of living in the digital age, when computers can send information around the globe in a matter of seconds, is the ability to find people who want to live abroad. More importantly, identifying others who already do this isn’t difficult either… and they’re willing to go into detail about how they accomplish it. We, as a couple, had always planned to retire to the country. On the second day, we talked about it. He was a hunter, and he shared a home with his brother, mother, and uncles to help pay off debt. I worked as a gardener and shared a flat with several other people, making life in the apartment stressful. We found common ground in our desire to live in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, close to family and friends. It’s OK that we’ve had to go there for 14 years. Even if something continually eluded us, the dream never indeed died. We knew we intended to leave the property as soon as possible, so I started looking for the most vulnerable places to grow food as soon as we could afford it. Along the way, I realized that I could “pick the brains” of the people doing the work we wanted them to do by purchasing directly from farmers. My goal was to create a network of people who would look out for one another and lend a helping hand in return. The first thing I did was look for a place where I could buy eggs. While it sounded easy at the time, it was everything but. I scoured the neighborhood for hours, looking for the local farmers’ eggs. I knew I wanted local, organic produce, and I hoped to locate a farmer who would allow us to come to visit and talk to them. This networking is priceless for anyone looking to sell any surplus products, such as meat and eggs. The focus of our attention has been on animal care practices. A secondary goal has been to ensure that any animals we produce for food are raised humanely and in a way that benefits both them and us. I looked up the Facebook pages of the farms we visited and became a fan of each one. After that, I started perusing Facebook pages and groups in search of information. Isn’t it amazing how many different kinds of Facebook groups there are? To my pleasant surprise, there were numerously devoted to agriculture, including a slew of options for female farmers. In addition, I discovered a few organizations that catered to the needs of residents in my neighborhood. This turned out to be a two-edged sword for me. It was simple to get along with everyone I met through the groups because most of them were kind and eager to offer their expertise or organize seminars in exchange for a modest fee. The notion of holding a well-taught workshop on any skill was always appealing to me. Finally, my goal was to turn my homestead into a self-sustaining business through sales and teaching, with a dash of agricultural tourism tossed in for good measure.