If you could take away one problem of your daily farm life, what would it be?

Hey fellow permies,

I was wondering: What is the biggest problem you have while trying to make a living off the land you work on?

Thanks for your help!

ben

My biggest problem is a body that doesn't work the way it's supposed to. That means I have to do about 4x the planning, and get about 1/10th the amount of work done at a time compared to a healthy person. I'm making progress, but if I could trade for a fully-functioning body I would!

Marketing.
I just don't like doing it.

Natural as they may be, predators.  They eat my animals from the outside and inside.  They eat my plants from seed to kitchen.  But, it is a eat or be eaten world, and fiddling with things causes new problems, so I just have to deal the best I can, and grow a little extra for everyone.

Ellendra Nauriel wrote:My biggest problem is a body that doesn't work the way it's supposed to. That means I have to do about 4x the planning, and get about 1/10th the amount of work done at a time compared to a healthy person. I'm making progress, but if I could trade for a fully-functioning body I would!

Oh, I am sorry to hear that! Can you get help? Myabe WWOOFers or volunteers you pay with produce?

Skandi Rogers wrote:Marketing.
I just don't like doing it.

Do you mean with marketing: Advertising to find more customers and then selling to them?

Gray Henon wrote:Natural as they may be, predators.  They eat my animals from the outside and inside.  They eat my plants from seed to kitchen.  But, it is a eat or be eaten world, and fiddling with things causes new problems, so I just have to deal the best I can, and grow a little extra for everyone.

What animals do you have?

Ben Knofe wrote:

Gray Henon wrote:Natural as they may be, predators.  They eat my animals from the outside and inside.  They eat my plants from seed to kitchen.  But, it is a eat or be eaten world, and fiddling with things causes new problems, so I just have to deal the best I can, and grow a little extra for everyone.

What animals do you have?

We have minimal problems with our pigs and chickens.  Sheep and goats are another story.  Parasites eat from within, and feral dogs / coyotes occasionally inflict cruel injuries despite a well charged perimeter fence.

My office job

There is simply not enough time to do everything I want to do.

Not having a farm, nor land to turn into one, and only a scant possibility of making it happen financially in a timeframe that is relevant to my life.

-CK

I'm a poor sales person.

The blazing heat and humidity of Summer!

When we had our homestead the biggest problem was county taxes.

We made sure we bought land that had an agriculture status so our taxes would be low.

The county would not let us keep them without providing our income tax statement to prove we had an agricultural income.

We had cows and chickens, a large garden, and over time various other things. I tried to explain it was a homestead where our animals provided our food.

I was young and had no one to advise me.

When we bought our ranch I was smart enough to ask question beforehand.  

For me, I would solve the free range chickens versus gardens dilemma. I’ve tried free range and lost half my garden. Tried a chicken tractor and had them escape, again resulting in garden loss. Tried a permanent enclosed run, and bringing them produce, and the lack of bug hunting has really skyrocketed my feed costs. There must be an easier way.

Brian Michael wrote:My office job

Haha that's a good one. Is it your plan to get rid of it somewhere in the future?

John F Dean wrote:There is simply not enough time to do everything I want to do.

Do you farm full time?

Chris Kott wrote:Not having a farm, nor land to turn into one, and only a scant possibility of making it happen financially in a timeframe that is relevant to my life.

-CK

Do you have a garden? Can you maybe join someone else's farm and work there? WWOOFing?

Hi Ben,

I have sold some product in pre Covid times, but I would never call what I do farming.

Gray Henon wrote:
We have minimal problems with our pigs and chickens.  Sheep and goats are another story.  Parasites eat from within, and feral dogs / coyotes occasionally inflict cruel injuries despite a well charged perimeter fence.

I only have two sheep, but I also have flocks of freerange poultry, and packs of coyotes that try to come near my animals but never get within a thousand feet of them.

I have two pyranese dogs, also free ranged, that kick serious coyote butt, so leave us along 95% of the time, and get their butts kicked the other 5%.

My dogs are household pets, and go in and out freely. But pyranese were actually bred by the French to be raised as puppies within flocks of sheep, to treat the sheep as their pack and protect them.

My dogs treat the humans as the pack, but still guard the animals, and don't eat any of the free range animals (e.g. no eating chickens).

Andrea, a possible solution would be to exchange chickens for ducks.  My chickens are not allowed in the veg patch, ever.  My ducks get periodic free range through it.

Ben Knofe wrote:

Skandi Rogers wrote:Marketing.
I just don't like doing it.

Do you mean with marketing: Advertising to find more customers and then selling to them?

Yes advertising and the constant drag that is social media, and just in general going out and telling people what I can do for them. I really don't like selling myself or anything really.