Why do you homestead?

[LordStark]

Hi all
I'm very new to homesteading, I have a 1200 acre property and have spent this past year trying to become more self sufficient.
I was thinking about the reasons why I've started this project and I started wondering why other people do this?
Some of my main reasons are......

Economic, The cost of living has gone way up and my grocery bill is pretty out of control. The more produce I grow and the more livestock I raise, the lower my bill gets (hopefully).

Uncertain times, ok elephant in the room. I don't like how this century is unfolding politically, socially, economically and in many other areas. I'm not really a prepper but I think we'll all need to be a bit more self sufficient in the near future.

The satisfaction, alot of our food is being tampered with and I think it's good to know where it all came from and how it was grown.

Anyway I'd love to hear from you all and find out why you're into homesteading.

 

[mtngirl35]

Hi! We have been getting into homesteading for a few reasons. The first being that I grew up raising animals, gardening, and preserving food and I miss it. There is such a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when you know all the hard work you just did will benefit your family. We also like knowing that all those nasty chemicals are not in our food. Mostly we do it because the world today holds little appeal. Everyone is running around in all directions with their noses stuck in smartphones, so busy and rushed. The simpler way of life keeps you working together for a common goal, which is caring for your family and community. At the end of the day, if our family is fed and warm and healthy, we are happy. Chasing the dollar just doesn't bring that kind of satisfaction for us. We are just getting started and getting ready to move onto 19 acres from our 1 acre plot and we have so many plans for our future. Right now I have chickens and a garden. When we get moved we will have more chickens, some goats, pigs, ducks, a bigger garden, a small orchard, and hopefully 2 or 3 cows. We may never achieve complete self sufficiency but we should be able to do a lot for ourselves specially if we can grow some of our own feed for the animals.

 

[BuckAlorp]

Ditto what mtngrl said. These are the reasons I am ready to embark in my life of self sufficiency. I have not left the city life yet, but I am preparing things for the move. Buying things I will need in the future when the money will be tighter, while I still have a decent income. I will be cashing in my retirement and paying off all current debt and beginning virtually debt free. Planning on changing climates and purchasing Carolina property. I look forward to reading more of your adventures.

 

[LordStark]

@mtngrl Yeah technology has taken as a few steps backward in certain ways. I grew up here on my farm but we weren't really self sufficient. There was a massive drought through out most of my teen years which didn't really help much. I don't see myself ever becoming a hundred per cent self sufficient, for me it's more about minimization.

Good luck with your retirement Buck, I couldn't live in a city personally.

 

[BuckAlorp]

I currently live in a township on the edge if my county seat, it's still a little too much city for my liking. I lived downtown Cleveland Ohio back in the 80's, that was terrible. I can't wait to get out of here, everyday is getting harder and harder to be here. I just have some ends to tie up before I can make my exit from this life and start anew.

 

[pfewless]

I want healthy fresh food that I know what it has in it. By raising my own chickens and eggs I can control what goes in my body to some degree. I also grow as much as I can in my own garden and use only non gmo / heirloom seeds. I don't have enough room for other animals so I have to buy healthy beef and pork raised the same way I choose to eat.
I like knowing if a unforseen circumstance were to strike my family layoff or illness ect. we would be able to help ourselves through it. Prepared means one less thing to worry over.

 

[LordStark]

The effects of GMO on a person are still unknown, though personally I'd never eat it.I was talking to a friend about them today, there's a few people in my area growing GM canola. According to him it's very difficult stuff to kill, common chemicals won't harm it. Once it goes wild, which has probably already happened. Well have a real problem on our hands. Also my ag teacher believes it could kill off the natural varieties. I'm not entirely sure how though.

 

[pfewless]

He and you have a valid point. There is so much cross polination that it s bound to happen if it has not already. I so far am lucky. I am fairly sheltered from that other than fly over bird droppings.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

There are a quite few reasons my family is homesteading:

1) We want to know where are food comes from
2) We want to eat healthy food
3) We want to stop buying meat, eggs, milk, and other animal products from the factories where the animals are being tortured and abused with horrible living quarters
4) We love working the ground and watch thing grow
5) We want to save money and make money
6) We want to not be dependent on the government...when hard times come, we don't want to be starving and dead

Well, the those are the main reasons. We only have 2 acres in the city, but i really want to move to the middle of nowhere...my parents don't agree though
1200 acres!! wow! i would totally kill for that much land. Serious jealousy over here lol.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@LordStark - what is your climate like there?

We just bought 25 acres in WI. 36" of rain annually, with an 80 to 120 day growing season (frost-free period and it depends on where you are in the state).
Temps range from extreme low of -55*F and an extreme high of 114*F. Those are records, so not the norm.

We normally get -30*F in February, and 90*F in summer. Fairly humid during the summer.

We are starting our homestead so I can garden and raise some of our meat and eggs because I do not trust what big agriculture/producers are doing to our food supply. And I like to garden.