A Farmer’s Dream

I spent the past three days on a friend’s farm in Upstate New York. An experience that always leaves me feeling relaxed and peaceful. Not to mention in complete admiration.

The farm is a start-up without a “home” yet, just a camper and about 10 acres of woods and wide open fields. The goal is to make it a sustainable farm — a farm that can keep itself going, while helping to sustain the local food source. It’s non-certified organic, which really means fully organic, just without the state’s rubber stamp.

They’ve already begun selling their goods at the local market and have gotten into one local restaurant. Their gardens are yielding potatoes, lettuce, beans, herbs, and then some. They also have bees, which yielded two crops of honey already.

The amazing part to me, and the admiral part, is the work and dedication the couple has been putting into reaching their ultimate goal. The husband still lives in my region, some four hours away in the home they bought, renting out some rooms and working a full-time job to keep income coming in, while the wife, who was raised on a farm, has been primarily living alone on the property, working the land and starting the business.

Prior to the camper, she slept in a tent for days at a time, just living off the land. Amazing. Now, she’s pregnant, which makes it even more amazing, but the camper helps. Even still, there’s no electricity or running water.

In two years time, they hope to have the farm up and running, providing their only source of income, so they can finally live together on the land, in a completely green, self-sustaining house.

There’s about a dozen things in this situation that make me say, “wow.” The overarching thing, would be that they have a dream and are working on making it happen, despite all hurdles. It’s their goal to create this farm, and the absolutely fabulous part, is it is holds true to their beliefs and what’s important to them — supporting the farming community, being 100 percent environmentally friendly, and keeping the local community’s food source strong with organic and natural foods.

And naturally, I am blown away by the wife and what she’s doing, living alone working everyday in the fields, with none of the modern conveniences most of us take for granted. A tough feat for anyone, not to mention someone who is with child.

Working on the farm for a few days, really makes me think. I love camping, and the wide open skies, the act of walking to the garden to pick some things for dinner, cooking all of your meals on a big grate over an open fire, and knowing that I am being really kind to the earth. It’s a beautiful life. One that is also difficult at times, but worth it. Ultimately, though, it’s not my dream. It’s theirs.

What being there really teaches me, is that goals are attainable. If you work hard and are dedicated, you can get there, eventually. Yes, things are not always easy for them and there are probably many rough years ahead, but this is what they want and are willing to keep doing it despite the woes.

It also makes me want to have a few goals of my own. I am working on those, but the inability to make decisions makes it nearly impossible to figure out what the hell it is I want to do with my life. Perhaps, if I give it my all my and work hard, I can one day attain the dream of actually having a dream. Here’s to hoping.