Could Farm Life Be For You?

Among all of the different categories into which you can divide people, perhaps one of the most pronounced differences is between those who like to live in the city and those who live in the countryside. For the former, convenience and connectedness are vital. For the latter, it’s more about peace and quiet, and a freedom from the often choking claustrophobia that city living can create.

It’s enough to make a lot of people think about moving to the country to live on a farm. For many urban dwellers who want out, the chance to live in more open space seems more attractive the more you think about it. With the rise in urban homesteading showing that we’re becoming more excited by the idea of self-sustainability, it makes sense that many of us would like to go the whole hog and move to somewhere that offers a greater amount of space in which to do it. So would farm life suit you? It’s hard to say, but the following questions could help you answer.

Do you like early mornings?

For many of us who work in office jobs or other work that ties us to a city, the commute is the worst part of the day. Up at an ungodly hour to travel to the place where you work, knowing that you face the same trip in reverse later in the same day. If you take up farming, the early rises will not disappear from your life, as there are animals to be fed and watered as well as a range of other tasks. But an early morning might not be so bad when it’s not followed by a smoggy, noisy commute, so even night-owls might be tempted by the move.

Do you have a vision you want to develop?

If you are attracted by the idea of farm life, then it’s worth bearing in mind that unless you have almost unlimited funds you’re unlikely to be buying a working farm and moving straight in. Your chosen space is likely to have fallen into some disrepair, and need work just to bring it back to the blank canvas you want. You may need to invest in some machinery, find a propane refill station nearby, and employ a few people to get a handle on things, but if you’re the type of person who plans out a vision, this could be the very best place to start. This way, you won’t be hamstrung into someone else’s idea of what a farm should be.

Do you work well with neighbors?

Urban dwellers get to know their neighbors fairly quickly, due to sharing (often very thin) walls and some common spaces. Of course, knowing someone isn’t necessarily really knowing them, and various studies indicate that only a fraction of humans know their current neighbors’ names. In the countryside, you’ll need to know a bit more than that about your neighbors, not only so that you can plant without infringing upon their farm, but also because they’re going to be your best source of word-of-mouth recommendations for local tradespeople and how to get the best from local soil.

Living on a farm is a fantasy for many urban professionals, but it’s a lifestyle you need to commit to. If you’re ready to make that commitment, it may lead to a wonderful future for you.