Homesteading Is Gaining Popularity: A Practice That Is Deeply Rooted in the Missouri Ozarks

[pipedreams]

"After last year’s lockdowns and food shortages, a trend to be more self-sufficient has grown. Throughout the country, more and more people are moving away from cities to start homesteading.

The term homesteading in itself can be confusing. In 1862, The Homestead Act was created to distribute public lands for private use. The definition also refers o ancestral homes or houses occupied by a family with adjoining land. But most recently, homesteading has come to describe the practice of “living off the land.”

The owner of Sharingwood Farmstead described her experiences to The Epoch Times, “We moved out to a renovated home on 7 acres in 2018 to help us, as a family, cope with symptoms of anxiety and ADHD in myself and our kids. From the beginning, it was a literal and figurative breath of fresh air! It’s hard to explain, but there was an immediate sense of calm‒even though there was, and always is, a long list of things that needed doing. We started with fixing up the house and trying to control pests that had overtaken the property. It was natural to get a cat to help with mice, and a dog to help us keep coyotes away, and then chickens to help with ticks. When we realized that we could manage these three species, and that we enjoyed them, we started thinking of our new life from a big picture point of view. What else could we do? So we decided to try pigs, rabbits, and other fowl. We added a cow last spring during COVID and rounded out our ‘farmstead’ with sheep and goats this spring.”"

https://www.theepochtimes.com/homesteading-is-gaining-popularity-a-practice-that-is-deeply-rooted-in-the-missouri-ozarks_3899917.html

“You need to know that it’s a lot of work. But start small. Prepare for failure and then you won’t be disappointed. You can do this for 20 years and still have more to learn.

[Mrs.Cicero]

Been doing it for the last 10 years.  The work is overwhelming at times, but I wouldn't trade my 50 acres and 1500 square foot home where I can shoot the deer from the deck in the back if I feel like it, for a house twice this size on a postage stamp lot in town for anything.  I grew up in that in the suburbs, I lived for 8 years in apartments, and while I am REALLY TIRED OF PROCESSING CHICKENS BECAUSE EVERY TOWNIE AROUND DECIDED TO RAISE SOME LAST YEAR AND filled up my usual processor's schedule (when I have more than a dozen to process at once, it's more efficient for me to have them do it) all the way thru OCTOBER... I'd still rather be here running the WhizBang Chicken Plucker than anywhere else.  Except backpacking in the Bighorn Mtns.

[MO Fugga]

I have a lot of respect for farmers. Not everyone can do it.

[tadbart]

Looking at a few 35 acre plots. Probably have to settle for goats and chickens, but I wouldn't be opposed to figuring out how to get a few bison in the future. Mama said we can't move out west unless she can have a greenhouse. oh-kaaaay. 

[MO Fugga]

1 hour ago, tadbart said:

Looking at a few 35 acre plots. Probably have to settle for goats and chickens, but I wouldn't be opposed to figuring out how to get a few bison in the future. Mama said we can't move out west unless she can have a greenhouse. oh-kaaaay. 

Go to Colorado, get the gubbmint to pay you to grow reefer.

[railfancwb]

1 hour ago, tadbart said:

Looking at a few 35 acre plots. Probably have to settle for goats and chickens, but I wouldn't be opposed to figuring out how to get a few bison in the future. Mama said we can't move out west unless she can have a greenhouse. oh-kaaaay. 

Bison is a very different animal from domestic cattle. Be certain that is what you want first.