Why The Part-Time Farmer? (The Reality of Part-Time Farming)

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

If you're following this channel, are you farming (and what)? If not, planning to farm? Would love to hear from current and aspiring farmers!

[@kordellstewart2146]

Currently farming. Running cattle, goats, and a few chickens. Been running the farm for a little over a year now. A lot of infrastructure repairing as it’s been 22 years since the ground was farmed. Enjoy the videos!

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@kordellstewart2146 That sounds like the perfect combination to get the land ready. Good luck with the repairs. I feel it's a never ending project on our farm.

[@kordellstewart2146]

@@The-Part-Time-Farmer that’s for sure. Even though the days are longer now still never enough time to get ahead. Make the most of it and enjoy the steps along the way.

[@shannonr4360]

I'm not farming yet but currently in the process of looking for land to purchase. Hoping i will get started this year. I plan to start small at first just to get the hang of it and provide for the family. (Laying hens, garden, milk cow, etc. But eventually, I want to expand so I can do this for a living. Bringing in meat animals and potentially renting out stalls as well. I've been researching for a year now so I'm at least getting familiar with how the farm life is good and the bad. Thanks for your detailed reply! I'm subscribed off of this first video I watched and will definitely be checking out the Playlist you mentioned!

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@shannonr4360 That sounds awesome. I didn't start farming until 8 years ago (at 42) with no experience or farming background (grew up in suburban neighborhoods). If I can do it, anyone can. Sounds like you've done the research and have a plan. Enjoy the ride! It's hectic and stressful at times, but heaven at other times. We did a video about buying farm land (kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppSZZ6h3ftFspbssi=71sWayJ4Lk6317zS). It's by no means exhaustive, but just some things we learned when buying ours. Glad to answer questions along the way!

[@SunriseFarmUS]

I feel that you are very happy with your farming work. You have inspired me a lot.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Thank you! Farming is truly my passion. I hope to inspire as I've been inspired by others. Thanks for watching!

[@jillhiles143]

In my research for my novel, it had told me that if the eggshells were not firm they needed more calcium in their diet.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Chickens expend a lot of calcium producing eggs, so calcium replacement is important. We provide ours free choice crushed oyster shell for this reason.

[@jillhiles143]

@@The-Part-Time-Farmer Can a chicken tell when they need calcium? I am glad to hear about the crushed oyster shell. Is that the best calcium supplement that is natural? Since I started the novel writing for Farm Girl, I have wondered about this aspect of animals. Thank you for taking the time to enlighten me. I really like your channel.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@jillhiles143 It's the most natural we've found. You welcome and glad like the channel. Wish you the best with your novel!

[@alexforsyth2038]

You can pick the bags up with the top straps upto a tonne works a treat when they are tilted like so

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Thanks for the suggestion! That's how we now do with our pigs. Half ton totes into old Pax feeders. Thanks for watching and appreciate the tip!

[@KarlChilders-p5k]

thumbs up! for the part time farmer, from a semi-part time farmer lol.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Glad to connect with fellow part-time farmers! I go from semi-part time to full time all the time, lol. Depends on the season, lol. Thanks for watching!

[@jasonpatrickolynyk8174]

Hello, Just found you channel, looks chalk full of good info, so i'll be watching more 4sure. I'm not a Farmer Yet. trying to save up enough to get out of the city and buy myself a large spot of land to start raising animals and such. Untill then i have been watching loads of videos on Homesteads, small farms, and such... kind of imagining the life i Could have one day if i figured out How to do it.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

That's exactly how we did it. Looked for a couple years, learned all we could via KZbin, blogs, books, etc, then finally jumped in. Lots of mistakes over the last 8 years, but we've learned from each one. Fail forward as I like to think of it. Glad to answer any questions (or point you to someone who can).

[@PuppyNutter3]

​@The-Part-Time-Farmer love your generosity and care, failing forward will be my new favorite quote

[@belgarath97]

Definitely planning to farm.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

It’s an exciting journey. Hopefully some of these videos help and glad to answer questions. All the best!

[@RemRoseHomestead]

Subscribed! Looking forward to learning from you!

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Thanks for subscribing, we're happy to have you on board!

[@RemRoseHomestead]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer me too! We just moved onto our 22-acre homestead in TN back in July & are building it from scratch, so I'm here to soak up a lot of knowledge. 😊

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Congrats on your new homestead! Building from scratch is such an exciting (and challenging) journey. I’m sure you’re going to create something incredible. I just subscribed to your channel and look forward to following and learning from your journey. Wishing you all the best as you grow your homestead!

[@RemRoseHomestead]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer thanks very much 😊

[@jillhiles143]

Why do you wash the eggs? For my novel what I have read is that they can go for about 2 weeks just sitting out on the counter if they are not washed.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

You are correct and if it were just for me and my family, I probably wouldn't wash them. From a production standpoint, a majority of customers want clean eggs so for that reason, and from a liability perspective, we follow our state guidelines (VDACS) here Virginia. Is some of it overkill? Probably. Is some of it likely unnecessary in my opinion. Yes. But as a business owner, you want to make sure your farm and assets are protected, and this is one layer of that.

[@jillhiles143]

@@The-Part-Time-Farmer Oh wow... I did not realize that some states may have specific guidelines like that. I am glad you told me this as it will help me in research for my novel as in it I plan to have a farmer's store.

[@rustedoakhomestead]

New to your channel. Did you build or buy your shade sleds? Do you have a past video on them?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@rustedoakhomestead We built them (welded 2.5 in steel tubes). Here is the link for the plans we used. publications.ca.uky.edu/sites/publications.ca.uky.edu/files/aen99.pdf. They are heavy so need a tractor to move them. Can with my Gator but probably not a good idea for the long term. Helps keep them grounded in wind. I don't have much footage of building them, but will likely do a video soon how we built them and why they're a good idea. Thanks for wathcing!

[@randywiley66]

I just found your Channel and I love it thx

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Glad you found us, hope you like the content! Thanks for watching!

[@kylewhite4408]

Thank you for taking the time to make this, awesome! Instant sub. God bless

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Glad you found it helpful, thanks for watching!

[@rohitgodani4278]

Where do you sell your produce? Do you have a farm shop?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

We raise Beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and turkey. We sell at a local farmers market, online at longbottomfarm.com (curbside pick-up), and local delivery. Thanks for watching!

[@rafaelsandoval7077]

It's hard to keep that water flowing with those with the well water. They get clogged up quite a bit

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

If it's not one thing, it's another. That's farming for ya. Thanks for watching!

[@gmcrusher77]

Were you by chance in the military at any point?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

I wasn’t in the military, but I have a lot of respect for those who serve.

[@gmcrusher77]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer The tattoos and Tan T shirt were screaming Army vet haha. Good video!

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@gmcrusher77 No but lots of respect for our men and women who make it possible to do what we do!

[@kentalley590]

Just subscribed! May I ask how many acres you are working on? Would love to get into it but have been intimidated (rightly so). But I love seeing that you don’t have to be full time to be able to pull it off

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

We are on 55 acres. About 40 to 45 is pasture. Just start small and see how things go. I recommend at least two of any animal you try as most of them are companion animals.

[@eatbeef3745]

I live by the James River. Where about are you guys at?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

We are in Scottsville, Virginia, and Buckingham County

[@deannadanielson960]

The way my jaw dropped when you said they tried to wean those piglets at 1-2 days old! 😬

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

My wife and I look at each other in disbelief. Better communication on my part could have saved us a trip, but still sad for those animals.

[@shannonr4360]

Such a great video! Thank you very informative. Could you go over the marketing and how to find processors and sell the product you get from farming? That is one thing that is so intimidating for me and i dont see a lot of information on it

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

You bet! Concerning processors, the best way is to go to your local farmers market(s), and ask those farmers where they take their animals. If you have a local health food store, many times they’ll carry local products and the processor’s name is usually on the label. For marketing and how we sell our products, check out our 'Farm Marketing Essentials" playlist, as it answers both of those questions. kzbin.info/aero/PLXEP4wjUMt7y_UiRV-wULMmZDo67-6feQ&si=qHnHtJkhxjAVOVm4 We’ll be doing a farmers market video soon and LOTS more videos on marketing in general (website, social media, ChatGPT, etc). Thanks for watching!

[@shannonr4360]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer Thanks so much for the detailed reply, how many acres are you currently farming on?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@shannonr4360 We're on 55 acres. ~ 40 in pasture and the other 15 is wooded. Enough to keep us busy, that's for sure

[@lukasrhoads8587]

How much did you pay for your broiler feed per pound?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Around $17.50 per 50 pound bag. That’s about $.35 per pound. We use non-GMO feed from sunrise Farms.

[@lukasrhoads8587]

I noticed you had to mow the grass why not have those cows mow it down for you? I’m sure it would be difficult to time it right for that to work but I heard the chickens will scratch the cows manure apart and eat any fly larvae if you can time it properly

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

In theory, it sounds great. In practice it’s pretty hard to do properly. If you bunch the cows up really tight, they will eat everything to a degree. They always leave some stuff standing. Therefore, when you move the netting in for the chickens, there’s always still some stuff standing that will get on the fence and grounded out. Also, the cows eat it down pretty well and the chickens will use those sparse areas to make dust baths. Not a big deal for a few birds, but 200 birds equal a lot of craters in your pasture. That and the cattle cover so much more area that even trying to move the birds behind them, they can’t keep up. More of a bird to cow ratio thing, but for our scale and what our property will allow, it would likely be more destructive to add more birds. Thanks for the suggestion and watching!

[@Jamesthomas12187]

This seems like one of those take two million to make a million videos. Super nice buildings.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

We've got a good setup, but all of it took time and effort! I try to show the process and all of the work that went into it, not just the finished product. Thanks for watching!

[@Jamesthomas12187]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer People need to understand you built that farm with a ton of input, farming is not usually profitable first generation (total costs including land), unless your targeting boutique outlets (more power to you but I think unsustainable).

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

You're absolutely right-farming, especially first-generation farming, is rarely profitable when you factor in total costs, including land. For many, it’s unsustainable, and that’s why I advocate for the part-time farming model. I’m not here to sell the dream of quitting your job and going full-time; instead, I focus on strategies that allow farming to complement your life, whether as a side hustle or a passion project. We’ve carved out a niche market with grass-fed, pasture-raised products, and while it works for us, it’s just one example of finding and filling a gap in the market-a principle that applies to any business. The opportunities available now through the internet, online sales, and email marketing are incredible. It’s definitely a lot to learn, but the potential is there for those willing to put in the work. Through this channel, I aim to share the realities of farming-the good and the bad-alongside actionable opportunities (specifically basic marketing) to help others succeed, whether their goal is a hobby farm or a profitable side business. For example, we took on debt to build our barn but did so with a clear plan. Now, by boarding horses in three stalls, we cover the payment. It’s all about balancing risk with strategy and making decisions that align with your goals. Thanks for your comment and check out my latest video to see what didn't work. My goal is to share our journey to help others navigate theirs.

[@Jamesthomas12187]

@The-Part-Time-Farmer passive income is the only way to sustain investments. Markets are king, I made the typical small farmer mistake I moved to the country and kept to myself. Its good to highlight this is a business not necessarily a life style. And a business needs customers, move to far country you lose those or have to go to them.

[@ReadySetHomesteadUSA]

👍🏻

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Thanks for watching!

[@RaysBeesandHoney]

How many acres? Owned?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

55 with about 45 in pasture. Thanks for watching!

[@Kendale05555]

What kind of spray do you use to prevent weeds

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

@@Kendale05555 we don’t spray any of our fence lines. Weed eating and mowing or sometimes we just let it go but eventually get to it.

[@DougGregg1991]

Good video but I think you would benefit from pigs and planting behind them. Cow and pig manure fertilizing a pasture then you can seed it with what you want. Save you on feed costs. Alfalfa, buckwheat, sorghum sudan grass. I’d start with that see how they do.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

You are right and this is something I've wanted to try. I plan to do that after every batch and then something comes along and it just doesn't get done. We will have more pigs coming in the spring and I'll definitely try out a few of those suggestions. Thanks!

[@DougGregg1991]

@ it’s farming buddy there’s always something. When you rotate the livestock carry a seed broadcaster and spread them. Just make sure the buckwheat isn’t the majority crop they only need so much lysine.

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

⁠@@DougGregg1991 you are right about that. Thanks again for the advice. I’ll definitely be given this a go this spring.👍

[@MarvinDavis-tf3eu]

Do you go to church?

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

When I can, but unfortunately, my part-time job is typically on Sundays.

[@piehutch9285]

Unnecessary music!

[@The-Part-Time-Farmer]

Thanks for taking the time to write a comment. Much appreciated!