When picking out a cute font door sign for our house and adding “homestead” to our family name, I never expected it to sneak into being an issue.
In our area there’s a hard line between what resources go to farmers, and it seems that the wagons circle to protect these folks and drive out any “homesteaders”. It really kinks up the works when I am a farm that is “homesteader” size. The big resources and help goes to those ‘real’ farms first – those large acreages, even if most of those acres aren’t being worked.
It’s frustrating to have 2 acres to our name, and not be a “real farm” while the guy sitting next to us owns 50 acres but only has in production one half of those acres. Maybe these introductions should include the amount of land in production instead of property size.
Defining a Homestead, Farm, or Hobby
To me what you call yourself is about how many families you are trying to produce for or feed. I don’t want to exclude the flower farms here. Let’s call that “feeding your eyes or nose”. And I don’t mean feeding everything that goes on the plate in a year; how many families are you feeding with your crop or product of choice.
For example, if strawberries are your … jam … Then are you raising the strawberries your household eats? If so, even if you have enough left over for gifts, then it’s a homestead. If you could supply your family and another in summer strawberries, then you’re a farmer. Are the strawberries a fun aesthetic and you don’t need to grow pints? Then it’s a Hobby Farm.
| Number of families fed | What am I? |
| 0 | Hobby Farm |
| 1 (your family) | Homestead |
| 2+ | Farm |
| 2+ | Farmstead (if you live on the farm property) |
What makes a Homestead?
In my mind a homestead provides for itself, and sometimes has some extra for the market or friends. If you take “provides for itself” to include cleans its own water, makes its own electricity, etc., then I think you’re crossing over into the subgenre of survivalist or ‘off-the-grid’.
What is a Hobby Farm?
A Hobby Farm is more of a cosplay thing. Hobby Farms are having a good time and focusing on the joy of the farm look, but it doesn’t make any tough business related calls that come up on a homestead or a farm, like dealing with animal culls or being truly hurt by crop failures. I don’t hate hobby farms and I don’t want to envy them either. My goals are simply different; I want this operation to pay bills! I think Hobby Homestead is a more accurate name and gets in some alteration. No one asked me though when coming up with the name!
What is a Farm? Or Farmstead?
Those of us who are trying to bring food (or flowers) to other homes are farmers. If your house and your farm buildings or crop are on the same piece of land, you’re a Farmstead. If your house sits off-site, you’re a farm.
I see no reason though to get spiky with homesteaders. Our goals aren’t at odds and we aren’t in competition. As long as we are honest in our scopes, let’s have harmony at the education workshops. If your family has no intention of being a business, please leave those specific resources to the farms earnestly trying to make a go of things.
Homesteading in Our Roots
Long ago everyone was a homestead. You produced what you needed or went without. While not all homesteads were farms, every farm was a homestead with its own family garden, hens, and other protein sources. Surpluses and producing enough for another household is what gave us the time to develop other fields of work and leisure.
If you had the time today to go to work, enjoy a hobby or do something other than tend to the production of your food, thank a farmer!
Here’s 5 ways to support a local farmer: https://cefs.ncsu.edu/5-ways-you-can-support-your-local-food-system/
P.S. to those sign making companies … would you add “Farmstead” or “Farm” to those drop down selection lists? Much appreciated!
