Why I don’t/can’t farm full-time
Posted by Lauren on 06 Jan 2009 at 09:45 pm | Tagged as: politics
Garth and I have a few different possible opportunities for expanded farming right now, of which we have been discussing the pros and cons at length. But they all have one thing in common: if we expand beyond the tiny (for a farm) plot we have now, it will be way too much work for just one person, but not enough to support us both if I were to stop working off-farm. And even if it were enough income, there is no way that we could make enough on farming to cover our health insurance costs. It’s frustrating, because my community and my country and my personal ethics and ultimate goals are telling me that this thing I want is possible, except this one fundamental piece.
So this is timely: The Ethicurean: For healthy food and soil, we need affordable health care for farmers.
Hmm – it sounds like the limiting force here is that you need to keep your job for health benefits, but there’s too much for Garth to do by his lonesome. Have you tried lining out the extra work that would need to be done on Farm 2.0 and figuring out what parts of it aren’t doable? There’s gotta be a way – temp help, your friends who’d like to slum on BI for a day tilling the fields, etc. :)
What about doing a CSA? Don’t they sometimes require that you volunteer on the farm? I bet some of the city folk would love to come play farmer!
Some of the CSA’s around here do ask (though not require) for volunteers on the farm… Leigh’s idea is a good one. Its hard to balance the necessities of having insurance, money to live on, etc. with what one loves to do and would do in an ideal world. Especially the getting-started part – even if it could be done in the long run, the initiation is often painful and keeps it from getting off the ground (not talking about farming as I’ve never done that, but just in general). I don’t have any answers or ideas, other than keeping up your own plot (no matter how small)… but I share some of your feelings.
I know how it is, insurance is such a problem, worse than ever, but necessary. I believe help is the only way you could make it work.
Maybe just being as self sufficient as you can is the best you can do right now. That wouldn’t be so bad in my book.
Good luck with your dilemma, I can see it’s a difficult one.