The Gentleman Farmer
If you are new here let me be clear about one thing. I am not a farmer, or a homesteader, or even crunchy. I live in a small town in rural New England, where I work remotely in financial services. All of those things are very normal here and I am learning. But I do not want to portray myself as something I am not. I am someone whose lifestyle consumes many real goods, produces almost none, and is aware of the countless things which must go right for that to go on.
So, I have decided that 2025 will begin my gentleman farmer arc. Part of the reason is food. The current systems of food production and regulation might have made for healthy agribusiness. But they made for a fat, weak, neutered population. We will ramp up home production and buy more of the rest locally. The other part being the life you build for yourself is your most compelling argument. Taking responsibility, working hard, and being happy speak more eloquently than words ever could.
I have written before about the opportunity for a Resettling of America. I am more convinced than ever that any effort at rural renewal must have at its center far more people on the land. Not primarily as an economic proposition. But one of agency. Families that own the means to produce things, like land and the tools to cultivate it, are less subject to control by external forces. They are rooted in a place and a cultural context. I cannot advocate for such a revival and expect that others will take it from there. I too must work.
The idea that society is better off when most people own property is called distributism. This economic philosophy advocates for a society where ownership of the means of production is widely distributed as possible. With small business, farms, and workshops being the norm instead of large-scale agriculture and industry. It is critical both of capitalism for concentrating wealth, and socialism for centralizing control. Distributism promotes economic freedom through private property and the cooperation of commerce. With a focus on scale reduction, and local control, which is why it is also often referred to as localism. It seeks to find a "third way" between the two dominant economic models of the 20th century.
But the basic idea is much older than that. Underlying America's founding principles. When Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence, he made clear that self-sufficiency, self-government, and individual responsibility were important ideals of the revolution. So, it made sense when he later argued for a narrow interpretation of Article I of the Constitution, which grants powers to the federal government. This would keep the federal government weak and allow strong state and local governments to emerge. He believed in the right of all people to work to provide for themselves. Jefferson praised the virtue of the "yeoman farmer" and of common people. Warning against powerful bankers, merchants, and manufacturers. He believed the growth of wage labor would create a dependent class of voters which would be unable to resist corruption. So, he felt the economy should rely on subsistence agriculture and craftsmen over industry. A yeoman's republic.
Like most of us I am not in a position to give up wage laboring to go back to the land. My goal is gentleman farmer. A well-to-do man who runs a farm for pleasure. Instead of lying in bed, and working late, there will be morning and evening chores. Online types often joke that "Behind every homesteading woman is a husband with a six-figure salary." This is fine actually. I do not expect to derive an income from agricultural pursuits and will not represent myself that way. But I married a farm girl who is now in a position to not have to work unless she wants to. If day to day care of some animals falls to her, she will be thrilled.
So let us talk roadmap. Our garden gets a little bigger each year. But most of our summer vegetables come from the CSA of a little farm less than a mile away. We will likely do that again next year. While expanding our own beds again, and trying out ways to start earlier, and go later to maximize our growing season. Looking to waste as little and use or preserve as much as possible. We will add chickens, definitely layers and maybe broilers. We frequent famers' markets both here in town and nearby communities. Sometimes we buy milk, cheese, and meat from those markets or a couple of local farms. But 95% of our calories come from a grocery store Buying a meat share could cut that to 75% or less. We will buy less processed stuff. Working to get to a point where we do not eat things like bread or pasta unless we made them.
I do not come from farming. My mother's stepfather retired from FedEx back in the 80's to grow a few crops and to raise some cattle. It will not pass on. But the peace we are looking for is in the work we are avoiding. I will post updates, now and then, so you know what we are up to. Expect one with each new season. If all goes well there will be more land in our future. I will keep writing about rural life and culture and the goings on in my little town. You keep reading.
