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FARM & RANCH LIVING was founded in 1978, and it was a groundbreaker from day one. Its success came from an interesting idea—focus less on the financial aspects of farming and ranching and more on the personal rewards for families who live on the land. Launching a business venture is tough for anyone; you have to identify just the right niche to make it work. In this issue we profile several farmers who found that sweet spot for their good ideas. Take 13-year-old Lauren Rowe of Rowe Leatherworks (page 11) for example. Lauren and her sisters use the same kind of tools their dad had as a child to make belts, coasters, and other useful items. Read about their business and you’ll agree that buying handmade leather products certainly…
Eager Readers These two farm boys are stuck living in town! Good thing they have Grandpa and Grandma to provide them with the farm life they love. My 2-year-old, Jackson, has already experienced driving horses with the wagon, collecting eggs from the chicken coop, feeding grain to the horses, chasing the dogs, tractor time and drinking water straight from the well hydrant. Although they have to come home after their visits, they still play with their farm toys, mimicking everything they have experienced in the country. Grandpa and Grandma even give Jackson his own subscription to Farm & Ranch Living for Christmas each year. It’s important for him to catch up on his favorite farming stories, especially the pictures. He enjoys them so much that he is teaching his 5-month-old…
My 3-year-old twin nephews, Jon and Marc, aren’t technically growing up on a farm, but they are definitely farm boys. Both sets of their grandparents live on farms, which the boys love visiting every chance they get, and their dad, Jeff, works for a custom harvesting agency. Their home is in Genoa, New York, about an hour away from me. Jon and Marc are very active boys, always on the go. They love mud puddles, dirt piles and anything to do with trucks. The boys especially have a ball going to work with Dad. I snapped photos of them using their new Gator in Dad’s shop to help clean up, finding the right tools to use when Dad broke down in the field, and learning to “cut” wood with their…
As a 12-year-old girl, I never thought that I would start my own business with family members. But after Dad and I made our first belt from the leathercraft kit that he had as a child, we saw the potential for a new venture. Now, at 13, I am a belt and bracelet maker for Rowe Leatherworks, along with my sisters Jessica, 11, and Elise, 9, who make dog collars, key chains and more. This business has helped me learn time management, marketing, negotiating and crafting skills that will last for life. My sisters and I have grown closer as we work together to come up with new patterns and designs. Besides leatherworking, I like to ride horses and tend the chickens, goats, bunnies, vegetables and fruit on our 3-acre…
My husband, Bill, and I live on what many people call an idyllic spot. Standing in the middle of our pasture in British Columbia, we have a panoramic view of Kootenay Lake surrounded by the rugged and thickly forested Selkirk Mountains. Airey Creek meanders through our land, giving us pure drinking water. Every day, Bill and I feel incredibly blessed to live in the center of such beauty on Hamilton Farm. Each year, we harvest fruit from pear trees originally planted by Bill’s grandfather, Gavin Hamilton, almost 80 years ago. In the 1930s Grandpa Gavin left Saskatchewan and headed west, eventually settling with his wife and 10 children on 27 acres of undeveloped land north of Nelson, British Columbia. Money was tight and the property rocky, but Gavin and his…
After 30-plus years as a transplanted city girl, I have deciphered most “farmerisms” uttered by those working the land: folks like my husband, father-in-law and our neighbors. Here I’ll explain some words and phrases encountered in conversation with farmers. First, some things have multiple names. For example, the terms chopper wagon, forage wagon and green-feed wagon are all the same thing. The difference between a hay elevator and a conveyor? Not much. A dairy animal may have calved or freshened, but either way has just given birth. And manure is the same as…you get the idea. And then there’s a whole list of terms that are often misused by non-farmers. An udder is the whole bag hanging under the cow, not each little dangly, which is called a teat. Also,…
