Many people I know who are interested in farming don’t do it as a career. It’s more of a part-time pursuit than a primary means of income. But some of them desire to do it full time. They just don’t see how they could practically do it. In looking at the income of their current career it’s hard for them to picture their farm replacing it. Many, many farmers will tell you, “Farming is great and all, but you can’t make a living doing it.” Here are some thoughts in response:
First of all, it’s hard to make a living farming today. Nothing worth doing comes without work, but government intervention in agriculture has made farming as a vocation especially difficult.
Second, it’s good to desire to farm full-time, but don’t view yourself as an unsuccessful farmer just because you do other work. A lot of times it takes one generation financing the next generation in order to get started. And other times you have to use other work to help you build to the point that your farm can support itself. But don’t feel like you have failed as a farmer if you still require other income. The lifestyle itself is worth it, and the money you can save through self-production can help tremendously with expenses.
Third, try to rid yourself of the specialist mindset that our culture has today. Even if you do make your living farming, don’t limit your pursuits to just agriculture. Historically many farmers were well rounded men that engaged in politics, crafts, trade, and war. From Abraham, King David and King Uzziah to Oliver Cromwell and George Washington, their faithfulness in agriculture carried over into the rest of their lives.
So the question is, “Can you make a living as a Christian farmer?”
For me the answer is, “It depends on how you live,” which is the same answer for any other profession.
If you live a consumer lifestyle it can be very difficult to make a living farming, especially when you are first starting out. By consumer lifestyle I mean:
-Lots of debt that limits your flexibility
-The need to buy everything you consume at retail prices
However, if you live a productive lifestyle, which means producing much of what you need, then it’s much easier to make a living.
During the first few years of our farm I have been providing for my family from an $1,100 monthly salary I draw as farm manager. To many people this may not sound like much, but consider that we are starting out living in a small apartment in our farm’s shop and have no house payment. We have a small, used car which we own. We grow most of our own food or buy in bulk. We also heat our house in the winter with our wood cook stove as well as cooking on it. Without most of the major expenses most people have, we can comfortably live on $1,100 a month. Of course I plan on that salary increasing to a degree as the farm becomes more developed and more profitable, but I am able to make a living on what the farm produces right now. And that is due in large part to the way we live. I am also not opposed to supplementing my income with other complementary pursuits as appropriate or as needed.
One of the keys to being able to provide for your family through your farm is making sure that you make a profit. We must be producing more than we are consuming. In the book of Proverbs we see that the things that lead to profit are planning, hard work, and generosity (Proverbs 14:23, 21:5, 11:24). On the other hand, haste, laziness and stinginess lead to poverty.
As Christian farmers we also realize that it’s not ultimately our own ability to plan or our hard work that will enable our farm to provide for our families. It’s God’s blessing that will do this. Because God owns everything and we are stewards we must accept the fact that even if we are faithful in production or marketing, He may have other plans. We must be open to and searching for His wisdom, always looking to Him for better ways of producing or marketing.
(This is an excerpt from Chapter 11 in Born-Again Dirt. In some future posts, Lord willing, I will include a few more sections with practical suggestions on making a living farming.)
Hello,
First of all, I can not wait to read your book when I find the money to get it. My husband and I are working on transitioning off grid and I think reading your book will be all the more inspiring to us.
Secondly, do you have any other detailed tips on transitioning from the “consumer” lifestyle? I admit that we have ourweakness in laziness and sometimes we wonder if we will do it. We want to, we know it will not be easy, but we really agree with the principle behind being in the country growing our own food. I pray that God would give us fellow belivers who could possibly mentor us in this lifestyle.
We have some raised beds that we are learning about gardening and I am learning how to make bread and other things.
Anyway, Thank you for your encouragement and knowledge.
Grace and Peace to you in Christ Jesus
You almost gave an exact rundown of the story my wife and I have experienced. We too are transitioning off-grid as much as possible and making the transition from a consumer lifestyle was and is still fun but is difficult. We had a great start when our church offered a biblical finance study from Crown Financial. I don’t know the website right off but it should be easy to find. Most of what you will see in the book is probably things you are already doing but the teaching changed the way we view money and debt. It also gave us a very good road map of goals(they actually call it the “money map”) to help us stay on track. It was very eye-opening. Anyway, keep praying and listening and the Lord will guide you right where He wants you to be.
I too can’t wait to get your book! My husband and I have just aquired a house on 5 acres zoned agricultural. We will be working on our journey to self-sufficiency and hopefully we will have some excess to sell and make some extra money. The final goal would be to one day have my husband be able to leave his current full-time job. Thank you for the inspiration and guidance.
Congratulations on the new land! I commend you for being faithful to what God has called you to, even if it is hard and will require sacrifice at times. But it is worth it. Let’s do hard things for the Lord and encourage one another on in the journey! Don’t grow weary in doing good, because you will reap a harvest at the proper time if you don’t give up.
Noah
I found your blog from Homestead Revival & I just wanted you to know that your writing is truly a blessing. Thank you for following through with the message that God has given you. I’ve ordered two copies of your book, one for myself and one for my brother, who has just recently purchased a 50 acre farm that he will be trying to bring back to life. The message you share is something my husband and I have been led to for the past 5 years. It is so wonderful that God is “waking up” Christians in the area of agriculture and it is such an exciting time to be going back to the land. I pray your ministry will grow & I know it will because you are seeking to glorify God in all you do. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement! It is exciting to see the revival God is doing to bring many of His people back to the land. I pray that He will bless you as you seek to honor him through redeeming the dirt!
Noah
Dear Noah,
My wife and I have just finished editing your excellent book. We did this because we believe that your ideas are very important. As a couple of old English teachers, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to attemp to make your words more powerful and easily read. Please accept our gentle corrections in the spirit of love with which they were given.
Could you email an address or box number where I can send this to you? When you are finished with my copy I’d like to have it back. I’m trying to buy more copies that I can share with colleagues who I know will find your work useful. I’m praying that God will give you many opportunities to share your message. I will do what I can do toward that end. Blessings to you and your family!
Congratulations on getting your book on the American vision website Noah! Very happy for your success with the book.
I was thrilled to “happen” to stumble on your blog (I know, I know providential). I have been reading every book and website I can on the topic of “sustainable agriculture” and a search for “Christian Permaculture” brought me to you. Having read much on the topic that comes from a godless worldview, I will say what a blessing and how refreshing it is to read of someone placing Christ first in their agricultural endeavor. God has recently blessed my wife and I with a 5 acre parcel. We have an eye towards sustainability, certainly not in the sense of our being free from our dependence on God, but in bringing glory to Christ in our agriculture endeavor. I just purchased your book and from what I read on your blog anticipate it being of benefit. Thanks.
In the Lamb
As a fellow Christian farmer my heart was greatly encouraged and excited as I just started reading your book.
May God let ours paths cross.
I have been waiting for a book like this to come along! I have read many organic/worldly farming type books but have always wanted a book from a Christian worldview.
Can I just say….what a breath of fresh air? To be reading a blog of a young family, devoted to the Lord! A blessing. We kind of “fell” into the homesteading idea. We have 2.5 acres of mostly wooded land. Due to a health issue one of our sons had we purchased a couple of goats for his needed raw milk. We’ve been slowly adding in gardens. This year we are turning our front yard into a huge garden. We are all very excited. I can not wait to read you book, I think it will be a read aloud for my family (we are a family of 9).
May the Lord continue to bless you richly,
Kerri
I found you from Learning and Yearning’s blog post about your new book. I look forward to reading more !
I am so drawn to this book and your blog and want to share both with my husband as we are farmers too. I found your site through a blog I discovered this morning…it’s Learning and Yearning blog. I know it’s God directing me to both of these sites.
Blessings and peace,
Beth
I can’t wait to readyour book!!
Your book looks great and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it!
Hi there! Your book sounds amazing! I just found out about it at Learning and Yearning blog and entered her giveaway to win a copy of your book! I am an avid self-taught gardener (who still has oh so much to learn yet!) This topic that you wrote about in this post ~ farming for a living ~ it’s a topic that my husband and I have discussed and considered. We’ve put ourselves on a six-year mortgage-pay-off plan (Lord-willing, of course) and then we will be completely debt-free. Because we too would like to make a living off our land and get my husband home to be with his family. Anyway, I always find myself drawn into the presence of the Lord when I’m out digging around in the dirt and tending my gardens. So, this book of yours sounds like something that I would be extremely interested in reading! Have a blessed day!
Hi, Noah – it was nice to meet you last week at Pepper Place, and I *promise* I did not intentionally try to make off with 2 copies of the book! Instead, I plan to recommend it widely so more people will buy it. My husband and I started reading Joel Salatin earlier this year, and are exploring how to make our home a “unit of production” instead of a “unit of consumption”. I am very challenged and encouraged by your writing to make this part of my prayer life as well. Your writing about “lifestyle entrepreneurship” is especially timely. Are you familiar with “The Deliberate Agrarian?” I started following his blog recently, and noticed he mentioned your book. We will be picking up more eggs this week, and I will hunt for the poultry order form on your other site as well.