We didn't come this far to only come this far.

We didn’t come this far to only come this far.

The Covid 19 pandemic hit hard and started a revolutionary change in the world. A lot of people began to flee the cities in an attempt to put some distance between themselves and, well, socially distance. Just hearing those words can make you shudder. It heralded a change in how we functioned as a society. Many of these people took to self-reliance in the form of homesteading. Getting back to our grass roots of providing for our families by getting our hands dirty.

For many of us this way of living has stuck. For many of us this was our way of living before the pandemic forced a lot of people into the role of farmer, hunter, gatherer, and provider. When this happened other farmers, hunters, gatherers, and providers benefitted. I know some of you might also shudder at these words: “Sour dough”, that’s right pull that thing out from the back of your refrigerator it needs feeding. The barter system made a huge comeback. Like big, really big. We went from having our tomatoes delivered by a no-contact grocery service to swapping cucumbers for mason jars of sour dough starter. Farm stands were alive and well. Eggs were skyrocketing in prices at the grocery store but if you drove down any rural road you could get the freshest eggs possible for a fraction of the price! Even better, you could make friends by bartering for herbs and everyone had the freshest and healthiest foods at our fingertips.

I am seeing a shift in this movement (if you will) and now that the pieces are falling back into a corporate place, the homesteaders are fleeing the homesteads. Not all of them of course but the livestock market is flooded, people are selling off their herds and even their homesteads. I get calls weekly from people that are “getting out of” goats/chickens/sheep and are looking to place their livestock. For the people that have been dedicated to the lifestyle, this type of mass exodus has had a huge impact on us. We have been unable to sell quality livestock at prices that are conducive to covering costs, forget about turning a profit. It is extremely difficult to sell stock when auction houses are full and others are literally giving their animals away.

Why not just jump ship and save yourself the financial and emotional heartache? I personally believe our food system is fucked, and becoming more fucked by the day. [I might replace this word with a more intellectual one but at the moment it is all I have]. I cannot give up on something that I stand so firmly for. To be able to provide clean food for my family is important to me. Stocking a freezer full of meats. Supplying fresh milk or homemade cheese. Producing a bounty of herbs and vegetables all grown without chemicals or pesticides makes me feel empowered. If you have done it you know the feeling. Unfortunately now it is more expensive than ever to raise your own food which is driving a lot of people away from homesteading. Cutting your animals back due to finances is an extremely difficult choice for a lot of people to make. How much longer will this go on?

Call me a crazy conspiracy theorist but I don’t think this way of life should end. How can we get back to where we were a couple of short years ago? I think it is time for another revolution of supporting one another while diversifying our food system. It is time, sour dough starter has been stagnant for too long!