Listen to more episodes of Farm Small Farm Smart
Everyone enters the world of farming for different reasons.
Reasons spanning from environmental concerns to bringing high quality food to their local market to creating a path to a more independent future…
For my guest today, Travis Schulert, farming became a mode of a change, because prior to farming Travis described his situation as…
“I was stuck in a dead end lifestyle, living in a trailer park, no savings, no plans, and between 24 and now (28) I started a CSA on leased land, funded the infrastructure of the farm and gave myself the money to build a tiny home. My wife and I lived in the tiny home and saved what we could, started doing markets and learning to sell and grow. “
Farming has been a means to get Travis and his wife out of that lifestyle which wasn’t working. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Between production issues, CSA issues, and trouble with land tenure, it’s been a bumpy road.
Travis has been able to navigate that road so far and is now in his 4th year of farming, but one which is also a new beginning as he starting his first season on a new plot of land currently dominated by grass.
As you’ll hear in this episode, like all things in farming, Travis is taking it in stride and doing his best with it, and now realizing “farming is only romantic until you start doing the work.”
Today it’s all the trials and tribulation of slowly scaling a farm on the side with farmer Travis Schulert.
Notes from the episode with Travis Schulert:
- Connect with Travis – Great Lakes Permadynamics
- Email: travis@permadynamics.org
- Find opportunity by putting yourself out there and looking to learn.
- Then give it your all, show up early, be interested be committed and you will likely be rewarded.
- “If I can get that hobby to at least make some money and pay some bills, then I have made it through that first step.”
- Building momentum in life is the hardest thing to do.
- And it may be the hardest thing, but it’s equally hard to slow it down or stop it.
- Building momentum in life is the hardest thing to do.
- “I knew if I overwhelmed myself I would scare myself away from farming.”
- Why slowly scale a farm on the side:
- Freedom to go on vacations and enjoy life.
- Happy with lifestyle he has.
- Start marriage off without crazy stress.
- How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons
Erica Gore
Travis mentioned a book with planting tables- what was the name of it? Thanks!
Diego
How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons