“I think there are still a lot of questions about what the future of the farm is going to look like and what we’re going to do with it. People want to be involved and I’m honestly really grateful for that, that they feel so proud of the family farm, that they want to see things do well and see it succeed and be the beautiful place that they remember it being.”

For this week’s episode, I wanted to share our farm transition story. In past episodes I mentioned our move and a little about our farm transition, but today I wanted to dive deeper into what that move looked like for our family. I talked about our previous acreage that we bought not long after getting married and the downside of that property. After deciding we needed to move to expand our operation, I shared about our farm shopping experience. Then when we wanted to move forward purchasing my husband’s family farm, there was a lot that went into making that possible as well as renovations that have happened and are still in progress on the family farm. Now we are getting settled and into new routines and continuing to make progress on our forever homestead and farm.

“There’s so many things to do on the farm. So many jobs and so many places to fit in but, I just didn’t  feel like any of them were where I wanted to be or where I wanted to fit.”

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brandi Lahey, or as you might know her, The Tipsy Farmer. I had so much fun learning about Brandi’s journey growing hops and all that goes into growing, harvesting, and drying hops. Brandi shared why she started The Tipsy Farmer Mobile Bar and the highs and lows that came with it. 

Creating a pathway to farming

Tod Bunting joins us this week to share about the resources he and his team have developed to support veterans and introduce them to farming as a career. Tod is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Servicemember Agricultural Vocation Education (SAVE) Farm, based in Manhattan, Kansas.

The SAVE Farm exists to provide therapy, as needed, and hands-on teaching to veterans and transitioning service members through experienced professionals. Tod believes that farming or ranching is a natural transition for veterans, because both paths provide a tangible purpose.