I think I have found a word that finally fits!
We have all these buzz words that seem to have various meanings depending on who you talk to: organic, sustainable, family farm, pasteured, free range, uncaged, grass fed.............and the list goes on and on.
The conventional farmers look at me and shake their heads and wonder why in the world I would choose to milk five cows, drink raw milk and have "cow shares". They also wonder why we would work our behinds off growing enough produce to feed our friends and neighbors who stop by to purchase right off the farm. And who in the world lets their chickens run around all day without a fence! And, to top it all off, we don't run our farm on government subsidies. Some of these folks tend to label me an "organic freak" but more often than not, just a freak!
Then, there are the die hard organic folks who shake their heads because I am just not organic enough for them. They whisper the words "conventional farmer" under their breath and shake their heads in disgust because everything I do, does not fit their label.
I heard there was a "good ole boy" club for farmers, but I have yet to be invited. Maybe that's because I am a woman. But that can't be it, because my husband has not been invited either.
Guess we won't worry about the labels, or lack thereof. We will just work hard so that we can continue farming. After all, it's what my husband's family has been doing for generations.
Independent
Yes, I think I am an independent farmer.
Independently Mike and I work hard together to live the life we love!
(Note to readers: Please don't take this post too seriously as it is all written in fun! It's good to be able to laugh at one's self! Don't you agree?)