A husband and father raising his family in Southeastern Indiana. Building this farm and homestead to support my family for generations to come. Ora et Labora.
I am growing this farm business to build a life for my family where my children have time to be with their father and my wife has my attention.
I want to pray more.
I want to wrestle with my children more.
I will do what is needed to build this family society.
Chicken shipped
My dog died.
He was my first farm animal and the one you’d see with me if you drove by our farm.
It hurts and I miss my dog.
I think it’s important to share - I post what I believe is inspirational farm, homestead and Faith content.
Right now, Im just sad.
My newest child has been safely born.
And once again I am reminded of what is right and should be prioritized.
I am so joyful - tired but full of joy. Praise be to God always.
Welcome to the world baby girl.
To those who feel a vocation to marriage - trust in God.
Garlic is one of the enterprises we are working to quickly grow.
We anticipate shipping out across the country this year and will be meeting purchasing managers in Indiana this year.
We are excited to bring American grown, no synthetic chemical, delicious garlic to market.
@tyromper
Look at why raw milk is illegal in many places. And the sanitized alternative is somehow the acceptable situation.
Much of our “rules” are due to hyper sensitivity to risk brought about by a society fixated on a pidgeonholed understanding of justice as financial remedies only.
Nature is full of surprises.
This pumpkin grew, out in the woods on the edge of the back pasture. It climbed the tree and alas - there hangs a pumpkin.
When I say this is not your regular grocery store variety, imported garlic - I’m not joking.
Hand planted - hand harvested - nothing synthetic - no herbicides, insecticides, etc.
Just a family building a business.
But check this out - that’s one bulb in my palm. Woah!
I live where there are spots to tie up your horses - either at the Discount Store, or the Family Dollar in the closest town with only a flashing red light and stop sign.
This is the backdrop of my children’s life. It is different. And they are thriving.
I continue to stress this - pigs are easily contained.
This isn’t even a significantly hot wire - it’s .1 joules on. Solar charger. They just are well trained and recognize that the yellow wire is a no cross zone.
Why do I stress this? We are scaling into serious meat
Bull delivery!
Collaborating with neighbors is a win. This is my neighbor’s bull - he drops him off once per year for breeding.
Then the bull will move to the next property.
This is one example of country courtesy.
Have you placed your order yet? Or will you be planting / eating imported, chemical laden or otherwise subpar garlic this winter?!
Okay - I felt a little bad writing that but it’s not inaccurate. It’s a root crop and i don’t want to feed subpar garlic to my family.
Check bio.
I want to live a life so full of joy, humility and forgiveness for all that upon my death, if you weep, it is out of happiness knowing that I died joyfully
with great anticipation of my Savior.
I’ve had a very difficult time the past few months.
I am so hopeful today.
This is one of my favorite videos from the farm.
We are preparing to launch videos, long form, stories and more and this clip continues to come to attention.
This was shortly after the calf’s birth. Happy mom and baby - snow covered and peaceful.
These scenes are inspiring.
Meet Big Boy! He was a twin born late last year but was rejected by his mother.
I remember picking him out of the field at night and putting him into the cab of the truck to bring him home.
He lives with the herd but sometimes wanders out. Today is one of those days!
A homestead dependent on inputs is not safe from modern logistics.
Consider how to feed the animals you have with what you can source and grow.
Here is one example - beets! Specifically this is a mangle beet, nearly as large as my face! Great sugars, nutrient profile and more.
Any chicken owners perplexed while hens will leave one box open and cram into another?
There are three chickens trying to eggs in this one box… with an empty one right next to it.
Onion harvest looks good this year.
In fact - this is our first year harvesting onions. I don’t note it much here but while we build the farm and garlic business, we are also moving towards great self sufficiency.
This is a big win.
Another farm surprise!
More baby chicks! Just found them today - all dry so likely at least one day old.
Because it’s becoming so cold we put them indoors but here is another win!
We began growing garlic in 2022.
We planted 6x more the following season.
In the next year we are looking to plant another 4 - 10x depending on factors.
If you are interested in purchasing garlic to eat, getting seed garlic or buying wholesale. Please join our email list!
These four rows alone have the potential to exceed 1500 pounds worth of feed for the family, sale or for animals. That’s 80 plants.
Anyone know what those seeds are?
You should be growing pumpkins on your farm or homestead.
Why?
Pumpkins serve many purposes. Animal feed, culinary use, decorations, enormous compost potential between leaves, vines and fruit. Easy to grow, easy to collect seeds for food or planting.
Grow pumpkins!
@GigaBasedDad
Seed oils - once we moved to the farm and began producing most of our food and food for others, I became significantly less tolerant of eating food at restaurants. Things I used to be able to eat fine I can barely handle anymore.
You probably don’t need to have every class of homestead and farm animal.
Some just aren’t that helpful.
But then again… they are cute. And visitors do seem to find them enjoyable.
The chickens which hatched in the shed are mostly thriving.
Anyone have any great homestead or farm scenes to share today?
We all need to see the beauty around us a little more. Otherwise - times like these can just dampen so much.
Every year I feel as if I miss the seasons.
Over two years building this farm business, diving into country living and getting closer to self sufficiency on the homestead has made them so evidently clear.
And each are so beautiful.
It’s winter prep time.
It’s coming soon.
Website should be back online tomorrow for garlic!
Shipping wherever legal across the US.
Grown naturally. Please consider supporting our family venture as we scale this garlic enterprise! $25/lb + shipping.
Dm or email pre orders hello
@littlewayhomestead
.com
American grown.
This is what good pork can look like.
Pasture / wood lot / forest raised pigs - running around, foraging and serving a agricultural use as prior to processing.
This batch goes in December. Next farrows expected early Spring with up to 20 piglets!
These little ones have been out in near swarms this year! I suspect it’s the result of a mild winter and a very rainy Spring.
Are you all seeing many of them?
This is a farm breakthrough and I am honored to be in this position as a steward of part of God’s Creation.
One year ago these cattle fled from me. This year they follow me with enthusiasm. They are ecstatic to be led to new food and this was an amazing experience.
It’s not my best work - but my wife really wants the bathroom finished before the baby arrives… and I’m running out of time.
Will need to clean off the haze, get the toilet, trim and beadboard in but it’s coming together!
I didn’t grow up doing any of this. You can do it.
Coffee, butter and maple syrup.
So much controversy stirred up the last time I mentioned this.
But then it seemed many people found this to be delicious.
And it is! Delightfully warm, smooth with the sweetness of maple syrup - now that’s a good way to help get going!
We have hundreds of pounds of garlic growing for sale this year. It’s one of our goals to take care of our family through the growth and sale of garlic. Grown right here in Indiana where we are setting up our farm to be a teaching / demonstration farm and homestead.
Big egg day today! The abundance is such a gift and I’m thankful to remember how quickly an abundance can diminish to scarcity.
Planning ahead for the winter now.
I had a suspicion of what I wanted in a dog that would be by my side.
But I never fully grasped the unique satisfaction there is in an animal so loyal and willing and wanting to always be at my side.
Night or day, morning or night, sun or snow, he is always ready.
The land I purchased is set to serve as a place of generational security, joy and discipline. It is not a simple dwelling place - it is a space to resolve temporal needs while promoting love for Christ.
I am in the toil stage - it is brutal, I am tired - but I am hopeful.
Before you answer - I am not saying this for today or even this year... But...
Should we purchase a horse for the homestead to get around more quickly and help with chores?
The urge to provide as a father and husband is humbling.
It defies even certain instincts - especially if self pity and selfishness.
Men - be strong. You can do this.
My wife is very close to labor. Due date is last week of July - fourth child - labor signs are already clear.
Last child was home birth and awesome. Now, we are deep in the coubtryside. If the midwife doesn’t make it - what advice can everyone give?
We are prepared either way.
If you’re concerned that children will not adapt to the homestead lifestyle - from planting to butchery, building and exploring… know that they may not only adapt, but thrive.
My children are chasing frogs now - just prior, my daughter showed me a handful of worms.
@SullyBusiness
Landscape - Biggest opportunity to quickly change the lives of many people needing a job but otherwise would not qualify for, or be able to be hired without advanced training.
@ElijahSchaffer
Extremely weird take - sincerely, as a man you are responsible for your willingness to mature and if that includes offering medical assistance, triage or delivery services to your wife, then do so and mature as a man with virtue considering eternal life. Silly take.
I know it’s not the best look but I really miss my dog.
He was young, promising and an accident ended his life so quickly.
I was there within moments. My family was there. I don’t think of him each day but I really miss him today.
Another good reason to grow crops… now, we are moving towards a closed farm and documenting a bit more of our homesteading journey. You’ll see this more beginning September.
Here is one such example… Im running out of feed…
The rise in homesteading interest is not incidental.
It is a response to a concern in society - a brokenness and disconnect from the Faith and endless pursuits of technological and economic advancement.
Many will have questions. We will help at Little Way Farm and Homestead.
Learn to invite your children into your work.
I suppose this also means set aside work that your children can be invited to participate in.
I’m learning this more and more - children want to belong and learn - it is my responsibility to provide the opportunities.
Not everyone will choose, be able to, or be called to the country lifestyle.
I’ll still talk about hoe well the homestead can serve the family - not only in solving temporal needs for food, safety and more, but in the cultivation of virtue.
This is a good, difficult life.
Will you ever retire?
I suspect, by all common and modern understandings I will not.
I expect to engage in labor until I die or my children or others choose to relieve me by their own will.
I may produce for my family and those who need it until I meet God - and I’m okay.
I am building this homestead and farm business to provide a life for my wife and children. It is an honor and I hope it is making me a better man.
The signs of labor are now here inside our home. I expect as early as tomorrow another pair of hands will soon be in these photos.
Apparently we have weather coming in very shortly that I likely have not seen in my lifetime - if models hold true.
We appear to be in the path of some very most severe weather.
It is humbling - working with the land has shown me how small I am.
Stay safe. Confess. Pray.
I couldn’t do this last year. They would’ve ran - they would not have come near me.
But now it’s different. And yes they do have a treat of garlic salt, but that doesn’t equate to them choosing to let me stand amongst them.
This is a win. Enjoy!
Things might have almost gotten out of control.
I mentioned previously that the second batch was coming outside tonight.
Well, they are outside and they fit right through the netting!
@shagbark_hick
Weather patterns come and go, the climate is always in flux, this is the natural movements of equilibrium. The argument is whether humans are the cause or not - and that is silly. Of course our actions have some effect but is it meaningful? Ice ages have come and gone.
Garlic looks beautiful against the fresh cut!
Did you know garlic grows well in the northern region of America?
We are building this as our family business. Only two more months until the harvest! Join the email list to make sure you can order!
The kindness shared with me today has helped in a way I was not prepared for.
The death of Praus was sudden and unexpected, tragic and dramatic - but it was also instant - I hope.
I am grateful and thankful to each of you for your kind words. I have not known loss like this.
My dog died.
He was my first farm animal and the one you’d see with me if you drove by our farm.
It hurts and I miss my dog.
I think it’s important to share - I post what I believe is inspirational farm, homestead and Faith content.
Right now, Im just sad.
This is a big deal for our farm. This is the first time we have shipped and orders went out all across the US. Sincerely - thank you all!
More to come!
Your perception about pigs can be so warped by what modern, CAFO operations do.
I can raise hundreds of pigs a year doing just this - their impact on the land can be a utility and benefit if managed well.
These pigs look phenomenal. This is the type of pork we produce.
We are
I think you are wrong about goats…
Not only will these goats provide our family with a steady income stream from breeding stock but they will provide us with delicious and nutritious dairy!
Yes, they got out, but now I’ve got better netting up. Looking good! And they’re cute!
Pork is a win.
So few good pork businesses out there.
These boys are headed out to the woods hopefully this upcoming week.
No soy. Organic and non gmo feed only. I have the gilts growing in preparation for breeding.
This is a winner.
That’s quite a few more plants!
Herbs, flowers, cucumbers, wheat and more!
This is not a fad - this is an investment in my lineage and my family’s security.
Another reason to support local farms.
We can provide you with meat, produce, eggs and more.
We do not have the bio security hazards of losing this all as the large confined animal feeding operations do.
You can see and trust where you’re food is coming from.
🇺🇸TEXAS CHICKEN FARMS ARE GOING UP IN FLAMES
Multiple chicken farms have been set ablaze in the past 24 hours.
Accusations of domestic terrorism are flying - no cause has been officially announced for the series of farm fires.
Source: Fox
Orders are being picked up tomorrow by USPS, shipping Priority and should be to you all shortly!
All garlic has been cured, inspected for quality and prepared for shipment right from the farm.
If anyone has any questions or concerns about your order - please let me know via
There is so much joy to be recognized demonstrated.
I understand the outrage, I feel it too, but I recognize that such doesn’t keep me focused on what really matters.
Little hands at work planting flowers and more. This I can appreciate.
What have you planted this week?
Show me what’s being planted out this week!
My focus this year is on building resilient and profitable planting and animal management systems while simultaneously ensuring my family is fed, from the farm, for as long as I can.
Breeding stock and heirloom seeds.
The temperament of good farm animals is incredibly important.
This is Cooper - he is preceded by two others. Both developed a terrible tendency towards aggression.
Cooper stands at attention for his flock and respects our role in tending to the hens.
Cooper can stay.
Broilers - not the best enterprise for a small scale farm. Ruminants are much better…
Just moved 200+ chickens, by hand, from outside their clear and obvious shelters, to underneath the shelters.
Rain tonight. Broilers and rain do not mix. Survival instincts - minimal.
My brakes just went out - pedal to the floor, minimal stopping power.
Yesterday I hauled over a ton of feed.
Today I made one delivery.
En route to return the trailer, I lost braking power.
It’s difficult to imagine how without a load it occurred and yesterday I was okay.
Every morning when I look outside the farm presents a stunningly beautiful view.
The fog recently has been spectacular - blanketing the grounds, dissipating with the sunlight but a gentle reminder of the weather at play.
I did not really recognize the natural world before here.
Icelandic sheep are just stunning.
Wool on summertime. Wool off wintertime. Lives on a subsistence forage diet - seasonal breeding. Market ready in 4-6 months.
Milk. Meat. Wool.
This is a homestead breed of antiquity.
When we started homesteading, it was just my wife and I on the west side of Cincinnati with four raised garden beds and a cat.
Now I have three pairs of additional hands helping plant hundred foot rows, and tending to animals.
Yes, the homestead grew, but so has my family.
Our farm business is evolving. And I’m so excited to talk about it.
It has to do with priorities, marketing, content and more. I expect to meet some of you here - more than we already have.
Little Way Farm and Homestead is growing - and so is our family - and so is my focus.
One of the benefits of feeding pumpkins as treats to livestock across the farm…
Pumpkins growing all across the farm.
Consider this - these grow in the pasture. No irrigation, weeding, fertilizer at all.
More and more I think this is something we need to consider.
How many eggs did you collect today?
It is always amusing to see the size difference between mature hens and the newly laying hens - former pullets. Sometimes the eggs are even more round and the yolks match the size of the egg!
I really enjoy working with the animals.
But I have to recognize what makes sense.
I think our family business might be garlic..
Join the email list today to be on the list - we received some interesting news today that might change our life…
If you want to close your farm / homestead or reduce your inputs, it’s critical to choose the right breeds.
We noticed this early - problematic dispositions, poor growth performance and more when it comes to pasture.
To protect your family, choose breeds that work better.
Amazing opportunity to meet buyers from across the state.
We are expanding our garlic business rapidly and might even begin seeking investors.
Garlic grown in the States without synthetic chemicals right here in Indiana.
Thanks
@Indiana_Grown
! Great event!
Between organic traffic and
@Half_A_Pond
continually calling me out - we are about to pause garlic seed and table sales to prep shipments and confirm remaining quantity. We have a completely different product line hopefully launching for Christmas gifts - until then - wow, we are
My life looks uncivilized - I work a full time job, run a website business and am developing a farm business to support my family through any situation - I look a mess most of the time - multiple species manure, dirt and a deep tan to let you know the time of year.
I love this.