November 1, 2022 // by Jason White
As my family’s first year on our homestead comes to a close, we’ve begun to look into the next year or two and envision what reasonable growth and development on our property might look like. As we reflect on the challenges and successes of our ‘rookie year’ of homesteading, we’re filled with excitement and gratitude to realize just how much of a foundation we’ve laid for the years to come. Despite feeling sometimes like we haven’t done enough, we’ve come to understand the time it takes to build something like this and why homesteading is often referred to as a journey.
On today’s episode, I welcome Austin and Rebekah Lebahn as they share their story of how they left the city and completely changed their family’s lives. They started their homesteading journey as a totally citified couple who, when the opportunity arrived, were among the least likely candidates to buy the family farm. Four years later, these unlikely travelers on the homestead path are, not only homesteading on their 330 acre farm, but they’re selling pasture raised poultry and beef direct to consumers in their local market.
In this episode, Austin and Rebekah share:
* How they were a “totally citified” couple who were unlikely candidates to buy the family farm
* The fear of leaving the familiarity of a conventional life into a new rural culture
* Leaving the established rhythm of suburban life into the new rhythm of farming and homesteading
* How they had to learn to set priorities and boundaries to establish a functional rhythm
* The early struggles of trying to monetize the farm and how moving too fast cost them momentum
* Their transition to direct to consumer marketing and how that put some wind in their sails
* The challenges of learning to do things the natural way as they transitioned their farm from chemical dependence
* The importance of community in getting them through the tough times
* How their children soared to the occasion of this radical change of lifestyle
* Their transition from public school to homeschooling
* How they learned humility through struggles in raising livestock and how that helped them drive through the hard times
* Their drive to provide the experience and opportunity for their children to embrace the farming lifestyle as adults
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