I think the extent to which I have any balance at all, any mental balance, is because of being raised as a farm kid and being raised in those isolated rural areas.
-James Earl Jones
Open a window. Let the gingham curtains flutter in a gentle morning breeze while you sip strong coffee and watch agile young squirrels chase one another through the trees in a high-flying, death-defying romp. From a quarter-mile away, the sound of the neighbor’s beagle baying and yodeling for no apparent reason drifts across open fields, blending with the putt-putt-putt of an Allis-Chalmers pulling a disc harrow through red dirt.
The aroma of baking biscuits fills every corner of the house, while sausage patties pop and sputter in a black cast iron skillet on the stove. The rooster clock on the wall above the kitchen table says it’s five minutes to eight.
The day is already getting away from you.
If you can identify with any of that, you understand. You understand, because that’s the life you live. That’s the life you chose to live. You get it – all of it; the appeal, the comfort, the rewards and the sometimes daunting challenges of farm life. Or, just rural life in general.
We hear you.
And who are we? We are Home & Farming, the online resource for people who live in the country, or just wish that they did, or hope to some day. It’s about self-reliance, problem solving, DIY and simply making this life that we ruralites adore even better.
Home & Farming is written by folks just like you, folks who appreciate the mellow gong of a wind chime on a blustery afternoon, or the surprise appearance of a ruby-throated hummingbird on the front porch, or the crunch of a post hole digger as it pierces sun-baked soil. We are real people with a real passion for country living in all its glory.
Our Writers
Madeline McGarry
Need some advice on pig farming or agriculture? Madeline McGarry is a senior majoring in agricultural communications and international agriculture at Iowa State University. Her combined experiences in communications, public relations and agricultural policy in the form of internships and research have carved the trajectory of her career path in both writing and agriculture.
One day she looks to have a career in agricultural sustainability and shape policies linked to the global food system. She’s a Wisconsin native and Iowan at heart and enjoys writing, running, and spending time with loved ones when she is not spending time as an active student.
Martie Majoros
Need advice on pruning shears? Martie Majoros has the answers. You can trust that she knows what she’s talking about. When not writing, traveling or working, Martie lovingly tends to her mini-garden in Burlington, Vermont. Let that sink in for a moment: a mini-garden in Burlington, Vermont. Who would not love that gig!
Hannah Brown
Our house. Is a very, very, very fine house.
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard.
-Crosby, Stills & Nash, “Our House”
That describes the life of contributing writer Hannah Brown, who resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her fiance and two cats. Hannah is our artsy-craftsy, houseplant-loving diva who keeps readers informed about the little things in life that are actually big things when it comes to contentment and comfort. If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out!
Janet Marshall
When you live in the country, you might have a house, a barn, a garage, multiple acres and a deed, but that’s not all yours. You share it with critters. Wild critters, domesticated critters, critters that walk up out of the woods or swoop down from the air. Critters that you like having around. Critters that you don’t. Critters that you see every day. Critters that you see once in a blue moon.
Janet Marshall is our expert on critters. She’s passionate about wildlife conservation, and her background, which includes a stay in South Africa, profoundly prepared for the task. She’s a native New Englander with a serious case of wanderlust, and still manages to make sure her garden is well-tended.
Kaileigh Northrup
Kaileigh is equally suited for writing about urban topics as rural topics. Having covered such issues as how to have a wedding on a budget to tax tips, she also knows a thing or two about living a rural lifestyle. She’s an Arizonan with a passion for hiking (what a great place for hiking, huh), and she enjoys chilling with her husband and her Boston terrier, Gabby. Arf!
Alyxandra Sego
OK, so there’s this: Alyxandra likes to ride her bicycle to the local coffee shop and she loves to loiter in bookstores. So it should come as no surprise that she’s an extremely talented lifestyle writer, essayist, poet and author of fiction. She’s adept at writing on a number of topics, and her love of outdoors, underscored by her passion for long-distance hiking, makes her a perfect fit for homeandfarming.com.
Daniel Milam
Daniel spent his childhood in the not-so-mean streets of surburban Memphis, Tennessee. He met a girl from Kentucky and she lured him to the farmland around Paducah, Kentucky, where he has now lived for almost 40 years. Daniel is the tool, implement and DIY expert around these parts. A retired TV producer, he’s an avid writer who likes to enter (and sometimes places in) story-telling contests.
What You’ll Find on Home & Farming
You’ve probably already noticed that we like to get right to the point, with an array of articles right up front on our landing page. At the end of each article is a review of related products that we’ve determined to be worth your while to check out.
Here are our main areas of interest:
Home
Maintaining a comfortable, lived-in home in the country can be either a labor of love or a never-ending saga of trial, error and “just let that go for now”.
A country home is where the charm is, where the comfort is. If you live in the country, you are not as much concerned as what the neighbors or passers-by think. It’s not for them. It’s for you. Our home articles focus on benefits and challenges of rural living, decorating for yourself, creating something wonderful out of nothing, making do with what’s readily handy, repurposing items for new and exciting uses and connecting with the very special environment we’ve chosen to exist in.
Cooking
If you’ve ever wondered why people flock to restaurants that serve “home cooked” meals, then you need to sit down at the table and enjoy one. Our cooking articles go beyond recipes, and bring fresh insights into culinary expertise, with the understanding that the rural cook sometimes has to improvise when the nearest grocery store is 15 minutes away.
Gardening
I need my friends, I need my house, I need my garden.
-Miranda Richardson
Gardening is man reaching out to nature and asking, “Like this?” In a country setting, tending a garden is more than a pastime – it’s a bond with nature.
Home & Farming is big on gardens. We’ll be covering techniques, tips, advice and products that make some of the work a little easier and productive.
Farming
Urban dwellers have no idea how much work is involved in farming. Most farmers will tell you they didn’t choose to be a farmer – farming chose them. It is indeed a special calling reserved for only a few.
Our articles help farmers make informed choices about products that will help them be more productive and efficient without sacrificing the family budget.
DIY (Do-It-Yourself)
Do it yourself. Yeah. Country-dwellers know all about that. The old adage of “If you want a job done right, do it yourself” is doubly true for the rural life. At homeandfarming.com, we offer tips, bring you new ideas and show you products that help you get the job done.
We’re Growing
Home & Farming is just getting started. We have great plans for the upcoming months, and we’ll be bringing you more information on things like kitchens and baths, back yards and patios, porches, tools and gadgets, decorating for all seasons, farm implements, labor-saving devices and things that even we haven’t thought of yet!
Be a part. Subscribe to get e-mailed notifications of new articles and contact us to let us know what’s important to you. We definitely want to hear from you.
Country living is the best life imaginable, but it does come with some heavy challenges, and we know where you’re coming from. We’re in there with you.
So thanks for stopping by and come back again real soon. Y’hear?