Future Plans

There are so many topics to write about that I struggle sometimes to fit in enough time connecting with you all and letting you get to know me.

Today I want to take some time to tell you a bit more about myself and what my future plans are in addition to what my struggles are!

I also want to get to know you guys as much as possible (those that I don’t already know). Keep commenting and leaving questions, notes, corrections, whatever just to show that you’re engaged!

Hi

I’m Pete, I live in Western Michigan, USA and I’m 29 years old. I have a wife and two little children, and I have a huge passion for everything agrarianism!

As a kid I was always borrowing books on herbalism, foraging, and gardening from the library (although I wasn’t always confident enough to eat wild food!) Somewhere around highs school I went through a hiatus where I paused that passion (partially due to lack of time, partially because I was discouraged from pursuing anything but a math or science career).

Somewhere around 2017 I got interested in mushroom cultivation which very quickly turned into an obsession with permaculture (thanks mom!)

I was homeschooled for most of my life (for 9th and 10th grade I went to school) and went straight to working after high school, which is either a bad thing, or a really good thing depending on who you ask!

Short Term

Something I’m working on is trying to build fertility in the plots of land I care for. The new plots especially need a lot of extra love when it comes to this area.

I have a few main plans for the next couple years that I’m working towards:

• Increasing how much produce I sell from my current plots

• Increasing my nursery stock and the plants I sell

The first one is easy to do, it just takes extra effort. I recently went through a job change and I’m working a lot more than I previously was so it’s hard (especially with kids) but it’s a no-brainer. I want to continue mostly with garlic and try to get our tomato production back up to where it’s been in previous years.

Additionally, we sell herbs, elderberries, and a few wild foods to a handful of people locally which is great.

For the latter, it is definitely possible to increase the number of plants I sell, however I want to find a way to have a small greenhouse and to get my nursery license. I’m not sure yet whether I can work with one of my existing small plots (that might be against local regulations) or if I have to rent a plot of land for this specific purpose.

Either way, I have a list of plants to buy and every plant you guys buy from me helps me get closer to achieving the goal!

Long Term

For awhile now I’ve wanted to do something in the agrarian industry for work. I obviously take issue with conventional agriculture so that was never an option. I have principles I feel are ethically essential for me to keep which will carry over into wherever I end up.

After experimenting for a handful of years, I’ve discovered a few things:

• I am especially passionate about plants in particular (surprising no one)

• I want to feed people

• I want to inspire others

This has led me to want to do a mix of a farm and plant nursery.

My ideal scenario would be this:

I’d have a piece of land big enough to have some of my extended family living nearby, I’d have a nursery and a U-pick perennial farm as well as some outdoor event space for hosting my foraging workshops and educating people on food forestry as well as the plants I carry.

So with that in mind, I face a few major hurdles:

• Land is wildly expensive right now

• My entire life (work, church, most of my family, friends) are here in this area.

So, I could do two things:

We could move somewhere else in hopes that the cost-of-living to Income ratio is better (very hard to find) and start my life from scratch almost (I’d have to find a new church, new job, and a new community of people to be part of.

OR we could stay put for now and hope that we make enough at some point to be able to afford a place either on our own or collectively with some friends or family.

For the time being, we’re choosing the latter although we like to stay flexible and be ready to jump on a new opportunity if it presents itself.

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