by Jared Neibaur
Self-sufficiency can be accomplished on . Success isn't a matter of size as much as it is a matter of realized vision and continuous sustainable growth. I want to share my vision for my homestead so that you can have one more story to go off of as you create your own vision. Maybe my story about my modern homestead will help you define your own success in becoming self-sufficient. many different levels

Making the Perfect Match
I had been dreaming of starting my own self-sufficient farm for a while before I even started to look. So when I actually started to look I had high hopes. I was envisioning lots of acres that had been farmed for a while, maybe a pond or spring, an orchard, a garden area, and pastures and fences built for animals, a few other things, and, of course, I hoped to find all of it for a bargain price. What I ended up getting was mostly bargain price, and I am just as satisfied.
I found my little homestead on craigslist.org of all places. It is an old farmstead that had been sold separate from the farm. The property had been left vacant for a few years before a young family bought it. They owned it for a couple years that they spent renovating and updating the almost century old house. They didn't have much time to spend on the land itself, but they did a great deal on fixing up the house. Life then took them in another direction and so they posted the property on craigslist where I was able to buy it.
It had all the necessities: good climate, fertile ground, sufficient water through irrigation. It also had some great perks: a house, a shop, an orchard, a small hay field, and lots and lots of trees. Aside from the house and the shop, the property was in a large state of disrepair. I have done a lot of work over the last two years and really I have a lot more to go before I get it to a show quality state. What I found is that starting, as I have, with a little bit of a mess has given me a lot of material to be creative with. I am able to uncover the old infrastructure and use modern techniques to make it my own.
I had been dreaming of starting my own self-sufficient farm for a while before I even started to look. So when I actually started to look I had high hopes. I was envisioning lots of acres that had been farmed for a while, maybe a pond or spring, an orchard, a garden area, and pastures and fences built for animals, a few other things, and, of course, I hoped to find all of it for a bargain price. What I ended up getting was mostly bargain price, and I am just as satisfied.
I found my little homestead on craigslist.org of all places. It is an old farmstead that had been sold separate from the farm. The property had been left vacant for a few years before a young family bought it. They owned it for a couple years that they spent renovating and updating the almost century old house. They didn't have much time to spend on the land itself, but they did a great deal on fixing up the house. Life then took them in another direction and so they posted the property on craigslist where I was able to buy it.
It had all the necessities: good climate, fertile ground, sufficient water through irrigation. It also had some great perks: a house, a shop, an orchard, a small hay field, and lots and lots of trees. Aside from the house and the shop, the property was in a large state of disrepair. I have done a lot of work over the last two years and really I have a lot more to go before I get it to a show quality state. What I found is that starting, as I have, with a little bit of a mess has given me a lot of material to be creative with. I am able to uncover the old infrastructure and use modern techniques to make it my own.
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Plans for the Future
My vision for my modern homestead it to create a small self-sufficient farm that bridges the gap between the farms of yore and todays generation. I am hoping to set everything up in a way to easily monitor and communicate information so I can share it with others. I hope that my work can help inspire and motivate similar ideas and action. I think that the modern world would be a better place if all of us understood what it was like to have a sweaty brow and dirty hands, if every person experienced the flavor of food that they nurtured from a seed. My hope is that my little homestead can help inspire that world.
I have a list of aspirations for my homestead. If I share some of them with you here you can watch to see what I do and don't do. Maybe you will all keep me motivated to follow through. Here are a few things that I hope to develop. I want to first develop a system to feed my family. I want to raise animal and plant based food. I'm sure I am going to try many different animals and so on before I find what works best on a homestead, I'm excited for that adventure. I am also hoping to have a garden, field, orchard, greenhouse and aquaponics system to make a complete meal plan.
To raise animals is to feed animals. In this vision of mine I am including methods of producing food to feed my animals. This includes a hay field, but it also may include other crops like beets. I am considering growing my own green fodder, and creating a system for that.
The modern world has close ties with electricity. I hope to spend some time with energy generation, electrical power along with other forms of energy. I can't guarantee that I have any expertise, but I am really excited to experiment. I have some rough plans for a homestead scale methane digester that I can't wait to try.
My vision for my modern homestead it to create a small self-sufficient farm that bridges the gap between the farms of yore and todays generation. I am hoping to set everything up in a way to easily monitor and communicate information so I can share it with others. I hope that my work can help inspire and motivate similar ideas and action. I think that the modern world would be a better place if all of us understood what it was like to have a sweaty brow and dirty hands, if every person experienced the flavor of food that they nurtured from a seed. My hope is that my little homestead can help inspire that world.
I have a list of aspirations for my homestead. If I share some of them with you here you can watch to see what I do and don't do. Maybe you will all keep me motivated to follow through. Here are a few things that I hope to develop. I want to first develop a system to feed my family. I want to raise animal and plant based food. I'm sure I am going to try many different animals and so on before I find what works best on a homestead, I'm excited for that adventure. I am also hoping to have a garden, field, orchard, greenhouse and aquaponics system to make a complete meal plan.
To raise animals is to feed animals. In this vision of mine I am including methods of producing food to feed my animals. This includes a hay field, but it also may include other crops like beets. I am considering growing my own green fodder, and creating a system for that.
The modern world has close ties with electricity. I hope to spend some time with energy generation, electrical power along with other forms of energy. I can't guarantee that I have any expertise, but I am really excited to experiment. I have some rough plans for a homestead scale methane digester that I can't wait to try.

I have a desire to live a lifestyle where I am connected to the earth and to my family. I have started my modern homestead for that purpose. I have started this website to include the world in what I learn. I hope to earn your interest to be my support in this endeavor, and that sharing my vision for my modern homestead is a step in that direction.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you want to know more leave a message in the comment section. If you want to be notified about my future blogs please subscribe to the Simple Ground newsletter.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you want to know more leave a message in the comment section. If you want to be notified about my future blogs please subscribe to the Simple Ground newsletter.