We started the Farm Stay years ago for one obvious reason: to pay our hay bill.
We were reckless and ignorant when we moved from Brooklyn to start a farm. We were quickly stunned to learn how relentlessly expensive a farm is in every single way. So many bills and needs! And you can't work full-time because you're taking care of the farm. And you can't properly take care of the farm unless you have money. But we had a guest apartment on the property, and we could at least make our hay bill if we rented out the apartment. At first I charged so little that I only offered an hour of my time: a quick farm tour on the first morning. We offered pony riding for an extra fee. This all seemed fine. But then the pandemic happened. To cut down on turn-overs, I made the summer 2020 rentals a six-night minimum. And then because everything was closed and there would be nothing to do, I offered Farm Camp: Two hours of instruction and chores and climbing fences and undoing latches and bottle-feeding lambs and building the earth oven and so on. At first I worried it would be hard to fill the time. It wasn't. And I worried about forcing kids to do work. But then I did it anyway. And it turned out to be the best thing.
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AuthorI'm Larissa. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved animals, and always felt the urge to MAKE things. In my farm life, I get to pursue both these paths. Luckily, my husband and kids feel the same way. Archives
November 2024
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