You Girls Need a Tractor

When we started this adventure, we both had the purest of intents. Figure out what our property was suited for, instead of forcing an idea on it; Grow & raise healthy, sustainable food; Establish balance in our lives between work & play; and do it all without a tractor or other big equipment. So far...we are 2 for 4. Balance isn't our strong point...never has been and Santa brought us a tractor, a small one, it did fit in his sleigh after all, but a 29hp gasoline powered tractor none the less. Perhaps fortunately for Mari, the blog didn't start last year, when she adamantly (and perhaps a bit righteously) would tell those that inquired that no, we weren't getting a tractor - after all we wanted to get in shape as well. One of our neighbors would often say, "You girls need a tractor". We were convinced, and we were not all wrong, that one way to establish a profitable farm is to avoid debt and major expenses, like a tractor. However, another way to become a profitable farm is to get to most of your work done. Our little tractor is helping us achieve that. Turning compost takes minutes instead of hours and we can keep the hoop house clear of snow. We both enjoy leveraging its power, but Mari is the star tractorista.