Ten years ago, I had a clear vision of what farming would give me.
I was working 60 hours a week at the hospital, feeling burnt out, and the idea of being home with my family while working outside in nature sounded like the perfect solution.
I’d be there for my kids, present for my wife, building something meaningful with my hands instead of being stuck in fluorescent-lit hallways.
Fast-forward to a few years ago, and I realized something: I’d traded 60 hours at the hospital for being “home” – but home and burnt out on the farm is just a different kind of absent.
My wife’s the one who asked the question I couldn’t answer: “You left the hospital to be home more. So why are you still gone all day?”
She wasn’t wrong.
We had some real come-to-Jesus conversations about what we were building and why. Not fights but just honest talks about whether this farm was actually giving us what we thought it would.
We both had strong opinions about what my goals for the farm were doing to our family.
Turns out, we both wanted the same thing. We just had different ideas about how to get there.
Those conversations changed everything.
What Changed
I stopped optimizing for “real farmer” status – whatever that even means – and started optimizing for the actual life I wanted when I started this whole thing.
Being home isn’t enough. I wanted to be present for my family. Present for my kids. Not just physically on the property while mentally running through the next project or how to scale.
Don’t get me wrong – we all have to work. We all have responsibilities, goals we want to achieve, things we want in life to feel fulfilled. But here’s what I learned:
Most of us get into farming FOR the lifestyle. But somewhere along the way, we start chasing revenue, scale, “real farmer” status – and we lose the actual reason we started.
The challenge isn’t just making the lifestyle pay for itself. The challenge is not sacrificing the lifestyle while trying to make it profitable.
The Part-Time Choice
This is why I renamed my channel to “The Part-Time Farmer” instead of “Quit Your Job and Farm Full-Time.”
Not because I can’t scale. I’ve proved I could hit nearly $200k in farm revenue. But because part-time is what actually gives me the life I wanted when I started this whole thing.
We found our happy balance – making decent money, spending real time with each other, and pursuing other hobbies and goals. No burn-out from my (now) part-time hospital job and part-time farm.
My wife and I are on the same page. My kids actually see me, not just my back or me off in the distance on the tractor.
It’s smaller. It’s slower. It’s more intentional.
And honestly? It’s better.
The Question You Need to Ask
Whether you’re planning your first farm or running an established operation, the question is the same:
What are you actually optimizing for?
Revenue? Scale? Proving something? Or the lifestyle you dreamed about when you first got interested in farming?
There’s no wrong answer – but you need to be honest about it. Because if you don’t get clear on what you’re actually trying to build, you’ll hit your goals and still end up disappointed.
Here’s What I Want You to Know
I still love farming. My family still loves this life. The version we love just looks different than what I thought it would 10 years ago.
If you’re just starting out, you don’t have to learn this the hard way. Build for the lifestyle you actually want, not the one you think a “real farmer” should have.
If you’re already farming and feeling stretched thin, you’re not stuck. You can scale back. You can say no. You can build something that fits your life instead of consuming it.
That’s what being a “real farmer” means to me now – someone who built a farm that actually works for their life.
Let me know what you think. Where are you with your farm, and what are you optimizing for?
Till next week …
with my appreciation,
Jason
Aka: The Part-Time Farmer
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