There’s a certain kind of quiet that settles over a rural road in the evening—a calm that invites you to breathe and take in the world around you. I grew up with that kind of quiet and have often wished for more of it. But truth be told, our road isn’t really that quiet. We work hard to keep our little farm feeling more like a sanctuary and less like a city park, but there’s traffic and other noise more often than not. So earlier this month, when Farmer Moke and I took a cross-country trip, from Ohio to Arizona, I was excited to have a look at the wide-open spaces of the Midwestern farms along the way.
Let me say now, this was one of those “be careful what you wish for” ideas. The fields were endless, impressive, and surely efficient. The average size of a farm in Kansas is 804 acres, Missouri 291 acres, and Oklahoma 467 acres. I felt overwhelmed and isolated. There were fields as far as the eye could see, all beautiful and not a house or a person in sight. In the time we were traveling, we saw many, many farms with quiet roads and not a person or vehicle in sight. Also, no roadside stands selling eggs, bread, jelly or other homemade items or home grown produce.
Fast forward and we’re home, on our little 10-acre farm with enough space to grow things – grandchildren, fruit, vegetables, flowers, a couple of pollinator fields, local wildlife, honeybees – with extra healthy, organic produce to share with the neighborhood. We’ve looked at commercial farming and it’s not for us. We’re always pleased to have visitors and will happily show you around the wildflower fields or talk about gardening, as well as sell produce, as it’s available. We hope to inspire your curiosity and encourage coexistence with nature and neighbors and leave the isolation of giant farms to the folks with giant tractors!
And we’re not alone here. Just around the corner on Newton Falls Rd., my neighbors at Family Oasis Homestead have their little stand with eggs, bread, cookies and other homemade stuff for local folks, and just around my other corner, on SR 5, our neighbors at Tenn Acre Farm & Bakery are preparing to open their farm for the summer. They’ll have eggs, baked goods, and other tasty surprises for local folks. I’m sure there’s more similar places in our community as well. Roadside farm stands and home-based food businesses are booming in Ohio, according to PeakOfOhio.com. Nationwide, almost 150,000 farms sell directly to customers.
Many of these stands, including ours, operate on trust, with a simple cash box and the honor system. It’s a small but meaningful way our community supports one another—and keeping that trust intact ensures these local offerings continue for everyone. Please keep the honor system honorable. Stealing from local farmers hurts the community, eroding trust and potentially reducing the availability of local products.
To sum it up, we’re happy to be back in our community with busy roads and friendly neighbors, and we’re looking forward to summer. We may not have the quietest road, but we have something better—neighbors, conversation, and real, local healthy food to share. And as summer approaches, we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors who value the same. See you Soon!
