Nine years ago today, our family landed in New Zealand! We migrated from the UK, intending a nature-based lifestyle for our children. Friends back home split their sides laughing when we announced a 10-acre lifestyle block, with plans to raise alpacas. For good reason…we embarked on this adventure without any farming experience to speak of.
Our herd has certainly brought pleasure over profit. On the other hand, we eat homegrown produce raised without pesticides or other toxins, and have even won prizes at the local A&P show. I’m certain Minerva McGonagall would award us five points each, for sheer dumb luck!
Perhaps most valuable is the strong work ethic our children have gained. There’s no room on a farm for a “say-do gap” (the space between an individual’s words and their actions, where credibility gets lost). We chose the simplest possible motivation, linking work to food. Anyone wanting dinner at our house must first muck in with the job at hand!
The annual cycle of agricultural commitments is the same for every farm and every lifestyle family, no matter size or experience. Anyone can learn and everyone must play a part, no excuses. Nature has been good to us. We purposely turned our world upside-down, and unearthed great fortune in our own paddocks.
