Debt is a scary thing for anyone. But for farmers, it can be crushing. Whether we’re talking about a farmer growing conventional soybeans down the road or farmers like us who raise organic pasture raised livestock, farmers have steep upfront costs.
And because the final product is so dependent on things largely outside of our control, like the weather or predators, farming is also a big gamble. Despite all the incredible planning and effort we put into what we do, with farming, we’re never 100% sure what the yield and the profits will be.
Debt is really scary to us and we want to avoid it like the plague. And while we recognize the utility of the loans we’ve received in our lifetime, we’re working super hard to get to a place of being debt free as quickly as possible. Which this month means….. cue the DRUM ROLL….we’re paying off our tractor loan 4 YEARS early!!
I’m betting you’re wondering why we’re prioritizing this over other important things, like maybe hiring an employee or paying ourselves a living wage (in case you’re wondering, we still haven’t hit our goal of earning a a teacher’s salary from the farm yet). But we know that less debt hanging over our heads now, will give us the ability to be financially stable in the years to come and that is critical to the success and the longevity of our farm. And that’s where our priorities lie.
So if you’ve zoned out or if I’ve bored you to death, please come back to me because here’s the thing we absolutely NEEDED to tell you this week. Paying off our tractor loan would not be possible without you. YOU, being the freaking awesome human being that you are. You are the reason why we’re able to take this giant step forward in our business. You show up for us, you lift our spirits, you encourage us when we’re down, you choose to support this farm and you drive our business forward and we cannot thank you enough for that.
We love you and we want you to know that when we drop off this big check in the mail this week, we’ll be thanking YOU for making it all possible.
Your Farmers,
Jenney and Greg