Pluses, Minuses

Living in the Country a Diversity of People

By A. Gene Nelson and Tom Gentle.

Who lives on a few acres in the country? These rural residents are a diverse group computer analysts, chiropractors, carpenters, salesmen, professors. The land on which they live ranges in size from enough for a rural residence with a large backyard to small-scale farms involving a number of acres. The locations stretch from Vermont's rocky soils to the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia, from the prairies of Iowa to the south-lands, the western deserts, and the northwest's lush forests.

The 1970's have brought renewed interest in the country lifestyle, but this rural movement is not a simple phenomenon. There are many objectives, resources and situations involved, and implications for the future are definitely complex.

Because of this diversity, there is no such thing as the average resident on a few acres in the country. Some are involved in agriculture, operating a few acres on a part-time basis. Some are willing to make the material sacrifices necessary to achieve a preferred rural lifestyle, and others have enough wealth to afford this lifestyle without income from the land.

People live in the country and own a few acres for a variety of reasons. Their objectives might be to:

Use the acreage solely as a residence;

Pursue hobbies or recreational activities;

Reduce the family's food costs by gardening;

Provide an "alternative" lifestyle for meeting food and energy needs;

Provide an extra (part-time) source of income by selling produce from the acreage, or engaging in some other sideline.

The Rural Residents. These people sell less than $1,000 of of agricultural produce a year. Their primary interest is the pastoral setting for their home. Many view the few acres on which they live as an extended backyard. They are often city folks buying up old farmhouses, plus five acres to keep a horse.

In other cases they are retired farmers, such as Ivan and Gladys living on a 120-acre farm in Illinois. At 75 and 70 years of age they are still active, but all the cropland is now rented out to a neighboring farmer and his sons who farm it as part of a larger acreage. Ivan and Gladys are primarily interested in preserving their home and lifestyle.

A California couple became rural residents by default. A real estate agent convinced them they could make a living by growing alfalfa in eastern Madera County. In reality, the land was rough hardpan and had no irrigation water. Growing alfalfa was out of the question.

The local Extension advisor convinced them to forget the idea of farming and get jobs in town because their finances permitted no alternative. Although it was difficult to accept, they took his advice and have been quite successful and happy just living in a rural setting.

It's quite a different situation for Dennis, his wife Alta, and Dave and Jean. The four, all in their thirties, recently formed a partnership to buy their farm, which has 25 acres of woodland, 10 acres of Christmas trees, and 20 acres of open pasture.

Dennis and Dave teach at a small college 8 miles away Jean is an elementary school teacher in another nearby town.

Says Dennis, "Our main reason for living here is to share a group experience and be out in the country." While they would like to earn enough from the land to pay the taxes, they are not interested in making money from farming. None of them has farming experience. They would like to rent the pasture, but have yet to find an interested party.

The partnership allows them to share the cost of the land, which none could have afforded alone. By pooling their resources they also will be able to afford maintenance on the house.

The Hobby Farmers. These farmers have income from their land as a secondary goal, but work a few acres to pursue their recreation and hobby interests. For some it might include woods and a stream for hunting and fishing. Others may have horticultural hobbies and devote their leisure time to landscaping.

Raising registered Hereford cattle is a rare avocation, but Harold, a real estate broker in a nearby city of 80,000, hopes his herd eventually will provide supplemental income when he retires.

Another reason he and his wife, also a real estate broker, moved to a farm was to enjoy the benefits of country living. His farm consists mostly of brushy hillsides.

He raises beef because he likes cattle and feels his land is well suited for them. His herd of 20 brood cows is as big as he wants to get. However, his small operation makes building a reputation difficult. Harold has neither the time to train his cattle for showing, nor to show them.

Limitations on his time also mean contracting out most of the heavy work to custom farmers, which adds considerably to expenses. He lost about $3,500 in 1977. Although he enjoys his hobby, he does not want to always lose money on it.

The Gardeners. These people, while they may sell some of their produce, are primarily interested in reducing their family's food bill by growing their own food. They may use their land for an extensive vegetable garden, one or two head of livestock, and some fruit trees.

Five acres have been more than adequate for Richard and Lila to supply most of the food their family of six consumes. They grow vegetables in a large garden, have a mixed orchard of fruit trees, and raise a steer and some chickens for meat.

"We save a considerable amount of money on vegetables especially tomatoes if you don't figure in the time I spend canning them," says Lila.