![]() HomesteadĪ homesteader is dependent upon what their land produces to sustain them. Hobby FarmĪ hobby farmer will typically have a 9-5 job that covers the cost of the farming habit or be retired but they will always have a source of income separate from their farm.Ī hobby farm may be a small backyard that contains a few laying hens and a kitchen garden, or it could be several acres and include a wide variety of plants and animals. The farmer may sell some of the produce or products made from the produce to generate extra income to fund their hobby. It’s their hobby and they may be very good at it but they are not dependent upon what they grow to survive. It’s not a hobby farmers’ concern to make a living or even make a profit by farming. Some clear definitions will help people interested in food growing and production plan precisely with goals and guide them on the right path. Both use the land to grow food and raise animals but one is independent and the other is dependent upon the land for survival. All Rights Reserved | Website by Maple Creative, buildwithmaple.The main difference is whether you live self-sufficiently.Ī hobby farm and a homestead are not the same, although they do have some similarities. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó:nǫ Ɂ dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó:nǫ Ɂ people, past and present, to these lands and waters. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. The Gayogo̱hó:nǫ Ɂ are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. Land Acknowledgement: Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ Ɂ (the Cayuga Nation). The Cornell Small Farms Program is housed at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) in Ithaca, NY, and works in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension across New York State. If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, please contact Cornell University via email at for assistance. The total cost of both the wind and solar installations came to $20,000, half of the initial cost of connecting to the grid. Using their budget as a guide, they made a guess, and in Spring, 2010, they added another. One of the challenges was sizing the system correctly. They also visited off-grid family homes, to see full systems in operation. ![]() Site testing was as expensive as the actual installation, so the Luhrmans consulted online wind maps and found the sunniest spot near the barn to determine locations. Once they had ordered their supplies (Evergreen panels, Outback inverter and charge controller, and a Bergey turbine and tower), they made use of the components’ detailed installation instructions. ![]() ![]() Next they found manufacturers and suppliers (the Alternative Energy Store in Massachusetts and Backwoods Solar in Idaho), and asked them questions. They ordered catalogs from off-grid solar and wind suppliers to learn “what kind of questions to ask when you start to design the system,” Raymond says. Raymond says some understanding of electrical installation work is needed, but neither Raymond nor Sara is trained in the area. To keep costs down, they installed the turbine and panels themselves. Raymond and Sara had to finance their own energy entirely. Without a connection to the grid, government subsidies and incentives disappear. They built their house, the first floor of which is a barn, according to the principles of passive solar design: south facing, super-insulated, and with opportunities for cross-ventilation to lower summer temperatures. Along with installing the means of production, the Luhrmans paid attention to minimizing their energy needs, selecting a high-efficiency well pump and heavily insulated cooler for storing the vegetable harvest until delivery. They opted for self-sufficiency, installing a 1 kW photovoltaic solar array and 100-foot wind turbine. When they bought the land, which adjoins their original rented site, they were faced with the decision of whether to spend the $40,000 to get electricity in, or to try to manage without the grid’s safety net. Photo by Violet Stoneįive years after the move, the Luhrmans serve 200 CSA members at Fox Creek Farm, and they do it without a connection to the national grid. To keep costs down, the Luhrmans installed the wind turbine and solar panels themselves.
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