Why We Do This...

Zan In Iowa Country

 I figured---since we're at the beginning of our brand-new site--to tell you WHY we do this.

If you're one of those folks who've been following us from the beginning--well first of all, THANK YOU! We do sincerely appreciate your support!--but, you'll also know a little bit about Why We Do This.

See, I really have no business being here. The "Renegade" part of The Renegade Farmer was actually a nose-thumbing of sorts, because I am the very definition of the stereotypical NON-FARMER. I mean, I'm not an old, third or fourth generation male who's been doing this his whole life.

No. I'm a woman. Who has family who doesn't hail from this country (although, frankly, BOTH of them were farmers, or had family who were). And who spent most of her life in the city. In fact, I live in The Big City of New York now.  And that combination alone takes me out of the running, right?

Nope. It's that very REASON that makes me the perfect Renegade Farmer, and which is why I advocate farming for people who WANT to farm, and the farmers already honestly working the land NOW.

See, my mother and her people were farmers--honest, old-fashioned family farmers. And then WWII came and took so much from them. What I grew up with was watching her be amazing in times of stress, and create amazing food, amazing crafts, and so much more with so little. Because that's the farmer's way. And that had an impact.

As a city dweller,  I also understood how much it means to WANT to farm, without the acreage. With the age of self-sufficiency becoming more and more important (have you SEEN the food prices in the supermarket lately??), we look to share information with those of you hungry (literally and figuratively) for food and farming knowledge, and to highlight old fashioned farming all across the country, if not the world.

The Renegade Writers are no different. I've been blessed to have a bevvy of amazing story-tellers and teachers take time out of THEIR BUSY LIVES, and sit down and write some extremely entertaining and enlightening posts, each with their own unique voice. Add a dash of my performance art and radio broadcasting background, and what you have is a radio show and informative website, all rolled in one.

We hope you continue to follow this journey on the web. Yes, some of us are more diverse than others. We have farmers from all walks of life, and we hope you find our various points of view refreshing, if not relevant.

Stay with us as we add new features and include YOU in the Renegade Farming World. If you like what you read or hear, be sure to "follow" us by clicking the little "follow" button on the sidebar, we'd really appreciate it (but no pressure)!

Because, at the end of the day, we love Farming. Thats Why We Do This.

~Zan Asha