I love farms and farming. Even when it is cold and rainy, or extremely hot and mosquito-ey, I am reminded of some words MaryJane shared with me once: It is so much better to be stuck working outside during less-than-desirable weather than to be stuck working inside on a beautiful day.
Sometimes I REALLY have to remind myself of this great insight, but I usually come around, even in the thickest of mosquitos.
Visiting farms around my community, state, country and world is one of my favorite things to do. I have dreams of one day visiting South America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, Australia, India, Africa (the whole world, really) and trekking from farm to farm, getting to see the different farming methods. It would be especially fun to see how similar or diferent the ubiquitous potato is planted, grown and stored the world over…
Anyhow, I’ve been back in Alaska for two weeks now after my visit to North Dakota and Minnesota, and I’ve been reflecting on farm visits.
Evan, My future brothers-in-law and I on the hills outside of their family’s cropland (former pastureland in their dairying days!)
Sukochi Lee 
Shari Doty 
Joan 
marci 
Lynn 
crystal 
Brenda Cassady 
Not having room for crops is something I’m familiar with, as we live in the woods and have very little open land. By the way, goat manure can also be put in the garden fresh without harming the crops. (We have goats, rabbits and chickens so we compost all of their droppings to turn our clay soil into wonderful garden loam. I grow things in raised beds and it works well.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures at our farm! I only wish I had been home to tour with you, but it sounds like Scott did a great job! Just to clarify – we have never purchased llamas – we have only provided a home for those bought by others who found out there’s not much $$ to be made from them and needed a place for them to go. But they have provided much entertainment and wonderful fertilizer!
This is such a great post! I am trying to learn more about farming because eventually I will end up being a farm wife in MN and these tours give me a little bit more knowledge.