Farmers should take vacations. I know it’s a bit of an oxymoron, farmers and vacations. But leaving the farm every so often can make you a better farmer.
To leave, you need to plan, be efficient, and train employees — all things that increase the sustainability of the farm.
So in late September, we left for a couple days to hike on the Long Trail:
Whether it’s a few days to hit the trail, a week away, or a month off at the end of the year, vacations don’t happen by accident, and they’re not an expendable luxury.
Time off is critical to stress management.
If you’re a CSA farmer or considering becoming one, I highly recommend that you build time off into your farm schedule. Curious how to do that?
Check out CSA Starts Here: an educational video series for aspiring and beginning CSA farmers.
Created by the CSA Innovation Network, this free 12-part series will help you decide if running a CSA is right for you and walk you through the skills you need to be successful.
You’ll see me in video #11 on Managing Stress On The CSA Farm, where I share how Edge and I make vacations happen.
Being out on the trail reminds us that we’re more than farmers. We’re parents, partners, multi-dimensional people who sometimes need the space of mountains to untangle everything we hold in our brains.
You can give yourself that space, too.
Watch CSA Starts Here to gain perspective and skills to build a farm that includes vacations.
Because as much as farming can become an identity, life is about so much more than work.
I realized this morning that I haven’t had a day off from the farm in 8 years. I’m so burnt out and desperately need a vacation. I googled farm burnout and found your wonderful blog! Thank you for putting it into words.
I really enjoyed this article, thank you for sharing useful information. Regards, David, author of the blog https://rakeadvisor.com