Building a Farm and Family From the Ground up with Laura Cook

Laura Cook is a first-generation farmer who has built her farm from scratch on forested land in New York State. She raises goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, and grows mixed vegetables in a large greenhouse. Laura and her husband work together on the farm, with Laura focusing on herd health and marketing, while her husband handles construction and maintenance. They sell their products directly to consumers through their website, farmers markets, and a farm stand on their property. Laura is also involved in community composting, diverting food waste from landfills and using it to create nutrient-rich compost for their farm. Laura Cook and her husband run The Cook Farm, a small-scale farm in New York. They both work full-time on the farm and are also involved in homeschooling their son. They prioritize organization and have weekly family meetings to plan their schedules and priorities. Laura believes that farming and homeschooling go hand in hand, as they provide practical knowledge and opportunities for learning. Raising a strong-willed child is a challenge, but Laura values her son's independence and critical thinking skills. Their future goals for the farm include sustainable growth and profitability that allow them to be on the farm full-time and support their son if he chooses to continue farming.

Connect with Laura Online

https://www.instagram.com/the_cook_farm/https://www.cookfarmny.com/https://www.facebook.com/cookfarmny

We're glad you're joining us for another episode of Barnyard Language. If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend (or two) and be sure to rate and review us wherever you're listening! If you want to help us keep buying coffee and paying our editor, you can make a monthly pledge on Patreon to help us stay on the air.

 You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as BarnyardLanguage, and if you'd like to connect with other farming families, you can join our private Barnyard Language Facebook group. We're always in search of future guests for the podcast. If you or someone you know would like to chat with us, get in touch.

If you have a something you'd like to Cuss & Discuss, you can submit it here: speakpipe.com/barnyardlanguage or email us at [email protected].

Takeaways

Laura Cook is a first-generation farmer who has built her farm from scratch on forested land in New York State.She raises goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and grows mixed vegetables in a large greenhouse.Laura and her husband work together on the farm, with Laura focusing on herd health and marketing, while her husband handles construction and maintenance.They sell their products directly to consumers through their website, farmers markets, and a farm stand on their property.Laura is also involved in community composting, diverting food waste from landfills and using it to create nutrient-rich compost for their farm. Running a small-scale farm and homeschooling require organization and...

Laura Cook is a first-generation farmer who has built her farm from scratch on forested land in New York State. She raises goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, and grows mixed vegetables in a large greenhouse. Laura and her husband work together on the farm, with Laura focusing on herd health and marketing, while her husband handles construction and maintenance. They sell their products directly to consumers through their website, farmers markets, and a farm stand on their property. Laura is also involved in community composting, diverting food waste from landfills and using it to create nutrient-rich compost for their farm. Laura Cook and her husband run The Cook Farm, a small-scale farm in New York. They both work full-time on the farm and are also involved in homeschooling their son. They prioritize organization and have weekly family meetings to plan their schedules and priorities. Laura believes that farming and homeschooling go hand in hand, as they provide practical knowledge and opportunities for learning. Raising a strong-willed child is a challenge, but Laura values her son's independence and critical thinking skills. Their future goals for the farm include sustainable growth and profitability that allow them to be on the farm full-time and support their son if he chooses to continue farming.

Connect with Laura Online

https://www.instagram.com/the_cook_farm/https://www.cookfarmny.com/https://www.facebook.com/cookfarmny

We're glad you're joining us for another episode of Barnyard Language. If you enjoy the show, please tell a friend (or two) and be sure to rate and review us wherever you're listening! If you want to help us keep buying coffee and paying our editor, you can make a monthly pledge on Patreon to help us stay on the air.

 You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as BarnyardLanguage, and if you'd like to connect with other farming families, you can join our private Barnyard Language Facebook group. We're always in search of future guests for the podcast. If you or someone you know would like to chat with us, get in touch.

If you have a something you'd like to Cuss & Discuss, you can submit it here: speakpipe.com/barnyardlanguage or email us at [email protected].

Takeaways

Laura Cook is a first-generation farmer who has built her farm from scratch on forested land in New York State.She raises goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and grows mixed vegetables in a large greenhouse.Laura and her husband work together on the farm, with Laura focusing on herd health and marketing, while her husband handles construction and maintenance.They sell their products directly to consumers through their website, farmers markets, and a farm stand on their property.Laura is also involved in community composting, diverting food waste from landfills and using it to create nutrient-rich compost for their farm. Running a small-scale farm and homeschooling require organization and planningFarming provides practical knowledge and learning opportunities for childrenRaising a strong-willed child can be challenging but rewardingFuture goals for the farm include sustainable growth and profitability

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Laura's Farm06:25 Selling Farm Products14:45 Community Composting24:20 Composting and Agriculture30:49 Composting and Sustainability35:55 Balancing Work and Farming39:23 Reasons for Homeschooling43:37 Organization and Planning on the Farm49:13 Parenting a Strong-Willed Child53:01 Future Goals for The Cook Farm


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