Farming & Parenting in Manitoba with April McKean

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.

Summary

In this conversation, April McKean shares her experience of living and farming in Manitoba, Canada. She discusses her farming background, the benefits of living close to family, and the decision to become a stay-at-home parent. April also highlights the differences between Canadian and American maternity leave policies and the challenges of childcare in rural areas. She talks about the isolation of being a new parent and the physical and mental changes that come with parenthood. April shares her struggles and successes in raising her kids on the farm and discusses the communication and challenges of farming with family. Lastly, she talks about her business, Little Farmhands, which provides farm-themed toys and products for children. In this conversation, April, the owner of Little Farm Hands, discusses the design of their popular swaddles and blankets, which feature realistic farm-themed prints. She also shares the challenges of running an online business in a rural area, including gaining customer trust and dealing with high shipping rates. April talks about expanding to the US market and her future goals, such as partnering with small retailers and introducing new prints. The conversation also touches on fun topics like dominating a category at the county fair and the frustrations of poorly written crochet patterns. April concludes by sharing where listeners can find Little Farm Hands online.

Website: https://littlefarmhands.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_littlefarmhands

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlefarmhands/

Takeaways

Living close to family can provide a support system and make family events more convenient.Maternity leave policies vary between countries, with Canada offering a year of leave and the US offering less.Rural areas often face challenges in accessing affordable and available childcare.Parenthood brings physical and mental changes, and it's important to prioritize self-care and make decisions that work best for you and your family.Raising kids on a farm provides unique opportunities for learning and growth.Open communication and understanding are key to working through challenges when farming with family.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Location01:00 April's Farming and Family Background03:40 Benefits of Living Close to Family06:10 Decision to Become a Stay-at-Home Parent09:08...

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.

Summary

In this conversation, April McKean shares her experience of living and farming in Manitoba, Canada. She discusses her farming background, the benefits of living close to family, and the decision to become a stay-at-home parent. April also highlights the differences between Canadian and American maternity leave policies and the challenges of childcare in rural areas. She talks about the isolation of being a new parent and the physical and mental changes that come with parenthood. April shares her struggles and successes in raising her kids on the farm and discusses the communication and challenges of farming with family. Lastly, she talks about her business, Little Farmhands, which provides farm-themed toys and products for children. In this conversation, April, the owner of Little Farm Hands, discusses the design of their popular swaddles and blankets, which feature realistic farm-themed prints. She also shares the challenges of running an online business in a rural area, including gaining customer trust and dealing with high shipping rates. April talks about expanding to the US market and her future goals, such as partnering with small retailers and introducing new prints. The conversation also touches on fun topics like dominating a category at the county fair and the frustrations of poorly written crochet patterns. April concludes by sharing where listeners can find Little Farm Hands online.

Website: https://littlefarmhands.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_littlefarmhands

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlefarmhands/

Takeaways

Living close to family can provide a support system and make family events more convenient.Maternity leave policies vary between countries, with Canada offering a year of leave and the US offering less.Rural areas often face challenges in accessing affordable and available childcare.Parenthood brings physical and mental changes, and it's important to prioritize self-care and make decisions that work best for you and your family.Raising kids on a farm provides unique opportunities for learning and growth.Open communication and understanding are key to working through challenges when farming with family.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Location01:00 April's Farming and Family Background03:40 Benefits of Living Close to Family06:10 Decision to Become a Stay-at-Home Parent09:08 Canadian Maternity Leave10:23 Challenges of Childcare in the US12:29 Isolation as a New Parent in a Rural Area16:21 Transition to Parenthood and Physical Changes19:34 Struggles and Decisions in Parenting25:48 Raising Kids on the Farm27:51 Challenges and Communication in Farming with Family33:32 Little Farmhands Business37:40 Market Gap for Farm Toys39:55 Product Design and Popular Swaddles42:10 Challenges of Running an Online Business in a Rural Area45:01 Expanding to the US Market46:02 Future Goals and New Products51:51 County Fair Dominance: Baking and Karaoke53:40 Cuss and Discuss: Poorly Written Patterns55:19 Cuss and Discuss: Kids and Eating Food57:28 Cuss and Discuss: Neglecting Personal Care59:05 Where to Find Little Farm Hands Online


This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy