RFN-NJ Chat & Chew: City to Country - How to Move Without Losing Your Mind

Most of the time farming is represented as either euphoric and ideal or as absolute, thankless drudgery. This workshop is about the reality of  the  middle ground and all of the little, and not so little, things that no one actually tells you about country life. From the funny and the beautiful moments to the life altering and dangerous times and all of  the funky, quirky wonderfulness in between, farm life has it all! Are you ready?

Join Tomia MacQueen of Wildflower farm as she covers the basics of looking for land and funding your farm, but Tomia will go more in-depth  about preparing for day to day country life, such as what to bring with  you and what not to  bother packing up (yep, just sell it LOL), what to setup first, the chicken coop or the garden, how to save yourself and your family a ton of money and heartache and why your kids will likely  love you and hate you at the same time for moving them into the  country.

This will be an introduction to her 3-hour course. If you love it and  want to dive in deeper, you can sign up for Tomia's 3-hour webinar or  her full day, in-person class. Learn more here: https://www.wildflowerfarmnj.com/farm-tours-and-classes

*Please note that this Chat & Chew will not be recorded.

About the speaker:

Tomia  MacQueen is an Educator (BA) of 19 years, Farmer and Master  Gardener  specializing in edible gardens. She is the owner of Wildflower  Farm and  the Founder of Dance for LIFE (Love, Inspiration, Faith and  Empowerment)  and Gardening for LIFE. Tomia has been an Edible Gardens  Consultant for 15 years, and has been in Dance Ministry for 14 years.   Tomia is a  Board member at Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space  (FoHVOS), a Board  member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association  New Jersey  (NOFA-NJ, Founder of the Healing Waters Farming Project and a  member of  Governance for the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance where  she is also  Lead for the Value-Added Working Group and a member seed  grower.  She  partners with local organizations and schools as a  featured  Farmer/Mentor within youth and young adult programs such as  the Outdoor  Equity Alliance Agrihood Program and the Princeton  University Seed Farm  and others.  Tomia dedicates herself to imparting  healthy habits  and positive body image to both her dance and gardening  students, and to  closing food security gaps through education. When she  is not in her  family gardens, out caring for their animals, dancing or  teaching, Tomia  enjoys cooking, canning, horseback riding, sports,  spending time with  her family and, of course, a very good book.   Wildflower Farm  sustainably produces organically and ethically raised  pastured and free  range poultry, lamb, vegetables with a truly unique  focus on humane  animal husbandry policies and conservation practices.  Wildflower Farm  also is host to Educational Sustainability and  Homesteading workshops  for adults and children.

What is the Regenerative Farm Network (RFN-NJ)?

North  Jersey RC&D has created the Regenerative Farm Network  (RFN-NJ) as a  place for NJ farmers to learn and exchange knowledge  regarding  regenerative and climate-smart farm practices. Through   RFN-NJ, farmers can receive technical assistance, training   opportunities, speaker-development and farmer-to-farmer networking.  Learn more here: https://www.northjerseyrcd.org/rfn-nj

The Regenerative Farm Network is made possible by the Conservation  Outreach: Equity through Cooperative Agreements grant through USDA's  Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).