We come from generations of farmers, but the last generation moved off the farm leaving us with no farm skills whatsoever. Farming was in our blood and we always itched to be out in the country. Plus when movies like Food Inc came out, we really wanted to raise our own healthy food. When we finally were able to purchase some land, we started from ground zero. We didn't know how to fix a pipe or raise a chicken.

We didn't grow up in 4-H or FFA or any of those farm programs some kids are lucky enough to be in.  We read lots of books and watched lots of Youtube videos, but we always wished there were experienced farmers around to help us.

A few years ago, we had a conversation with the head of a Crisis Response Team. His team was out in the desert nearby for 3 months, learning to live without electricity, learning to raise animals, garden and become self-sufficient.  He told us that they were motivated to do this when his team spent some time in Haiti right after the earthquake.  In Haiti, he said, people starved while chickens and goats ran free on the streets. Nobody, including the crisis teams, knew what to do with the livestock.

We began to ask people in our own circles whether they'd be able to survive if a disaster hit and what they knew about food production.  We heard comments like "I didn't know milk only came from female animals" and "Eggs come from chickens?" and "Why don't you buy meat from the store?  Why do you have to kill animals?"  People knew very little about farming, but we also heard comments from just about everyone saying they'd love to learn.

By this time, we had gained a lot of skill in farming and decided it was time to share it with others.  We feel passionate about making sure people know enough about farming that they could survive a disaster if they had to.  And we don't want them to just know a little.