Farming generally mandates working on a large area of land (but several works point out that a living can be made with relatively small acreage) that are long distances from services (schools, hospitals, groceries, etc.). After some drama, we found ourselves happy owners of approximately 140 acres of hilly pasture and scrub forest within cycling distance of a town with a population of about 6000. Three years later, we still live in town. With livestock on the property we find ourselves needing to get to and from the farm on a regular basis. With 140 acres of land, and 2+ miles of fencing to deal with, getting around the farm is also an important problem.
My preferred method of transportation on-farm remains feet. The farm system we have in place makes hoofing-it perfectly practical. In general, it is rare that anything that can't be carried by a single person needs to be moved any distance. Rotational grazing with electric fencing means that it is only necessary to move livestock to the next paddock. The livestock hurry to fresh grazing on their own and we only have to move their paraphernalia (water tub, mineral tub, and wind/sun shelter) about 40 feet. The most difficult items to move are shelters, but they can be dragged by a single person with only a modest effort. The vast majority of our herd's food is grass harvested from pasture by way of sheep. No need to schlep bags of feed around for them, just set up the next paddock with electric fence and let them in. The same doesn't hold for the ducks. Our duck flock goes through a bushel of feed every three weeks. So we end up filling large mouse-, duck-, and crow-proof container with a bag of feed about that often. For about 8 months of the year, we are able to pump water to the ducks with a solar-powered water pump and 150 feet of garden hose. Ducks really enjoy their water. Except on very warm days in semi-drought conditions (ie. there is very little moisture in the grass), the sheep require very little in the way of water. We find it perfectly reasonable to haul it to them in half-full five-gallon buckets. As our flock grows, another solar-powered pump and/or more hose will eventually be employed to make hauling water unnecessary. But for the time-being summer chores are perfectly doable on foot.
During the winter, things change. The livestock are fenced and only moved when the manure and bedding accumulation is...about right. Hay, in the form of small square bales is brought to the sheep. Since we only move the flock onto their winter quarters when there is significant snow cover (ie. the sheep can no longer get what they need from grazing alone), moving hay, or anything for that matter, becomes much easier because we can employ a calf-sled. With temperatures cold enough to freeze the livestock's water inside 12-hours, giving the livestock access to liquid water becomes an issue. If the sheep have access to clean snow, they don't need water. Otherwise, they will need water hauled to them daily, but only a litre or so for each individual. The ducks eat and "bathe" in snow just as if it is water, but they need liquid water to clear their nostrils. So water hauling becomes a daily chore for the four-or-so months that we have regular freezing temperatures. With our small flock of ducks and herd of sheep, we only need a couple of gallons a day, but using excess water means that it doesn't freeze as quickly. So a five gallon bucket is what is required.
Unfortunately, the farm is 14 kilometers away from our home. Which brings us to the topic of getting to and from the farm.
In the summer, I sometimes make the trip from town to farm by bicycle (ie. pedal bike). It takes about 30 minutes in one direction, but wind can bring this down to 20 or increase it to 50. But in balance, 30 minutes. A small load that I can stuff into a couple of panniers adds about five minutes. Hauling a larger load (say a couple hundred pounds) by trailer increases the ride to about an hour. Even empty, the trailer turns a 30-minute ride into a 45-minute one. The biggest problem with cycling out to the farm, is that it takes a lot out of a fellow. Frankly, it is asking too much of myself to cycle for 30-minutes, do chores, then cycle for another 30-minutes back. In my case I got sloppy and left chores undone longer than wise. For over-night trips, cycling is a perfectly feasible method to get to our farm. I've done this when I had to shear the sheep, and it worked well. Cycling from the farm, to a job that didn't involve heavy labour, is feasible. Having an eight-hour stretch between trips makes a big difference. While living in the city, I commuted by bike a similar distance, over hillier terrain, and fighting traffic, and managed it fine.
Step-by-step explanation:
