How & Why We Farm

25 thoughts on “How & Why We Farm”

1. I only found your channel around four months ago (in 2025–a year I never thought I'd see). I love going back and wandering around the video library. I take it slowly and savor every aspect of this wonderful sense of place you've happily and kindly chosen to bequeath to us. I came for the tractors, having grown up on a small farm when the Farmalls were thought of as pretty much state of the art technology. We never did have a ton of livestock; it was my Dad's "retirement farm". So I immediately gravitated to the field work and haying, then the the Farmall MD restoration, the McCormick 10-20, and of course the F-20. But I've found that I have come to enjoy and learn something new from every video you've made. This present episode is a little gem, tucked away on a dusty back shelf of the Larson Commemorative Video Library (cornerstone laid in 2020). In a bit less than nine short minutes, it concisely places your many efforts firmly in context. I smiled when you said you now had "almost" 100K subscribers. I came along when you had "almost" half a million ! As an elderly ex-farm boy, hired farm hand, and college professor, I thoroughly understand your wise sense of skepticism regarding social media. Of course, I come from the early Jurassic, when the only computers were the size of a small haymow and ran on vacuum tubes and punch cards. It was a big deal when we got color TV in the '60's. But not as big as when we got an almost-new McCormick baler! Hay bales were still square, as you well know. In fact, you are the first guy who's convinced me that round bales are actually not an agricultural form of avant garde Dadaist anti-art! Yep, I really love your whole scene and it's not just nostalgia. Now that I have enough money to buy and start a small farm, I don't, because I seriously doubt that I could keep up with the chores for more than a few years. I admire your vision, your self-honesty, your mechanical skill and your experienced knowledge of animal husbandry. Moreover, in my young adulthood, as you say here, farming imparted a real sense of community. I hope that all of your dreams and Hilarie's continue to materialize! Thank you for all you do for the Just a Few Acres Farm community of viewers. I read all of the comments, and clearly you have already changed half a million lives for the better. Mine is just one of them. ~~Jeff in CT

2. It is so gratifying to see you subscription number rising so fast! Great content should be rewarded.

3. 😍😍😍😍😍🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈

4. Farmer Pete…love your farm adventures and info. We had rats in our garden so we got some rubber snakes. No more rats around coop or veggie garden. We move snakes around every day or so. Happy farming! Ham glass

5. Without prying too much, I'd love to see some realistic gross earnings. How much would I expect to gross butchering 7 pigs per year? How much should I expect to gross butchering 5 cattle per year? How much would I expect to gross butchering 200 chickens? How much would I expect to gross per year from 400 laying chickens?

6. More power to your arm Pete, more power to your arm!

7. When I moved to Iowa in '64, I seen a lot of 150 acre farms doing well and making a reasonable living at it. Over the years the 1000 acre farms have bought up most of the small farmers and what you say about debt / management was the main reason for it. Debt enslaves and your smart if you realize that early. Once you do, they you learn how to become your own banker. Good on you and all the success to you and your family.

8. Pete, we know where your heart is! Just be yourself, that’s what we love to see!!!

9. Loved the video pete

10. Pete, I may have missed an episode but can u discuss ur solar panels sometime?

11. Do the best you can Pete and Hilary. The government is stacked against the small farmer, because, of control. The tax man comes in many shapes and sizes. Your educational videos are so exciting and adventurist. I like the market videos the best.

12. One thing that is sad to see is a small channel start catering to the subscribers instead of making the content they started out with. You can tell when a channel is genuine or just making content to make content.
    That is one thing I love about your channel, you make things that are what you love or what is on your mind at the time. Plus you share a lot of wisdom and aren't afraid to keep learning yourself. Carry on!

13. Actually Pete you are a solar farmer. It's the sun that allows chlorophyll to be possible.

    So you are farming energy.
    🙂

14. 👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🗽🙏🏻 love your values! Agree 100%👍

15. Besides being a hard worker and a great and equal partner in your farming enterprise, what has Mrs. Larson’s history as a teacher done to prepare her for a farming life?

16. Stumbled across your channel today and I’m enjoying it already. I’m almost 54 and have enjoyed a good career with a Fortune 500 company for 35 years. I would love to do exactly what you are doing here. Thanks for what you do and how you do it. Enjoy every moment. Subscribed.

17. Your family's love for the farm is ours to! Thank you so very much.

18. Just found your channel. Your voice and the way you talk reminds me of Andy Rooney. Love the dad jokes too!

19. Thank you for this post. These are the vids we like the best… have a great day!

20. "We have a rainy day fund in case there's a problem with a car I can't fix." Short of incineration, the list of things YOU can't fix could fit on a post-it note.

21. So many good comments in this video, very cathartic. BTW you are doing more than preserving small farming you are helping to expand it – I'm currently in the hunt for land to make our start in 2021!

22. You have the proper attitude, thanks for all the cool videos and very bad dad jokes

23. Pete you keep doing your thing and I'll definitely keep watching you

24. No kidding I’m 30 min north of Syracuse, didn’t realize we were that close

25. Love these ag philosophy videos!

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