On dairy farms and history…

“Dairy farms served as pillars of stability and self-sufficiency during a time of economic uncertainty. And in rural America, dairy farms were often the heart of the community, providing jobs and a sense of pride” -Unknown

I spent all day Saturday at the historic Homestead Dairy Barn in Warm Springs, VA. It was a family reunion of sorts.

Today the old dairy farm serves as a vacation rental business.

There are several idyllic houses available for rent across the property. There’s a market serving lunch and refreshments. There’s a heated outdoor pool. And in the middle of it all is a large clubhouse with plenty of space for events. That’s where we congregated.

Here’s a snapshot of the old Dairy Barn in all its glory:

What a hidden gem.

Obviously a lot of the facilities have been modernized. But each of these structures was an integral part of a functioning dairy farm at one time.

One of the rooms inside the clubhouse is dedicated to the property’s history. There are pictures on the wall depicting various aspects of the farm at the turn of the 20th century and on up into the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

I spent some time looking at these pictures with my 96 year old grandmother. She’s the last of her generation. And she provided us with some great insight.

My grandmother grew up on a small farm in Bowlegs, OK. That’s just over an hour east of Oklahoma City. It’s about smack-dab in the middle of the state.

Grandma shared with us what things were like on the farm during the Great Depression. Times were tough for everybody. But they were insulated from the worst of it simply because they were largely self-sufficient.

Back then, the kids each had their own responsibilities on the farm.

Grandma shared that her older sister’s job was to milk the cows every morning. They kept enough milk to support the family. Then they sold their surplus to the local dairy. That was a great source of income.

Grandma’s job was to collect the chicken eggs each day. She was also responsible for bringing in the firewood. Her mother cooked each of their meals on a wood stove.

Seeing all the old pictures of the Dairy Barn took Grandma back in time. They didn’t have all the conveniences back in the 30s and 40s that we enjoy today… but life was far more simple.

That simplicity provides peace of mind. It’s a good feeling when we understand the world around us and our place in it.

This is an idea that’s rooted itself in my head.

You know, I don’t get the sense that people are generally happy and fulfilled today. The 24/7 news cycle is constantly bombarding us with negativity. Our email inboxes are slammed every day with advertisements that suggest we will always be inadequate unless we buy the proposed product. And on top of it we’re all dealing with an economic landscape that’s constantly shifting due to the rate of technological advancements.

It’s hard to find purpose and peace of mind amidst all this noise. But it is possible…

One of the themes I keep coming back to in these pages is the Jeffersonian vision for America.

Back in the colonial days, Jefferson looked out at the vast, untamed land on this continent… and he saw a tremendous opportunity. Why couldn’t everybody own a small plot of land and be kings and queens of their own castle, he thought.

I see the wisdom in it.

People were far more self-sufficient at one point in this country’s history. My grandmother’s farm is a great example.

And the thing is – the more self-sufficient we are, the less we have to worry about things that are outside of our control.

I shared last week our approach to backup energy sources. They serve to enhance self-sufficiency tremendously.

We’ve also connected with the local agriculture community in our area. Now we’re buying nearly all of our meat and eggs directly from local farmers. And we keep a big stockpile in a meat freezer in the basement. That also adds to self-sufficiency.

And recently we set up a subscription to have local spring water delivered to us every two weeks as well. We now keep twelve 5-gallon jugs of spring water on hand at all times.

Put it all together and we’ve now got plenty of food, water, and energy at our disposal. We could go at least a month without leaving the house and we wouldn’t be inconvenienced in the least.

To me, that’s the lesson from our agrarian history. The more self-sufficient we are, the more control we have over our lives.

I’ll leave you with that thought today. Looking ahead, we’ll spend the rest of the week talking about the historical influences underpinning our new investment membership The Phoenician League.

-Joe Withrow

P.S. Speaking of self-sufficiency, I would like to introduce you to a non-profit that we recently formed. We call it the Foundation for Human Civilization.

Our mission is to help enable vibrant, self-sustaining local communities.

And our first project is to drill a centralized well in rural Uganda. It will service the remote villages of Mwera and Bugolo-Kireku.

These two villages are home to about 2,000 people across 220 households. Children make up more than half of the population.

Yet, the villages have no running water.

Residents must collect rainwater and/or travel to a natural spring to fill up their jugs. The closest spring is up to three miles away from residents in these two villages.

By drilling a centralized well, we’ll reduce the need for residents to travel to the spring each day. This will free up their time to engage in more productive activities… which in turn will help the villages become more prosperous.

If you would like to learn more about our little project and how you can support it, I invite you to visit the Foundation’s site right here:

Foundation for Human Civilization: Uganda Water Project

And I’ll add that our non-profit is completely volunteer driven. We do not have any staff nor do we pay any salaries. 100% of donations go to the projects we support.