Dealing With Loss on the Farm

Loss is something that everyone who has a farm will have to deal with at some point in time. So learning how to deal with loss is essential.

Today's podcast topic actually came from a question within our Patreon. If you're not a member, you can join the conversation over on our Patreon page for as little as three dollars per month. Once a member, you'll have access to exclusive content, discounts, early access to podcasts as well as monthly live Q&A's with me and Miah.

What I Wish I Knew Years Ago

I learned the phrase, “Where there's livestock, there's dead stock,” from a book many years ago and have shared that saying frequently over the years.

I didn't grow up with access to farm life. The only animals I was around growing up were family pets like cats and dogs (which lived very long lives). Dealing with the loss of an animal wasn't commonplace, so this was something I had to learn at an older age.

I believe homesteading offers a healthy reality of the circle of life. We are stewards of the animals on our farm. We want to give them their best life. Over the years, this responsibility has meant culling animals with birth defects. It's never easy, don't get me wrong.

I do truly believe there are many valuable lessons learned by living this lifestyle, and it's something I feel honored and privileged to get to share and pass along to others.

In This Episode

Learning to deal with loss and hardship properly.
My first experience with a devastating loss on the farm.
How children raised on the farm are set up for a better outlook on death.
Normalizing death and how death on the farm is not the same as the horrific deaths in today's day and age.
Animal husbandry sometimes means doing the hardest thing: putting an animal down. It's not coldhearted. It's stewardship.
Yes, this life is hard… but it's worth it!