EP3: The family farm dream: How Chris Krucker (Manorun Farm) achieved it

10-02-2021 • 48 mins

Summary

In this episode, our guest Chris Krucker (Manorun Farm, Lynden, Ontario) talks about his experiences farming alongside his wife Denise and four kids over the last 25 years. He shares the well thought-out plan for how he and Denise weaned their kids onto farm work (and ensured they wouldn’t hate it), and how all four kids now play a role in running the farm business. Chris also discusses his journey moving to farmland, building a farm slowly, farming full-time, and now handing off the farm to his kids.

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Website (Cavaleiro Farm): http://cavaleiro.farm/
Website (Urban Crops): https://urbancrops.ca/
Email: antonio@cavaleiro.farm

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Timestamps:

0:20: What impressed Antonio and Janice about their conversation with Chris

1:15: How you can connect with us

2:06: Painting the picture: the sights and sounds at Chris’ farm

3:02: Introducing Chris and Manorun Farm

3:41: What Chris did before farming (probably not what you’d expect)

4:27: What inspired Chris to jump from his first career to farm life

5:19: Getting on the same page about farming with his spouse Denise

7:39: Slowly building from no farming experience to working full-time on the farm

8:27: Chris’ experience starting farm life with young children

9:57: What shape Chris’ farm was in when he first got it

10:48: Growing from a 5- to 150-member CSA

11:16: Reality check: How having wealth can allow you to grow your farm slowly (or farm at all)

13:08: Keeping strict hours for work and play when running the farm business with family

14:44: The meaningful “other” things that Chris gains from farm life in trading off making money

16:28: The flexible approach Chris took to involving his kids on the farm

18:07: Chris’ structured “program” for weaning his kids onto farm work

20:45: “Farms are a great place to break relationships and give kids a very negative farm experience” – how Chris created a different story for his family

22:15: The importance of giving his kids rich learning experiences

22:49: Why Chris’ kids kept coming back to work on the farm every year after they turned 18

24:09: Formalizing the kids’ involvement in the farm business + each of the kid’s roles on the farm

26:58: Next-level talks: How to go from being a seasonal-income farm to making money year round

27:24: Transitioning the farm business from “the older farm couple” to their children taking the reins

29:02: The challenge of dividing up the wealth of a farm among the kids

31:29: How Chris and Denise collaborate as partners (with different approaches) in running the farm

33:05: Why Chris sees other farm kids never wanting to farm again

34:06: Chris’ sage advice: Key questions that anyone wanting to move to a farm needs to ask themselves

36:26: The challenge of paying for life’s expenses and incurring debt through farming

37:49: Big expenses that new farmers may have to shoulder when starting a farm (Chris gives dollar figures)

39:13: The pros of moving away from the farm internship model