Farm to Farm

by Bethany Ruckman

Farm to Farm has been open for only a short ten months, but it has been on our hearts for many years. It is a dream come true really. Nine years ago, we made a huge decision for our family. We decided that we wanted to build a life where we were all able to work together. At the time, I was working as a registered nurse, Matt was working in home health sales, and the kids (three at the time) were in public school. Of course, having jobs and public schooling available to us is a huge blessing, but we had a vision for our family.

In 2012, Matt stepped down from his position and published the first issue of GoodNews Christian Magazine. The magazine has been an incredible blessing for our family from the very start. Following Matt, I stepped down from my position as a registered nurse to homeschool our children fulltime. For the last seven years, we have been able to work together as a family full-time.

That is a long story to get to the establishment of Farm to Farm, I know. When our oldest son, Brendon, was about fourteen, he had a desire to work for himself. He used his Christmas money to buy the materials to make paracord bracelets, and sold them at swim meets and baseball games. He used the money he had made to buy baby chicks. He also

saved for a small incubator, raising his birds up to breed, hatch eggs and eventually, was able to sell baby chicks.

With the flexibility of our schedule, we were often able to go as a family to sell chicks at the flea markets, flock swaps, and even to frequent visitors at our growing farm. Over time, Brendon grew his business to buying, selling and trading many kinds of poultry and farm sitting. Along the way, the entire family grew to love farming—and the farming community. We have learned how to have a farm and how to keep a farm working enough to pay for itself. We have also learned the importance of the farming community and thus, we wanted to find a way to be more involved within it.

What a better way than to open a farm store. At Farm to Farm we hope to provide a place for farmers to connect—whether it is at our monthly flock swap or by posting wants and needs on our bulletin board. We strive to provide excellent and affordable quality feed. Most of all, we love to meet so many amazing new friends. The farming community in Cleveland and surrounding areas is full of dedicated and passionate people, and we feel it is a privilege that so many have allowed Farm to Farm to be a part of it. Having the flexible schedule of business owners and a homeschool family has definitely come with sacrifices, but being able to work together on our farm (more like a borderline zoo) and at Farm to Farm is our dream

come true.