[Homestead] Rural Living 101

Gene GeRue genegerue at ruralize.com
Mon Nov 17 11:11:37 EST 2008


Damn! We're going mainstream, folks.

A business opportunity?


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-rural-living-lessons,0,5182476.story

Ex-city dwellers get lessons in rural living through University of  
Missouri Extension course
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER | Associated Press Writer
8:24 AM CST, November 17, 2008
NEVADA, Mo. (AP) _ Flooded country roads. Roving packs of dogs with no  
owners in sight. Overgrown weeds as far as the eye can see.

Leaving Southern California for the sprawling Midwest plains had  
seemed a no-brainer for Dale and Marilyn Johnson, retired occupational  
therapists who moved to Fort Scott, Kan., last year to be closer to  
their daughter and five grandchildren. The 22-acre farm they now call  
home was a return of sorts for Dale Johnson, 68, who lived on a  
northernWisconsin farm as a boy.

But their dreams of an idyllic retirement surrounded by five dogs, two  
birds, one cat, four llamas, a goat and a donkey were quickly tempered  
by a glaringly obvious reality: The couple barely knew a lick about  
how to navigate rural life.

"The people who grew up on farms know this stuff intuitively," said  
Marilyn Johnson, also 68. "We feel like we're starting over."



An infusion of former city and suburban dwellers into rural  
communities convinced University ofMissouri Extension agents that  
these newcomers needed some commonsense lessons on how to not just  
survive but also thrive off the beaten path. Those conversations led  
to the creation of Rural Living 101, a two-week crash course for ex- 
urbanites offered so far in Kirksville, St. Joseph andNevada. The cost  
is $35.

The recent course inVernon County, just across the borders withKansas  
and Oklahomain southwest Missouri, attracted a retired Navy officer  
from Southern California, a former Ohio state conservation agent, the  
Johnsons and a longtime local looking to broaden her knowledge.

"This is drastically different than city life," said Vernon County  
agricultural extension agent Wayne Prewitt. "It's not what a lot of  
people are used to."

Class members learned about battling noxious plants, pesticide laws,  
stocking ponds, land use management and more. The Vernon County clerk  
tutored participants about the township form of government, where a  
board meeting can take place at an elected clerk's home as often as at  
a public building.

Some of the most valuable tips stemmed from a more informal body of  
knowledge. Problems with loose gravel or other road maintenance  
issues? Get a school bus route on your street; that usually draws more  
attention from decision-makers.

Beset by ticks and chiggers? Try diesel fuel on the bottom of your  
boots, or talcum powder on the fur of your dogs and horses.

Excluding population pockets in regions such as the upper Great Lakes,  
southeastern states and the Rocky Mountain West, more than half of the  
rural counties in the U.S. are actually losing population, notes John  
Cromartie, a U.S. Department of Agriculture geographer.

At the same time, increased mobility means that more newcomers are  
moving into previously isolated areas such as Vernon County, he added.  
With those transitions come inevitable challenges.

"Arizona and Florida are sharing the migration with a broader array of  
communities," he said. "Any migration requires an adjustment."

Sara Jean Peters moved to rural St. Clair County more than seven years  
ago after retiring from the Ohio conservation department. In that job,  
she spent plenty of time in rural communities. But that's where the  
similarities end.

Missouri winters are cold, but with less snow than in Ohio. The clay  
soil that allowed her to grow certain crops up north was replaced by  
the sandier soil found on the cusp of the Ozarks.

"As much time as I had spent outdoors, it was totally different here,"  
she said.

"I thought I was fairly well prepared. I've done this all my life. But  
it's a different way around here."

Newcomers without experience in the country are even less equipped for  
the transition, Peters added.

"We have a lot of movement from the urban areas here," she said. "And  
people do not realize the difference."



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