For most boomers, retirement will not mean settling into a routine of bingo, golf or shuffleboard. Instead, retirement dreams for many active people in their 50s and 60s revolve around planting seeds, herding cattle, or selling tomatoes.
These people are moving to hobby farms - small farms that they do not expect to be a primary source of income. For them, a farm is a getaway from city streets and noise.
"You get up, and there's no traffic to speak of ... only deer in the backyard," says Phyllis DeWitt, 62, an attorney who lives on a hobby farm north of Tulsa, Okla., with her husband, Tom. She sells the peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes she grows on her land to a local market. "This is our permanent home. There's peace and quiet, and we can do what we want out here."
An escape from everyday life
The DeWitts were drawn to farm life because their parents, grandparents, and other relatives had farm backgrounds. Many people join the ranks of hobby farmers without that background, realizing a dream when they have the time and means to invest in a farm.
Sue Gray, a horticulturalist with the Tulsa Cooperative Office of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, says, "Perhaps their children are raised, and they want to live in a rural area," she said. "Many are people within 5 to 10 years of retirement, who say they are confined to an office and stuck inside all day. The hobby farm is a change."
Like the DeWitts, most hobby farm buyers are looking for peace and quiet. "I guess that reflects the stress in our society," says Susan Redwine, sales associate with Pocahontas Arkansas Real Estate.
"In nearly every phone call people ask, 'Can you find me somewhere that is quiet?' Some won't buy a property if they can hear a vehicle there." For most of her firm's properties, typical distances between farm houses range from half a mile to several miles or more, says Redwine. "It's really different from suburban living."
The DeWitts' closest neighbor is about 1,000 feet away, "but it's through a forest, so you don't really see them," Phyllis explains. "For us, it's ideal because we've always lived the city life."
Country living lessons
In fact, the living is so different that, 10 years ago, Gray began offering a Green Acres class for people wanting to purchase hobby farms. The three-evening short course is designed to equip them with enough knowledge to live comfortably in the country. "We discuss setting goals and how to shop for land intelligently. We also go over specific enterprises and into the specifics of horticultural crops," she explains.
About 500 people who took the course have started hobby farms. The lessons have also helped a small minority decide that "this is not for them," says Gray.
"With the physical labor, we tell people they better have a plan in mind in how they are going to run that land," she explains. "Plants grow 24 hours a day; they don't take a break. With grass, there's trimming, mowing, or will you have animals that will graze it - goats, cattle, horses? Even with those animals, they have different patterns of grazing. There's a lot to learn.
"There are some folks who want to buy that rural land, kick back and enjoy the life. But they still have to mow their yard."
Living in a more rural setting is not just about the farming, people also need to plan for communication, transportation and utilities.
"If you're used to running up the street to get a gallon of milk, you might have to drive five to 10 miles to get it now," Gray offered as one example, adding people won't always have Internet access or cell phone connections. Many people have their mail delivered to the post office, and others need to make sure they can get drinking water. For electricity purposes, most people have a backup generator to keep their refrigerator or freezer operating.
"Some people have solar power," Gray added, "but what if it's cloudy for a few days? A lot of people heat with a woodstove."
Insurance on country homes is higher, Gray said, because of fires. "We encourage homebuilders to have a metal roof and a metal or stone siding - something that is not flammable," she said.
Hobby farmers who buy through Pocahontas Arkansas Real Estate purchase between 15 to 300 acres of land, at prices ranging from $80,000 to almost $600,000. Realtors often function as therapists and trusted advisors as well as brokers.
"We put our buyers into contact with people who can guide them in growing hay and raising cattle. They are really shocked by the kindness," says Redwine. "They are not used to that. After they move in, their neighbors stop and drop by with pies and cakes." Most of her clients hail from California, Florida, and Texas, but "I've been dealing with a few from New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts; last week, I had two from Wyoming," she notes.
Feeling in charge
Purchasing and running hobby farms helps people feel a little more in charge of their lives, says Gray. "A lot of them say that if they needed to grow a big garden and feed themselves, they could. Others are happy just because they are starting to realize their dreams."
The DeWitts bought their farm in 1996 -- 20 acres that had not been farmed. They started farming it in 2000 and grow a lot of their plants from seeds, says Phyllis. Currently, the couple is planting garlic - about 8,000 to 10,000 bulbs and about 350 specialty pepper plants.
"It's a lot of fun doing the market. We get to talk to a lot of people and meet folks who have the same interests we do," says Phyllis, who plans to retire from her attorney job "when they take me out feet first."
In the meantime, she works in the field as well as the courtroom. Her husband, Tom, who takes care of the heavy farm work, also restores Jaguars and other British cars. Phyllis says they have no regrets about leaving fast-paced living behind when they retreat to the farm. "I'm more calm and relaxed," she says. "You develop a different attitude about life. You're more laissez faire. You realize that you can't overcome nature, so you have to relax."
