Rural Heritage April/May 2026

Brian, Lea and their Boston Terrier, Orville, with the compost piles they incorporate into raised beds using the Hügelkultur method.

One point that both Brian and Lea made several times in the conversation is that they are just beginning. It is very early in their journey with farming and oxen. They are still learning and unsure where this journey will take them. In the next 10 years, they would like to relocate to a bigger acreage in a more remote region like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They are concerned with the rising price and availability of farmland due to the increased use of AI and the need for large amounts of land to support data centers. The rise of technology is limiting the land available to those who want to pursue farming. As Lea said, “The rise of technology and the information age we’ve been living through has been incredibly beneficial to people like us who have been seeking that information to pursue homesteading. However, there may be a darker side ahead, due to the exponential growth of AI and the land and resources that it has been shown to require. In a similar vein of conversation, we are witnessing, first-hand, the loss of our township’s farmland with a 100 megawatt solar-farm being installed a couple miles from us, which may be just the beginning of farmland to energy production

conversion. There are talks of 1,500 acres of our township being devoted to solar soon, should the power company secure the necessary land contracts. The recent rezoning in our township has increased the possibility of these types of large scale industrial “projects” being figuratively in our backyard. This prospect has laid the groundwork for our dreams to move to a more remote location in the Upper Peninsula.” Both Lea and Brian have supportive families even if they don’t always understand their lifestyle choices. Brian’s sister and uncle have offered to farm-sit when they travel. Lea’s mom loves animals and is happy with each addition to the family whether it’s dogs or cattle. I have met and talked to many people over the years about oxen. I see in Brian and Lea all the markers of success. They have done their research and learned from hands-on instruction before bringing animals home. Once the animals were acquired, they continued to learn and evolve as their needs and goals change. Lea said it best, “We stay curious.” In just a few years, they are doing well with their cattle. It will be interesting to see how much more they will accomplish in the future.

April/May 2026

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