So What Do You Do When You Can’t Afford the Million Dollar Road?
This post is the last in a short series sharing our family’s experience trying to build a home on working agricultural land.
We’re writing this the way we farm, steady, practical, and honest. Not as a rant, and not to point fingers. Simply to document what happens when long-used rural access meets modern development rules.
Over the next few days, we’ll share the human story, the history of the road, the geography of river valley farmland, the policy questions this situation raises, and the path we’ve chosen moving forward.
If you live, work, or care about rural land, we hope this adds some clarity to a conversation many families don’t realize they’re stepping into.
Where Rural Roads Don’t Fit Urban Rules
This post is the fourth in a short series sharing our family’s experience trying to build a home on working agricultural land.
We’re writing this the way we farm, steady, practical, and honest. Not as a rant, and not to point fingers. Simply to document what happens when long-used rural access meets modern development rules.
Over the next few days, we’ll share the human story, the history of the road, the geography of river valley farmland, the policy questions this situation raises, and the path we’ve chosen moving forward.
If you live, work, or care about rural land, we hope this adds some clarity to a conversation many families don’t realize they’re stepping into.
Why River Valley Farmland Is Different
This post is the third in a short series sharing our family’s experience trying to build a home on working agricultural land.
We’re writing this the way we farm, steady, practical, and honest. Not as a rant, and not to point fingers. Simply to document what happens when long-used rural access meets modern development rules.
Over the next few days, we’ll share the human story, the history of the road, the geography of river valley farmland, the policy questions this situation raises, and the path we’ve chosen moving forward.
If you live, work, or care about rural land, we hope this adds some clarity to a conversation many families don’t realize they’re stepping into.
This Road Already Exists - It Just Doesn’t Exist on Paper
This post is the second in a short series sharing our family’s experience trying to build a home on working agricultural land.
We’re writing this the way we farm, steady, practical, and honest. Not as a rant, and not to point fingers. Simply to document what happens when long-used rural access meets modern development rules.
Over the next few days, we’ll share more of the human story, the history of the road, the geography of river valley farmland, the policy questions this situation raises, and the path we’ve chosen moving forward.
If you live, work, or care about rural land, we hope this adds some clarity to a conversation many families don’t realize they’re stepping into.
We Bought Farm Land to Build a Home. Then We Found Out We Couldn’t Reach It.
This post is the first in a short series sharing our family’s experience trying to build a home on working agricultural land.
We’re writing this the way we farm, steady, practical, and honest. Not as a rant, and not to point fingers. Simply to document what happens when long-used rural access meets modern development rules.
Over the next few days, we’ll share the human story, the history of the road, the geography of river valley farmland, the policy questions this situation raises, and the path we’ve chosen moving forward.
If you live, work, or care about rural land, we hope this adds some clarity to a conversation many families don’t realize they’re stepping into.
What Does It Mean When We Say “Agribusiness”?
The word “agribusiness” has come up a lot in our recent conversations.
Technically, it includes farms like ours.
But the picture that word paints doesn’t always match the reality of small farms selling flowers, hay, and produce.
We wrote a short post about why definitions matter, especially when policy is involved.
New on the blog: What Do We Mean When We Say “Agribusiness”?
How the Triple Hitch Changed Our Small Square Baling Process Forever
Three balers. One tractor. One crazy idea that stuck. The Triple Hitch means fewer dusty bales, more consistency, and enough hay to keep high-performance horses and easy keepers fed year-round.
The Real Cost of Dusty Hay (and Why We Avoid It at All Costs)
Cheap hay gets expensive fast if it sends you to the vet. Dust-free, clean bales are non-negotiable at Toews & Bale.
Orchard Grass vs. Timothy (and Why We’ve Broken Up With Brome)
Hay isn’t just hay, it’s a science and an art. 🌱 Orchard grass, Timothy, Alfalfa… each tells a different story in the bale. Here’s how we decide what to seed, and why it matters to your animals.
Top Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Baling
25 years. Over a million bales. And a whole lot of mistakes we only needed to make once. 🌾 From bad twine to empty fuel tanks, here are the top lessons that keep Toews & Bale running strong.

