About Us
CHIEF FARMING OFFICER (CFO)
Mary Margaret Callahan
Some say Mary Margaret is a serial hobbyist and there’s some truth to that. Many of her farm pursuits have resulted in spin off activities and vice versa. Gardening led to canning and jam making. Knitting led to sheep and rabbit ownership. The love of goat cheese led to goat ownership that in turn led to goat’s milk soap. An excess of chicken eggs led her family to beg ‘please no more frittatas for dinner.’
But ultimately, Mary Margaret is a dyed in the wool animal lover who finds peace and joy by surrounding herself with her livestock. Professionally, she’s done a lot with education from classroom teaching to online course creation for both kids and adults. She loves to teach others how they can embrace the homesteading mentality and believes everyone – even urban apartment dwellers – can participate.
Just Enough Acres Value Statements
We believe all farm animals (including the unwitting spouses of farmers) are sentient beings capable of expressing preferences and deserving humane treatment.
We won’t explain how many animals you can cram into the smallest space possible, and we’ll not tell you that preventative and responsive veterinary care is a waste of money. We are stewards of our animals, our farm, and our environment and encourage you to think of yourself in that same light. As for your spouse, all we can do is offer sympathy.
Homesteading should welcome everyone.
There are so many good reasons to embrace a homesteading lifestyle. Maybe you want to be closer to your food sources. Maybe you want to imbue your children with responsibility for caring for the natural world. Maybe you’re just a nut for pet livestock. We don’t judge.
If you wish to raise livestock to feed your family, we support you. If you wanna do pregnancy photo shoots with your goats for fun, we hope you’ll send us birth announcements. Everyone is welcome here, even – and perhaps especially – if you don’t think you’re a ‘real’ or ‘serious’ farmer. We believe the homesteading community only gets stronger when we don’t gate keep. (Other than goat gates, you really should keep your eye on those!)
Farming is not a get rich quick scheme.
It’s not even really a get rich slow scheme. Often, homesteading is not the cheapest route. That said, there are plenty of things that make the experience invaluable. It’s important to remember that when looking at your winter feed bill.
We love farm vets.
While there are many things you can and should learn to treat your animals yourself, we have a deep and abiding admiration for farm veterinarians. When you find a good one you can partner with, treat them like the royalty they are. Farm vets are a rare breed and increasingly hard to find in many areas of our country. There is an epidemic of suicide among veterinarians and farm vets are not immune. Just Enough Acres is a committed supporter of Not One More Vet.