Hi, my name is John Noll.

Growing up I worked odd jobs on the surrounding farms. This gave me an appreciation for hard work and making my supplies. I have always wanted to own a farm. I realize that working on a farm is different than managing it. But the time has come to fulfill my dream, so I bought this farm. Now located in south-central Minnesota. I have started what I hope to be a century farm. Even though the land has been farmed since 1892, this farm has not been kept in the same family or been a working farm since the first owner. Permanent buildings were started to be built in 1900 so the oldest building is only 122 years old. Restoring and operating a farm no matter the size takes a lot of time and money. That is why I started this blog to teach others who wish to start their small farm, or just want to have some animals in their backyard.

I started this blog to teach home, auto, equipment, and outbuilding maintenance, survival skills, cooking, and other skills I learned and will pick up along the way. I am documenting my progress to make sense of this disorder and chaos. I don’t know everything, so this blog is to teach you through my successes and more importantly my failures. Knowing one’s mistakes is how you learn and improve yourself. There will be many mistakes made by me in this journey. As my grandfather said. Mistakes are how we know we are going in the right direction.

Introducing myself and my qualifications. I started life on farms and ranches doing odd jobs. I spent a lot of my time on my 4H projects for the fair. I did well in each endeavor. Not to become an expert but enough to know a little about everything. I joined the Air Force when I felt like I needed a change. I spent 6 years enjoying the service. I had some great times. So much so, that I did not reenlist due to injuries received during my service. After leaving the service I jumped from job to job. Gaining much experience and making many mistakes. I even used my vet benefits to get some university under my belt. I studied for a while in electrical engineering and software engineering. When my injuries worsened, and my disability increased. I felt a change was needed again. So, I bought a farm. Cause what could go wrong?

I searched for a long time trying to find a farm that was in okay condition, one that I could afford, and one that met my requirements. See the blog post for the requirements. I finally located one in the south-central area of Minnesota. I am not from this area originally but have spent some time in these areas with friends. So, I knew a little of what to expect weather and regulation-wise. The farm I chose was an old farm first farmed in 1892. Permanent building did not start until 1900. The house and buildings are in a state of disrepair, but I am hoping that the extent is not as bad as I fear. I am assuming that it is how I think it is or worse, so I do not get too surprised. So far during my initial inspections, this farm has not seen decent maintenance in 30 to 40 years. It may be shorter, but we have not calculated the decay rate in this area yet.

This blog is to teach skills and a lifestyle and help fund this farming adventure of mine. Farm Improvement is for those who want to be a little more self-sufficient and/or like restoring antique houses and outbuildings. Farm Improvement is for those who want to be taught how to fish to feed their family for years to come.

John Noll