What am I getting myself into?

My name is Missy, and I'm in the process of becoming a backyard farmer. We recently moved from suburbia to the country, to a beautiful home on a 2 acre lot. I've always wanted to have a real garden, and now I have plenty of sunny space to do that! I've also decided that we need some backyard chickens (well, I want chickens, and my husband has said that he will support my hobby!)

I'm also an economics instructor at North Central Texas College, and it occurred to me that I could take my students along on this journey with me. I know, you're thinking, what does a backyard farm have to do with economics? Well, because I'm starting from scratch, I plan to track all of my expenses as I go, and use that data to discuss the production function and production costs with my micro students. There really is sooooo much economics here! Of course, I expect to show that the cost per egg produced (or tomato, or squash) is going to be much higher than what we pay at the store, because, well, economies of scale, right? But we can also, hopefully, have a discussion about the additional benefits associated with backyard farming.

So come along on this ride with me. It should be fun!