The idea for Hust Roost Farm was conceived early in 2014 by Joe Hust and his youngest son, Casey.  Casey had graduated from college and recently gotten married and was living in Rochester, NY.  Unsure of what he wanted to do for a career, he tried several different jobs including a very short stint as an insurance salesman, a writer for an Internet Search Engine Optimization company, a very demanding six days-a-week farmhand job and a part-time job as a waiter.

During this same time period, Casey’s dad, Joe, was in his 30^th year at IBM Corporation working as a computer programmer in Endicott, NY.  Joe was a third generation IBMer, both his dad and his grandfather had retired after long careers at IBM.  The company had changed drastically over the years and by 2014 Joe had grown tired of the corporate rat race.

As Joe and Casey would talk about what one should expect out of a career they would often share their thoughts about the future.  One thing they both agreed on was that it would be wonderful and fulfilling to have a small family farm (a homestead) where you produce a large percentage of your own food, where you could lead a more simple life (back to basics), and where you could raise your kids right.  Although making money is a necessary evil, there are far more important things in life, like following hard after God, raising a family, and making a difference in your community.

In January of 2014, Casey and his wife Rachel came down to visit Joe and Cathy and it was during this visit that they all began to seriously consider starting up a small farm.  From that point on, the idea took off and they began discussing, researching, planning, and preparing.

Hust Roost Farm officially started up in 2015 when Casey & Rachel moved down from Rochester.  Joe & Cathy had been gardening for years on the property and also had been raising chickens.  The farm has begun as a small, family farm trying out several different ventures (chickens, goats, bees, rabbits, etc.) with the main initial goal of providing food and goods for our own families.  Surplus items (eggs, poultry, produce, etc.) will be sold and the goal is simply to break even on any given venture that is attempted.  The ventures that work well and that have a market demand will be expanded upon with the goal of becoming profitable.

The dreams and possibilities for the farm are endless and the ideas continue to flow from all of the Hust Roosters, but the plan is to start small and test the waters while everyone is working other jobs in order to sustain our families and fund our ventures.  We look forward to becoming a kid-friendly, educational farm that supports and enriches Glen Aubrey and the surrounding communities.

[quoteRotator]