Coyotes killed hundreds of their chickens and ducks.

Snails, birds, and gophers destroyed over 80 percent of their fruit.

These are just two of the many challenges the owners of Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, California dealt with on their way to creating a sustainable farm.

Molly and John Chester created a documentary called The Biggest Little Farm that shows how hard and also satisfying it can be to toil for something.

In seven short-long years, the Chester’s transformed a dry dead 200-acre piece of land into a lush sustainable farm.

An example of…

“The days are long, but the years are short.”

In order to transform anything, we must put in the necessary work and allow the required time for our seeds to grow.

It took the Chester’s seven years of toil before the land and animals started “getting along” and working synergistically the way nature intended.

The Chester’s had to…

– Have a dream partnered with a plan
– Find a mentor/coach
– Learn as they went
– Work, lots of work
– Nurture every inch of their farm and each other
– Have patience with nature
– Show compassion for their “enemies” and challenges
– Turn their enemies and challenges into opportunities
– Utilize help
– Have faith and keep moving forward

When working to accomplish anything of meaning the story of growing a farm is a great metaphor to revisit.


Brett “Toiling” Denton