Christmas 2024
Gift ideas for the farmer in your life…
Christmas is almost here! While that’s exciting, it also means crunch time for DIY gifters like myself. I love giving homemade gifts, but I know sometimes that can be easier said than done. Maybe you aren’t a DIY kind of person, maybe your hobbies don’t include making givable items, or maybe—like me—you’re a procrastinator who ran out of time…again. Whatever the reason, if you need some ideas for what to get your farming, homesteading, homemaking family or friends, I’ve put together a list of things we love and use often on our farm (there’s something for every budget—oven $0!). Hope it helps!
Mason jars
We have hundreds of them, some of every size, and we still find ourselves scrambling for more during canning season. They aren’t just good for food preservation, though. They have so many uses-dry storage, drinking glasses, dehydrated goods, glassing, canning, decor, and more! I’m still using jars that are over 100 years old, so you can bet it is well worth the investment. If a case of jars is out of your budget, lids and/or rings are also a useful gift.
2. Canning salt, pickling lime, pectin
If your gift recipient likes to preserve food, any of these substances would be well-received, as they aid in the canning and preserving process.
3. Cream separator
This is one of the more expensive items on the list, and is only useful if your farmer has dairy animals. This amazing machine allows you to literally extract cream from the milk. This allows you to make your own ice cream, butter, cheese, whipped cream, etc. We have found it especially useful for goat milk since it is more homogenized naturally. You can even set the cream thickness to your liking.
4. Metal Milk Pail
Again, this one’s for the small scale dairy operation. When we started out, we had a machine milker, but we determined our hands were just as quick, our goats preferred hand milking, and we were better able to be in tune with them and their udder health by using our hands. We used glass jars at first, but one of our girls is a kicker, so we graduated to metal. You can find them in all shapes and sizes. We like Lindy’s 1 gallon with a lid.
5. Chick incubator
It takes about 4-5 months for a chicken to be able to lay eggs. Every fall, our chickens go into molt, meaning they lose their feathers in order to grow new ones. Their bodies must reserve the protein they eat to make new feathers, so egg production slows or stops because they are focused on feather growth. The limited daylight hours also contribute to a reduced egg count. If you consider all this, it’s a little funny that stores will sell chicks beginning in the summer. By the time they reach laying age, it’s time to molt. So, we like to hatch chicks in the winter so that by the time the warmer, longer days come around, they are at laying age, and we get a full season of eggs before molt sets in.
6. egg candler
If there’s a rooster around, you can bet there are fertilized eggs around. Sometimes, the hens like to get creative and stash clutches of eggs anywhere but their nesting boxes. In order to know whether or not they’re safe to eat, they’ll need to be candled (and float tested depending on how long they’ve been hiding). Of course you’ll also need to candle eggs if you’re checking on the status of growing baby chicks. If the incubator doesn’t have one built in, these pens are handy!
7. Egg collection baskets
Chances are your farming friend has collected eggs in everything from a 5 gallon bucket to a pocket they made in their baggy t-shirt. Why not get them an adorable basket that’s too cute to forget on their way to the co-op?! These are our favorites: The chicken wire chicken shaped basket and the fabric lined “butt cheek” basket, as my kids lovingly call it.
8. Vacuum sealer
Vacuum sealers are a wonderful addition to any home. They keep food fresh longer and offer the option of freezing as a valid preservation method without the freezer burn. They come in a variety of sizes and price ranges. I love this chamber sealer from Avid Armor. It allows me to seal everything from meat to milk. (Yes it does liquids!!!) It also has an attachment for Mason jars. If they already have a vacuum sealer, the bags or rolls to go with it are a great option!
9 . Jar sealer
This is one of my newer purchases, but I love it so far! I store all of my spices in mason jars, and this ensures they get a good seal so they stay fresh. It’s also great for anything that doesn’t need canned but should remain airtight, like glassed eggs or freezer jam.
10. Freezer
Don’t let the picture scare you (it’s a stock image). And don’t be afraid to use marketplace for a good deal! Freezer space is always scarce around here! Please don’t get the wrong impression—the food does get used up. It’s just that harvest time is usually busy in other ways as well, so it’s often easiest to put the harvest in the freezer and go back to it later. Also, if your loved farmer raises any kind of meat animal, the freezer fills up quickly!
11. Boots
This one is more obvious, and it may seem like every farmer would have this covered, but trust me, it is an ongoing expense! With kids, four seasons, and everyday (literally) wear, boots are a frequent farm need, and a gift that’s sure to be well-loved.
12. Boot Dryer
In Ohio, there’s no telling what the weather will be, just that you need to be prepared for anything. All too often that includes wet feet. (yuck!) We got this boot dryer before we even started farming and we love it! It really makes the wet season more bearable.
13. Rain Gear
Animals need taken care of every. single. day. The weather doesn’t stop that. So, it’s a great idea to find a way to be comfortable no matter what the weather. For rainy and cold windy days, we like Frog Toggs. They go on right over our other gear and keep us warm and dry. As Uncle Ken says, “Don’t let the weather dictate what you do, only what you wear.”
14. Gloves
Gloves, gloves, and more gloves! Any kind! Latex/disposable gloves are great for jobs that require working with grease or animal treatments. Work gloves (padded or leather) for heavy lifting, working in the woods, moving hay, etc. Winter gloves, preferably water resistant for all those winter chores. Gloves are a constant need—they get ripped, fall off on the 4wheeler, eaten by the dryer, you name it, there’s always a need for gloves.
15. tarps
In addition to waterproofing themselves, farmers often need to waterproof other things: hay, straw, feed, roofs. Tarps can also be helpful for moving things like mulch and leaves. And, they’re a decent roof or wind block for temporary shelters. There’s no such thing as too many tarps.
16. T-Posts
It may seem like an odd gift, but I can tell you from experience, you need them when you’re least expecting to do fence projects. They’re useful for animals, perimeters, and gardens. They last a long time, and can be pulled and used elsewhere if needs change. To go along with posts, you could also gift a t-post driver and/or puller.
17. Fencing
This is another ongoing cost for homesteads, especially if the animals are rotated frequently to new pastures. The price range can vary greatly, as can the needs of each farm. We use a variety of fencing from rolled welded wire to polywire to netting. I even like to use gog panels as pea trellises. Ask them about their fencing needs. Movable posts, electric fence insulators, or fence staples are also a good choice.
18. rugs
This one’s for the farm mommas! A nice new set of outdoor rugs so the mud can be left [mostly] outside is a great gift that will save her time and energy. Likewise, washable rugs are becoming more popular so there are lots of options to choose from to help fit with home decor and still take the daily beating of a farm family.
19. Boot scraper
Like the rugs, these handy scrapers help mom keep her sanity by leaving the dirt outside. You can find this one on Amazon, I have a similar one from TSC. If you have a dog, these are extra worth it ;)
20. Wheelbarrow
We often find ourselves wishing we had more than one wheelbarrow. They are great for cleaning stalls, moving firewood or mulch, weeding or bedding gardens, delivering hay to animals. If you go with this choice, we recommend one with two wheels, it’s more stable and makes pushing heavy loads easier. It also allows the kids to help with more tasks.
21. pitchfork, pushbroom
When I say pitchfork, that includes stall forks, it just depends on what type of bedding your farmer uses. Stall cleaning is a must for animal ownership. The push broom helps with cleaning the hallway afterward. The work never ends, so these items see lots of wear and tear, meaning they need replaced from time to time.
22. Metal trash bins
Any time you have to stock animal feed, there will be unwanted critters hanging around to take advantage. These metal bins help keep your animals’ feed pest and disease free (and save you money!).
23. Feeders/waterers
24. 5 gallon buckets
How can something so simple be so useful?! But really, there can’t be too many 5 gallon buckets. We use them to carry food, water, tools, fence supplies, garden harvests, and more. Lids are useful, too, for keeping feed from getting wet or water from splashing out.
25. Bucket openers
With all those buckets, your fingers can get pretty tired of opening them, especially in the cold! I got these as stocking stuffers for each of my kids last year and we love them! No need to take your gloves off in winter or break fingernails, on the off chance your farming friend has any left anyway…
26. animal feed
This is a tough one to purchase if you don’t own animals yourself. You could ask what feed and/or minerals they prefer for their livestock. Or, you can get them a gift card to a local feed store if you’re unsure.
27. Animal bedding
Like feed, there are many options here. If your farmer uses straw as their bedding of choice, I’d go another route because it’s hard to gift bales. Packs of pine shavings or pellets are much easier to gift. Or, again, a gift card to a feed store is an option.
28. brooders
As I mentioned earlier, we like to hatch winter chicks. That means we need to keep them warm. You’ve probably heard heat lamps are dangerous, but there’s a newer, safer product called a brooder plate that adjusts height as the chicks grow that warms without the dangers of a heat lamp.
29. Stock tanks
Great for giving large animals large amounts of water, or for keeping all those cute little chicks in one place, stock tanks are a great gift! They come in various shapes and sizes depending on your farmer’s needs.
30. extension cords
If I had a quarter for every time we needed an extension cord, we’d never have to work again! Farms are typically sprawled out and have spaces where electricity isn’t available, so being able to run a cord is imperative. A cord with a reel or a clip to keep it organized is a bonus.
31. Fuel cards
It may seem odd, but between diesel for the tractors, gas for the atv, and all the smaller machines like fence trimmers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws, farmers go through some fuel. Getting a gift card would be a nice break!
32. magnetic cup holders
When you’re out on the tractor in the for summer sun cutting, tedding, raking, or baling hay for hours and hours, you need a drink to keep you hydrated, but where to put it?? New fancy tractors probably have a place for that, but if your homesteader is old school like us, you need to help them out. Try one of these magnetic cup holders that stick right to the wheel wells of their tractor.
33. Coffee!!!
I know they can get their own, but why not treat them with a special blend. A good dark roast is hard to find and goes a long way on those days when it’s hard to drag yourself out of bed. We love Black Rifle, a veteran owned company in the USA! But something strong from a local coffee shop would also be superb!
34. Tallow balm
Hands take a beating on the farm. They need moisturised with the very best. Tallow balm, made from cow tallow, is great for the skin! It’ll help deal with any cracking, chaffing, or calluses.
35. support
36. Prayers
It might seem obvious, or maybe even a little silly, but people who have taken up the torch to provide food for others want desperately to know that their friends and family have their back. That doesn’t mean you have to buy everything from them, but if you’re going to the store to buy eggs, bacon, bread, jam, soap, honey, etc., buy it from them once in awhile. Not only is it probably a comparable price and superior quality, they will know you support them in this journey and they’ll love you all the more for it.
Don’t ever think prayer is inferior or not enough. Prayer is the most wonderful gift of all. So many things go wrong or cause stress or happen unexpectedly on a farm. So many things go right and bring joy. All of it needs prayer and perspective. It won’t cost a thing but a little of your time and devotion. Just make a little card with a note letting them know you pray for them regularly. It will mean so much!
Depending on how long your loved one has been farming, they may have a stockpile of these on hand, but if they’re just starting out or expanding their operations, these things start to add up! There are also heated options so the water doesn’t freeze when temps drop.
