Tim Coughenour lives on about $600 a year.
He grows his own wheat on about one-fifth of an acre in North Lawrence.
He also grows some corn and soybeans along with potatoes, sweet potatoes and other vegetables in a garden plot.
He builds his own stockpile and sells the rest to earn what annual income he needs, which is mostly to pay the property tax on his home in the 1200 block of New York Street.
That's the life of a subsistence farmer in the heart of a city, where he shuttles around on his bicycle and hauls his goods on a small trailer.
It takes about half of the year to prepare for the winter, which he spends studying various subjects and visiting friends.
"I have six months' vacation every year," said Coughenour, 53. "My work and leisure - it's all mixed together. I can't even begin to separate hours."
Need is a key word for Coughenour. He does only what needs to be done. When he finishes, he has the freedom and control to do what he wants.
"You are a little more in touch with reality in a subsistence economy," Coughenour said.
Seeds for a way of life
The subsistence may seem foreign to most Americans today, but Coughenour points to the country's Amish communities as an example.
He grew up in Manhattan and later attended the University of Arizona, where he studied Chinese and other subjects. He also worked in print shops.
"It became clear that at jobs, 98 percent of what I was doing had no real purpose other than to keep the economy from failing," he said. "It doesn't make sense. We need to work at things that do need to be done and to stop when the job is done."
So Coughenour moved to Lawrence and worked for about a year at a Lawrence printing company. He then started to phase out work as he studied more about subsistence farming, agriculture and the way he wanted to live.
"By my 28th birthday, I'd never grown a garden vegetable in my entire life. I started learning," he said. "I've learned a lot of things, but it's all been pretty much self-taught."
Eventually, he paid off his house, and for the last 14 years he has farmed and gardened full-time.
Now he concentrates on "building a community of people who want to depend on each other, who don't want to depend on some person at a computer far away."
Although no one else in Lawrence takes subsistence farming yet to that extreme, Coughenour cherishes visiting friends across Lawrence face-to-face and working together on projects such as the annual wheat harvest by hand, which has become a tradition.
'Very inspiring'
Tim O'Brien, a Lawrence artist and gardener, met Coughenour about eight years ago.
"I think Tim is very inspiring. He lives much more simply than anybody else I know for sure in this country," O'Brien said. "And yet, even though he works very hard, he's got a lot of time to pursue other interests of his own."
O'Brien and more than a dozen others helped Coughenour plant and harvest this year's winter wheat crop.
Coughenour expects to yield about 350 pounds and hopes to give about 100 pounds to those who helped. Some in the group seem to be making a gradual move toward total subsistence farming, Coughenour said.
"I think the movement is growing. It's more difficult to get started," he said.
His advice includes getting out of debt and getting rid of automobiles and utilities.
He collects rainwater from his roof and stores it in a cistern. He pedals an exercise bike attached to a grinder that crushes his grain into flour.
During the winter, he closes half of his house and uses his wood stove to keep "quite comfy."
"It only seems like a big deal if you haven't done it," he said with a shrug.
He buys five items from the grocery store - margarine, cooking oil, salt, pepper and baking powder - plus eggs and apples from friends.
He shops at thrift stores and garage sales if he needs new clothes. When something breaks, he goes to the hardware store. He spends about $100 per year on bicycle maintenance.
During his free time, he studies botany, astronomy, music, history and anything else that catches his interest. O'Brien said Coughenour has a dinner and gathering each winter for several friends and provides the food. They talk mostly about farming.
Healthier lifestyle
Coughenour doesn't believe in war, 99 percent of government expenses and buying insurance.
He had a doctor stitch up a cut in his finger once.
"Nobody's healthier than me. I basically don't get sick, and I think the lifestyle is a major factor in it," he said.
The owner of the North Lawrence lot lets him and others use it for planting. On a recent morning, Coughenour - in his scruffy beard, straw hat, flannel shirt and slacks - talked passionately about his lifestyle and his property taxes.
"The hardest part of every year living as a subsistence farmer is the fact that I have to go out and earn money for other people's lifestyles," he said.
Owning his home makes it easier, but Coughenour said the lifestyle would benefit homeless people who want to make it work - even though it may be difficult for them to find a place to live - because it is based on a personal choice to survive.
"I'm trying to build a way of life that is possible not only for rich people but for people of small monetary means and a small degree of discipline who can somehow do this on a small scale," he said.
Comments
Atreides 9 years, 1 month ago
Another utopian Luddite;nothing unique about him.
jayhawk2000 9 years, 1 month ago
That reminds me of the millionaire businessman on vacation. He was flopped on the beach watching a fisherman pulling in his catch. The millionaire asked the fisherman how he spent his days. 'I fish in the morning,' the fishermen replied. 'I mend my nets in the afternoon and spend my evenings drinking wine, playing guitar and making love with my wife.'
'That sounds a meager existence,' the millionaire says. 'Why don't you save a portion of your harvest to sell in the market and buy a boat with the profits? With the extra haul you pull in you could hire men to do the fishing for you. You could buy more boats to catch even more fish. You could build a cannery. You could move to the city like me and spend your days managing your fisheries empire until you retire.'
'And what do you propose I do when I retire with all that money?' the fisherman asks.
'What I would do,' the businessman says, 'is live on the beach and spend my days fishing, drinking wine, playing guitar and making love...'
Sigmund 9 years, 1 month ago
Nothing like working the land in 102 degree heat. Why go back to the 1800's technology? Why not go back to the 1200's or the 200 BC? I wonder if he gets injured or gets an infection will he A) Go to a modern hospital or B) Burn a witch.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
The "modern" lifestyle in this country in particular depends on the forced extraction of resources from other countries and manufactured goods made by slave labor, and all indications are that the environmental damage this economic system is doing will soon mean that humans will begin dying off by the billions. I'd say that very well may put us back to an economy of the 1200's or 200 BC. Tim will be better prepared than the rest of us.
Sigmund 9 years, 1 month ago
Not ALL modern lifestyles Bozo, just the US? Is this just your considered opinion or do you happen to have any support for the assertion? I would agree if radical Islam get nuclear weapons we may very well all have to learn to live under third world conditions.
JAFPFB (Just Another Filbert Post From Bozo).
Uncle_Salty 9 years, 1 month ago
"Coughenour doesn't believe in war, 99 percent of government expenses and buying insurance."
Wonder which expenses he doesn't believe in? The expenses that provide infrastructure that allows him to go to the store and buy his five items?
How about the police protection that is also provided?
It would appear that this non-tax paying freeloader is living pretty far under the radar.
What, exactly, is his benefit to society, anyway?
pz5g1 9 years, 1 month ago
That's nice he's able to live the life of his choice. I wonder, though, why he's glorified but the millions of third-world farmers and peasants living similarly are pitied. Apparently it's a fine and noble life. A quick Google search reveals that even the average income in a cesspool like Zimbabwe is more than the $600 this guy brings in. Anyway, I think the article understates two points that are very important to his lifestyle choice: 1) his house is paid off ( at age 53, no less) and 2) he either has no family or they are grown and out of the house. Hence, most people - even if they wanted to - could not live like this.
cutny 9 years, 1 month ago
Wow, nice story. He's a pretty inspirational guy. Yeah Marion, I'm sure those white farmers obtained there land in a purely fair and square manner. Why not take the next 90 minutes and tell us everything you know about, whilst including the lyrics, verbatim, to a Jimmy Buffet song. Please, oh please. Thanks, Mor(i)on
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
"The guy obviously has mental "issues" which have resulted in his dropping out of society."
Takes one to know one, I guess.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
"Another utopian Luddite;nothing unique about him."
Except that he didn't just slap on a tie-dyed and start spouting off about revolutions as he loaded his VW van for his trip to Burning Man. I'd never try what this guy is doing, but it's very interesting to see what he's accomplishing. I mean... he's harvesting with his bare hands!
"Owning his home makes it easier, but Coughenour said the lifestyle would benefit homeless people who want to make it work - even though it may be difficult for them to find a place to live - because it is based on a personal choice to survive. "I'm trying to build a way of life that is possible not only for rich people but for people of small monetary means and a small degree of discipline who can somehow do this on a small scale," he said."
I was wondering if the story would address this issue. Who here has a problem with the idea that the homeless shelter should take a field trip to this guys plot of land and his home? I've been posting for months that we expect way too little from the homeless. This guys is working for himself on a very part time basis, and is keeping himself going. He could teach some of those homeless guys a thing or two about personal responsibility, I think. A day in his shoes, and all the excuses and whining go out the window.
But, I'll add this: I think he's a little too under the radar. Yes, his lifestyle is healthy, but everyone gets sick, and everyone needs a retirement plan. A simple part time job could get him some insurance benefits. He doesn't seem to have much of a plan for the future, and in all fairness, I think he needs to pay taxes on what little earnings he makes (maybe he does, the story doesn't say). Uncle Salty wasn't very nice in what he stated, but he's correct in that if he's going to get the benefits of police, fire, roads, courts, etc. that we all enjoy, he needs to be participating in the support of that infrastructure beyond just paying sales taxes on a few small groceries.
What a great story.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
He pays property taxes on his house, which funds the police, fire, roads, etc., and any purchases he makes will include sales taxes. Considering that the burdens he places on city/county infrastructure are much lower than the average person, he's probably paying more than his share. And a $600 income means he owes no income taxes.
Baille 9 years, 1 month ago
For the love of....
You people piss and moan about everything. Is life so terrible for you that you can not stop and celebrate the uniqueness of Tim's life?
Farm on, Tim.
freudian_slip 9 years, 1 month ago
Posted by enforcer (anonymous) on July 3, 2006 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ok people who is this guy hurting? he doesn't suck off giovernment programs and maintains his own existence, I'm sure the people helping him harvest are willing.
He may not be "hurting" anyone, but he is mooching off of every taxpayer here. He rides his bike on the streets we pay to maintain, he grows his food on land someone else is paying property taxes on, and he isn't contributing to the basic needs of the city and it's residents by not paying taxes.
I'm not sure how this guy thinks that a homeless person could live the same way. You first have to have a home, and have it paid off. We're talking two different sides of the spectrum here.
I wish I could live a much simpler life and I am glad that this guy is happy, but I think he is a little selfish in his requirements from others to live the way he does. But, I guess I'd rather have him as a neighbor instead of tsome of the other riff-raff that is in town.
Kelly Powell 9 years, 1 month ago
I wonder what his water bill comes to.....And only takes a fith of an acre to supply him with a years worth of wheat? I thought it would take a lot more than that.....
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
"The guy can do as he likes but as far as I am concerned, he is some kind of nut."
It's now confirmed-- Tim is on the right course.
blessed3x 9 years, 1 month ago
buddha,
I agree. Where is this guy getting his water. My water bill alone is nearly $600 a year. What happens if this guy gets hurt? Do my tax dollars pay for his hospital stay? This is a very interesting story, but we tried this "utopian" life for thousands of years and all it got us was a 35 year life expectancy and rampant plagues.
There are many countries around the world whose citizens live this "utopian" life. They call them third world countries and they are usually ruled by brutal dictators and marked by high death rates and no hope for the future.
So I guess I have to say, "Good Luck, Tim, but I hope your recruitment efforts fall short. I like living in safety and security and I fear I would dislike my children dying from smallpox, measles or whatever other disease might come our way."
Kelly Powell 9 years, 1 month ago
bozo.....Even at worst case scenario within a generation or two we would be up to a early twentieth century technology again......there is simply too much available machinery and salvegable resourses for us too sink down much past that for long. There is a cool series you should read called WHEN THE FIRE DIES by s.m stirling.......cheezy sci fi but a damm good read.
james bush 9 years, 1 month ago
He probably isn't even connected to the internet blogs!
freudian_slip 9 years, 1 month ago
Nicely put, Das.
Richard Boyd 9 years, 1 month ago
Well you know there is much to admire here... (Let me add here NOWHERE but in Lawrence; spectacular ecclectic LAWRENCE, could something like this come off)
I have often dreamed of such an existence, but how to get started... If one had an inherited home and some property it seems to me it would be a natural evolution.
But what if one started from nothing, in that circumstance one would have to work within the system until one could obtain a "paid for" place.
Best fo LUCK to you, My wife and I secretly wish for such an existance.
paladin 9 years, 1 month ago
It does live. Come on out to Valley Falls. I'm here and ready to help.
Christine Pennewell Davis 9 years, 1 month ago
people such meanness leave him alone you never know when you might have to be just like him. I doubt most on hear could do what he does so maybe you should just pay attention and learn something.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
"He may not be "hurting" anyone, but he is mooching off of every taxpayer here. He rides his bike on the streets we pay to maintain, he grows his food on land someone else is paying property taxes on, and he isn't contributing to the basic needs of the city and it's residents by not paying taxes."
If everyone rode bikes, the roads would last almost forever. I'm not advocating that we all ride bikes everywhere, but the reason why our roads are largely paid for by gas taxes is so that those who use the roads the 'worse' are the ones that pay the most. He is having very little impact on the services he's using, so to call him a mooch is probably a little extreme. He is benefiting from the rest of us, but those benefits are not stealing, it's run-off from our excesses. We buy stuff at Nebraska Furniture Mart, then get bored with it and sell it at a garage sale for a dollar. If he buys stuff for a dollar, it's our fault for being so wasteful. Could he survive if we were not all so wasteful? No. He has a subsistence lifestyle, but there is no mention of him owning a loom, butter churn or anvil.
It's an interesting story, but anyone saying "we should all do this" needs to understand that the only way HE is able to do this is because 99% of us do NOT live the way he lives. If we all paid $10 in taxes every year and got clothing from other's hand-me-downs, who would be the ones to "pay" for stuff?
jafs 9 years, 1 month ago
Interesting variety of comments on this story. It seems to me that Americans are mostly unwilling to voluntarily simplify their lifestyle. I salute anyone who makes the choice to live more simply, although this fellow does seem a little extreme, and obviously couldn't live like this if he didn't own a home outright. If we don't willingly simplify our lives and reduce our consumption of resources, we will be forced to at some point. Why not make the choice now, before we destroy more of the planet we all live on?
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
I'm no aggie, but it seems that 350 pounds of wheat from 1/5 of an acre would be very hard to do. Does anyone know how much product an acre is supposed to produce? Expecially considering that he's doing this organically (I assume).
devobrun 9 years, 1 month ago
Its a good thing Mr. Natural wasn't born with CF or MD.
Live until you die, right Mr. N.?
Or maybe don't live because your just too lazy.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
Devo:
I've never seen a man harvest wheat by hand. But I'm sure of this: it's not for the lazy. I fail to see how "lazy" enters into this. He's probably washing his clothes by hand. Making every meal from scratch. He's planting, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, drying and grinding all the grain he'll eat. That's an incredible amount of work when done by hand. On top of that, he tends a garden. I imagine he's canning a lot of produce. More work.
I'm not envying him, but he's not lazy! Foolish, maybe. But not lazy.
Fred Whitehead Jr. 9 years, 1 month ago
This was an interesting story and the above responses even more interesting. If this fellow can do what he wants and survive, I am all for it. After all, this is the 4th of July celebrating American independence and he is certainly independent, up to a point. The issue of old age, sickness or disablilty don't seem to enter into his lifestyle, though, and I guess that if any of these issues emerge, he will simply starve or die. But that was the way of the past, and our society has evolved, for better or worse, to try to implement solutions to these problems. We, as good citizens, try to make these elements of our society work, but this fellow has shunned them.. Therefore, by his own choice, he is a dropout of modern society and will reap or suffer the consequences. The main issue is that it is his own choice, no government agency or dictator has cast this lot upon him. I wish him well.
Christine Pennewell Davis 9 years, 1 month ago
I am sure most farmers would object to this being lazy. Do you see it as lazy because he does not sit behind a desk? now that is lazy.
Ken Miller 9 years, 1 month ago
Interesting show on Nat. Geo. Channel last night, produced by BBC. It was called "End Day" and showed several possible scenarios for the "end of the world." Some were more believeable - like a major pandemic; others were somewhat laughable - like a black hole created by a particle accelerator devouring the entire planet. But here's my point: If anything close to the apocalypse were to happen ( and there were a few survivors), Mr. Coughenour would suddenly become a VIP. I mean, how many of us could survive if all of the services we take for granted were suddenly unavailable? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't get very far in life eating berries and wiping my tushee with tree leaves.
SteelHorseRider 9 years, 1 month ago
I remember my uncle saying 50 bushels of wheat per acre was a good harvest.
His 350 ibs of wheat convedrts out to almost 30 bushels per acre, which is totally reasonable.
The extension office's estimate is 60 lbs of wheat per bushel but I am sure thatis using modern farming methods versus hand-sewn / hand harvested farming.
devobrun 9 years, 1 month ago
"....he studies botany, astronomy, music, history and anything else that catches his interest. "
So he's all about feeding himself.
My son is in college and he's all about feeding himself too.
22 hours a week in the swimming pool (about 40 miles), 12 hours a week dry land, weights and running. 16 hours of class work , 16 hours a week study. 6000 to 8000 calories per day.
This regiment will continue for another 2 years. At which point he will have tested himself. He will know who he is and what he can do. He will be prepared for accomplishing goals, so that he can give back.
His plan is to engineer prosthetics. And teach swimming.
Give back. Live life large.
OldEnuf2BYurDad, 1/2 year workin' a field and 1/2 year reading astronomy is not "an incredible amount of work".
Its just enough to get by. Actually, I'm fine with it. But front page story?
The paper is just tapping into all you couch/computer potatoe's secret wish that they could simplify their lives. I'm mostly amused by this.
Bear down.
Uncle_Salty 9 years, 1 month ago
Most farmers using modern equipment, fertilzer and chemicals in northeast Kansas can get about 40-50 bushels per acre (dryland). So let's start there. If he only harvests 1/5 of an acre, that'd be 10 bushels. Near month wheat on the Chicago Board of Trade is going for about 3.75 a bushel... so that is... $37.50.
Me thinks it isn't adding up!
Maybe another crop is involved!?!
thisiknow 9 years, 1 month ago
I do not think he is lazy at all! I remember my mom canning in the summer when houses did not have a/c units and she would hang a sheet or blanket in the kitchen door so the heat would stay in the kitchen. Canning all summer long to feed a family of 6 kids and 2 parents is a JOB. It was a good 40 years ago and we lived off those canned veggies alllllllll year long. I have the eqipment to can but I do not have the time or the garden space. I wish I did everytime I have to pay for the veggies we so dearly love to eat. Kudos to him and I do not consider him to have any mental problems. Can't we all just get along? SERIOUSLY!!!!!
Uncle_Salty 9 years, 1 month ago
Wheat weighs 60 lbs. per bushel. 350 lbs = about 6 bushels.
Unless it is a "special" wheat, it adds up even less now! Thanks for reminding us all that he harvests only 350 lbs!
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
"The paper is just tapping into all you couch/computer potatoe's secret wish that they could simplify their lives"
I suppose you were typing that while on a 10-mile training run, no?
3e8 9 years, 1 month ago
More things to do in the richest country in the world:
... I like it!
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
No, it's only an incredible amount of work ON those days that you are harvesting/processing your grain. The rest of the year, he just "hangs".
If his plan included a 401k and some health ben-ies, I'd be sharpening my slingblade for next year!
He should really consider buying a sling-shot. Squirrel jerky can be processed in a wood-fired oven, I imagine.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
There are a lot more wealthy people in this town who suck off the teat of society and do absolutely no work than there are subsistence farmers who manage to find some liesure time in addition to their hours of very hard labor.
But for some reason lazy rich people get a pass when discussions like this come up.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
"There are a lot more wealthy people in this town who suck off the teat of society and do absolutely no work"
If I had known it was so easy, I would have joined their ranks long ago. How can I get in on some of that?
"Teats of Society" Isn't that the name of the band that opened for Spinal Tap at the Ameristar last year?
9 years, 1 month ago
Very interesting story. I think he's smart to limit his consumption and be a good citizen of the planet. I'm a bit suprised at the negative reactions, though I probably shouldn't be. For some reason, something different often provokes heated criticism.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
For the most part, we don't like anyone who is not like us, it seems. That's a common theme.
afred 9 years, 1 month ago
it takes all kinds. including you.
OldEnuf2BYurDad 9 years, 1 month ago
Are these people what Monty Python called "an agricultural collective"?
Atreides 9 years, 1 month ago
I don't think that people were being "mean" to Luddite Tim here for wanting to live back in the 19th Century. It's his bag, okay then. And I personally never held it against anyone for wanting a six month vacation, and to oppose the Protestant Work Ethic that has become our Consumer Society. But based on the article, he seems to expect people to be like him and his retro-hippie friends. He obviously has it in for anything technological.
mooseamoose 9 years, 1 month ago
nudge nudge? you mean kiddie porn collectors like you, Marion?
Kelly Powell 9 years, 1 month ago
does he cut all his firewood to? or is that another handout.....Does he cut it with a axe and saw or does he use a chain saw? If all he has to heat his house is a stove, then he goes through quite a bit of wood.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 9 years, 1 month ago
"If I had known it was so easy, I would have joined their ranks long ago. How can I get in on some of that?"
I think you need to take that up with your parents.
Baille 9 years, 1 month ago
So you don't want to provide this guy health care when he gets older? I don't want to pay for fat people to get by-passes or smokers to get cancer treatment. If you have a Skoal ring on your backpocket then I shouldn't have to pay for your chemo. You work in a low-paying job for which I see little personal utility? Screw your health care needs. If that is all you can contribute to society then why should I prolong your old-age which you will fritter away on bingo and televised baseball games? Sell your 64 oz diet cokes and your pork rinds and then die. Save us all a chunk of change. And I am not subsidizing your use of electricity either. You want to play bingo after dark then do it by firelight using only wood you have harvested yourself making sure to use only fallen branches.
Whatever. I would bet you all a beer that no one posting here pays more in than they get back. C'mon. Kansas as a whole gets more money back from the feds than it pays in. We are a state of welfare recipients. You criticize this guy for riding his bike on the roads? Please. If I have to share my gas-poor, two-seater with your Hummer (which is the very definition of wasted resources and taking more than you put in) then you have to share it with Farmer Ted's patched up two-wheeler.
We are awash in high-horses and yet no humility to be found anywhere.
Ride on, Tim.
ROING 9 years, 1 month ago
I think the article on Tim O'Brien is excellent. It occurs to me he is one of the smarter ones whose comments I read on the panel.
Someone once said when someone shares something of value with you, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. Seems Tim is doing that.
Tim thinks for himself and is a thrifty person. Who on the panel can not learn from him? The student should not tell the teacher how to teach it seems to me.
I think a day spent by the critics here with Tim would be a day well spent. You might consider that.
And O'Brien, well that ain't bad either :>)
Tim has and is contributing more to society than he takes, re-read the article for yourself.
Good luck Tim. God Bless.
*Another paid for home owner that takes care of himself, wife and family also and raises a 'big' garden. This time of year we eat out of the garden. I realize some of the critics will not understand what that means, so you have some study forthcoming.
Cheers.
Kansas Farmer
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