Interview with Al of Lumnah Acres
If you’ve looked up homesteaders and farming influencers on YouTube, you’ve likely come across Al and Gina of Lumnah Acres. Based in New Hampshire, the family trio has documented their journey since 2015, sharing their experiences of creating their dream homestead. Through their YouTube channel, Lumnah Acres provides an in-depth look at off-grid living, highlighting both the triumphs and challenges of crafting a sustainable lifestyle. Whether they’re clearing land or constructing a barn, their TYM T574 tractor (a North America Series 3 model) has been an instrumental part of their day as the Lumnahs build a self-sustainable life in a modern world. We spoke with Al to learn more about how he’s using TYM tractors in his daily life as he transforms 500 acres of raw land.
[Image courtesy of Lumnah Acres]
Q: You shared the video about how you first became a TYM owner on your YouTube channel in 2021, and since then, you’ve upgraded to the T574. Can you share how you’ve used your TYM tractor around your homestead over the past couple years?
A: Our current project is a 32 x 48 post and beam barn we’re building on our property, and our T574 has been very handy for doing all the work and moving materials around for our barn project. We’ve also used our TYM tractor to install a septic system for our house, for snow removal, for moving materials for our animals, and for mowing along the side of the roads or on pastures. You name it, it’s done it. The best thing is that the T574 is so versatile, you can use it in any way you’d like, with whatever attachment you need.
Q: How did you and your family get your start in homesteading?
A: Our health and wellness are important to us, so we wanted to homestead to grow the most nutritionally-dense food for our family and friends. We started with raw land, and now we're in the process of transforming it into our dream off-grid homestead.
Q: The T574 is known for having the best of both our compact and utility tractor ranges. How are you using your T574 these days?
A: I’m using it in more ways than I can count! The T574 is so powerful and versatile, and all the different attachments you can put on the front end loader are incredibly useful. We’re always relying on it to move material around, whether it be with a bucket or a pallet fork. Using a TYM tractor for all of our tasks really saves our backs.
Q: What are some of your go-to attachments that you use with your TYM tractor?
A: It’s got to be the front-end loader, and all the different attachments you can put on the front-end loader. We’re always moving it for moving materials around the farm for construction or for our animals. We have a clamp bucket for it that we use for moving logs. We also have a long driveway and lots of roads on our land, so one attachment we get a lot of use from that’s not a very common tool for everyone is the offset ditch bank flail mower, which helps us mow overgrowth along the side of the road.
Q: You have over 347,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel at the time of writing. What’s your secret to creating content and fostering an engaged community?
A: We’re so grateful for our community; without them we wouldn’t be where we are and do what we do. This life is not without its challenges, though—it would actually be easier to have a 9 to 5 job. But when we’re having bad days, we always try to keep the WHY in front of us: our commitment to health and sustainable living. We want to grow the most sustainable, nutritionally-dense food for us and our family and friends. This purpose drives everything we do.
Q: What would you say it is about your channel that resonates with people?
A: I think people are drawn to our channel because we’re doing so many different things at any given time. For our YouTube channel, we want to make content that’s enjoyable, and at the same time, we also want people to learn from the videos. With that said, we can’t claim to have all the answers. Because we don’t. Instead, we're learners too, growing alongside our community.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length
