> you forego things like financial safety and the ability to take vacations.
This sounds like there's a need for some kind of part-time deal.
* farm work share - maybe also called a kibbutz or commune - you can take vacations and share the ownership, work, and benefit
* farm-b-and-b - there's a regular owner keeping things on the rails but you can stay a week, eat fresh eggs and clean the barns, and then go home at the end
As labor markets reduce financial safety through job instability and push for hypercompetitiveness, I'm not sure farming is any different than most peoples' jobs in terms of leisure time or financial stability.
My grandparents and relatives farmed quite a bit and I helped during summers. It's not glamorous but its less stressful than most positions I've recently worked in and has more opportunity to take necessary breaks.
This sounds like there's a need for some kind of part-time deal.
* farm work share - maybe also called a kibbutz or commune - you can take vacations and share the ownership, work, and benefit
* farm-b-and-b - there's a regular owner keeping things on the rails but you can stay a week, eat fresh eggs and clean the barns, and then go home at the end