Farming is more than just a job.

It's a full on lifestyle, especially for small farmers, but running smaller scale operations that feed local communities is getting harder.

As Rachel Sun reports, somewhere between half an 85% of small family farms in America have at-risk profit margins.

She takes us to one small farm on the west side of Washington.

[Rachel] - The day starts around six in the morning at Sage and Willow Farm, just outside of Poulsbo, Washington.

I'm following its owner, 51 year old Roni Ryan.

She's headed out through the pasture gates behind her house to tend to her animals.

Dozens of hungry sheep, goats and turkeys are waiting.

[Roni] - Do you guys want your breakfast or not?

Do you want it or not?

Not a very clear answer.

[Rachel] - She fills buckets with grain and feeders with hay.

She milks goats and greets animals by name.

[Roni] - Didi.

Do you want to go in here?

Didi, you have to get breakfast.

Didi!

[Rachel] - Once the animal's breakfast is over, Ryan circles back for her own.

That includes a smoothie with milk she collected just a few minutes before.

Ryan first started farming over a decade ago, when a friend asked her for help with his small farm.

[Roni] - He's like, okay, we're going to plant these lettuce.

And I'm like, I can't even see this little thing.

It's so little.

You're telling me this is going to grow food?

He's like, ‘yeah, and a lot of food.

And then it's going to make a million more of those seeds when it's done.

And I just thought, that is so rad.

- For Ryan, keeping up with growing and selling vegetables hasn't been feasible as a one-woman show.

She says the bulk of her business these days is in the form of agritourism, things like goat yoga and goat cuddle sessions.

Hear more about that on the website.

And a quick note, this is the final episode of Weekly News Now from NWPB.

There have been more than 100 episodes over the last couple of years, and now we're moving in a new direction.

Stay with NWPB over the air, online and on social media for the news and music programing, all the links you need and what's next can all be found at NWPB.org.

And thank you for watching.