As the pandemic hit, millions turned to Morgan Gold to learn how to grow their own food and raise chickens. The former New York marketing executive, who had traded his corporate career for a farm in rural Vermont, suddenly found himself at the center of a digital homesteading revolution.

Morgan’s sudden surge in popularity wasn’t just a fleeting trend – it was part of a larger shift in how people think about food, self-sufficiency, and connection to the land. This modern homesteading movement, fueled by social media, is redefining what it means to ‘live off the land’ in the digital age, blending traditional farming practices with cutting-edge content creation.

“When the pandemic hit, people were trying to figure out how to grow their own food and raise chickens. There was a whole influx of interest,” Morgan recalls. “By the beginning of 2022, I quit my day job and started working full-time on the actual farm and content creation.”

Morgan’s journey from city dweller to farm influencer began in 2018 when he and his wife decided to make a radical life change. He explains, “I grew up in the suburbs and spent 20 years in New York where I was working. In 2018, I moved to the middle of nowhere to try to start farming.” This leap of faith resonated with many who harbored similar dreams of escaping the rat race and reconnecting with nature.

The decision wasn’t made lightly. Morgan shares, “It wasn’t literally one magical night. It was a series of small decisions that led me there. First, I realized that what I thought were my career aspirations, like becoming a chief marketing officer, weren’t actually making me happy. The satisfaction from my job started to diminish.”

The accessibility of social media platforms has democratized homesteading knowledge, allowing experts like Morgan to share their experiences and advice with a global audience. “I found that being willing to show my flaws and mistakes, as well as my successes, really connected with viewers,” Morgan shares. This authenticity has been key to building trust with his audience and inspiring others to embark on their own homesteading journeys.

Morgan’s content, which spans multiple platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, provides practical advice and inspiration for those looking to grow their own food, raise animals, and live more sustainably. He explains his multi-platform approach: “I prioritize YouTube for my longform videos – those are my favorite stories where I really put my heart into it. TikTok is where I share little mini-stories of stuff happening on the farm. So one platform is for big, structured stories, while the other is for quick, fun, instantaneous content.”

However, the rise of digital homesteading content has also created a unique set of challenges. “One of the hardest things is the constant demand for content,” Morgan admits. “It’s not like you just do these videos and then you’re done. Some people do seasonal work, but for most of us, if we take long breaks, it hurts in the long term. So figuring out ways to make content creation sustainable is a big challenge.”

To manage this, Morgan has developed strategies like maintaining a two-week buffer between filming and posting. “One of the biggest hacks I found was to post my YouTube videos about two weeks after I shoot them. This buffer allows me to plan ahead and makes the process more sustainable,” he shares.

The impact of this digital homesteading movement extends beyond individual content creators. It’s reshaping rural communities and agriculture as a whole. As more people become interested in small-scale farming and rural living, there’s potential for revitalization of rural areas and a shift towards more sustainable, localized food systems.

Morgan’s experience also highlights the changing nature of rural entrepreneurship. He reveals, “About six months in, I realized that even though my farm business was profitable on its own, I was making 20 times more from ads, sponsorship deals, and other content-related revenue.” This new model of rural business, blending traditional agriculture with digital content creation, could provide a blueprint for others looking to make a living in rural areas.

Despite the success of his content creation, Morgan remains committed to actual farming. “I keep growing my farm – I just expanded my herd yesterday to almost 20 animals. But even if I had 100 animals, the farm alone would never match the income from content creation. It’s created a whole new set of challenges, but they’re good problems to have,” he says.

The movement is also evolving alongside technological advancements. Morgan, for instance, has begun incorporating AI tools into his workflow. He explains, “I’m currently working on a four-hour long video essay, and I’m using AI to help process the transcripts of interviews I’ve done. I upload the transcripts to ChatGPT and have it act as an editing assistant, highlighting key soundbites that fit certain categories. This has taken work that would probably take me 4-5 hours and boiled it down to about 30 minutes.”

The growth of digital homesteading content has also led to new business opportunities and partnerships. Morgan’s success caught the attention of Charley Button at Select Management Group, a talent management company. “It started when Charley Button reached out to me,” Morgan explains. “She taught me a lot about brand deals and partnerships. Through conversations with her and learning about her approach, that got the ball rolling.” This partnership has been particularly valuable for Morgan, given his remote location. “For me, living in the middle of nowhere Vermont, not in Los Angeles or New York, it’s been great to have partners who can help me connect with brands and think about industry trends, panels, and partnerships,” he says. 

As we look to the future, Morgan is exploring new ways to engage with his audience and make a positive impact. “Right now, we’re in the summer months, running the cattle and raising calves, getting ready for winter. I’m looking for ways to use the farm to help people more – offering vacations for folks, helping feed hungry people, and finding ways to give people opportunities to interact with the natural world,” he shares.

For those aspiring to follow in his footsteps, Morgan offers this advice: “The most important thing is to make videos that you genuinely enjoy creating. If you’re making videos solely to grow your audience, you might find success, but you’ll likely end up unhappy and unable to sustain it long-term. As someone in my 40s who’s had multiple careers, I’ve learned that loving what you do is crucial.”

As more people seek to reconnect with the land, content creators like Morgan are not just documenting a lifestyle – they’re helping to shape a movement that could transform our relationship with food and nature. In doing so, they’re writing a new chapter in the age-old story of humanity’s connection to the land, one post, video, and follower at a time.