Thomas DeGan
Co-founder. Virginia homestead experience with daily livestock care, property routines, and the scramble to find trusted coverage when life pulls you away.
The Trusted Rural Care Network
Farmstead Circle
Care for your homestead, even when you're away.
The Freedom to Leave the Homestead
People start homesteads for freedom. We're here to help you widen your circle of trusted caretakers so you never lose that freedom.
Why Farmstead Circle?
Your Farmstead. Your Circle.
A farmstead is the life you're building: your land, your animals, your daily rhythm. Your circle is the people who step in when you can't be there, or when you need trusted help for a short visit. We built Farmstead Circle so homesteaders and hobby farmers can find, book, and stay connected with caretakers they trust, widening your circle beyond last-minute favors.
Over time, the caretakers you book become people you return to: familiar faces who know your animals, your property, and your routines. That's the circle we're building: not a staffing service, but a way for homesteaders and hobby farmers to grow a trusted network of independent farm caretakers across Virginia.
Our Story
Built for Homesteaders, from Homestead Roots
Farmstead Circle was founded by a Virginia husband-and-wife team who lived this problem firsthand on our homestead.
We've been the ones scrambling to find someone to feed the goats before a family emergency. We've been the ones canceling vacations because no one could cover the morning egg collection. We've been the ones texting neighbors at the last minute, hoping someone was available. We've also needed trusted help on ordinary days: medications, hoof care, or a chore list too long for one pair of hands.
We built Farmstead Circle because we got tired of the stress, the guilt, and the feeling of being trapped on the land we love. Every feature on this platform exists because we needed it, for time away and for short visits when you need an extra set of hands at home.
Work and life eventually took us off the homestead. We don't live on one today. We began Farmstead Circle before we moved, and we kept building because the need in this community never went away. We still understand what homestead owners face, we care deeply about Virginia's rural community, and we hope to return to rural life someday. This isn't a tech company looking at agriculture from the outside. It's two people who lived the problem and decided to build the solution ourselves.
Lulu DeGan
Co-founder. Hands-on homestead animal care and the day-to-day reality of keeping goats, chickens, and property routines going when travel or family needs intervene.
Our Mission
Connect Homesteaders with Trusted Farm Caretakers
To connect homesteaders with trusted farm caretakers so they can live, travel, and steward their land with confidence.
Somewhere along the way, many homesteaders discover something unexpected: you can't leave. Animals need feeding. Fences need checking. Eggs need collecting. Vacations become complicated. Family emergencies become stressful. Even a weekend away requires serious planning.
Large farms have staff. Homesteads and hobby farms have neighbors, favors, and hope. The modern world has built platforms for ride sharing, home sharing, and dog sitting, but the people raising food, caring for animals, and stewarding land have been left behind. We believe Virginia homesteaders deserve the same tools.
Our Vision
A Trusted Support Network for Every Homestead
A world where every homestead has a trusted support network.
For generations, rural communities worked because neighbors helped neighbors. But modern life has changed things. People move. Communities spread out. Everyone is busy. Technology should help rebuild those connections, not replace them.
Our goal isn't just a directory. Our goal is to strengthen rural support networks across Virginia so that homestead life can be both rewarding and balanced.
Community Commitment
Giving Back as We Grow
Farmstead Circle's Community Commitment weaves giving into how we build: financial support for the Farmer Veteran Coalition, complimentary Sponsored Pro slots for qualifying micro rural service businesses, and volunteer time for veteran-farming programs.
Our primary charitable beneficiary is the Farmer Veteran Coalition. We are independent supporters, not an official partner.
What We Believe
Our Values
How our mission shows up in the product. Each expression reflects our seven core values.
Animals Are Family
Your animals aren't just chores. They're living creatures that depend on you. Leaving them in someone else's care requires real trust built on reputation, reviews, and community.
Reflects: Stewardship & Trust First
Virginia First
We serve Virginia exclusively. Local knowledge matters: the land, the weather, the seasons, the community. Our caretakers know your area because they live there too.
Reflects: Community Before Extraction
Rural Community
We're rebuilding the neighbor-helping-neighbor tradition with modern tools, helping hobby farmers and homesteaders widen their circle of trusted caretakers. Technology should strengthen rural connections, not replace the human bonds that make farming communities special.
Reflects: Community Before Extraction & Human Dignity
Lifestyle Farming
This isn't about factory farms or corporate agriculture. It's about homesteads, small livestock farms, family land, and backyard chickens: people who choose a different way to live.
Reflects: Stewardship & Integrity Over Growth
Trust & Transparency
Caretakers can list self-reported credentials. Integrated background checks are not currently available; when offered, they will be optional third-party screenings. We believe trust starts with transparency; credential claims and any future screening indicators are informational only, not competency endorsements. Farmstead Circle does not store or verify credential documents.
Reflects: Trust First & Accountability
Independence & Fairness
Caretakers set their own rates, choose their own clients, and keep 100% of their earnings. We never suggest rates, rank by willingness to accept bookings, or direct how caretakers perform their work.
Reflects: Human Dignity & Integrity Over Growth
How It Works
Simple, Transparent, Direct
1
Homestead Owners Describe Their Needs
Create a profile describing your property, animals, and care requirements. Search for farm caretakers by county, experience, and availability.
2
Farm Caretakers Set Their Own Terms
Caretakers create independent profiles, set their own rates, define their service areas, and choose which bookings to accept. We never set, suggest, or cap rates.
3
Direct Private Agreements
When you find the right fit, the booking is a private agreement between owner and caretaker. Farmstead Circle provides the technology to connect, not labor placement.
4
Caretakers Keep 100% of Their Rate
A facilitation fee is charged to the property owner only. Caretakers receive their full rate via direct deposit. Local farm businesses can claim a free directory listing, with an optional Founding Partner upgrade for featured placement.
Legal Clarity
A Technology Platform
Farmstead Circle operates as a technology platform and advertising directory only. We are not a Farm Labor Contractor under Virginia Code 40.1-33, nor are we a staffing agency or employment intermediary for any user on the platform.
We do not recruit, solicit, supply, or employ farm labor. All bookings represent private agreements between property owners and farm caretakers. Our role is to provide the technology tools that make finding and coordinating farm care easier and more transparent.
Questions? Email us at [email protected]