Jacob Roloff Opens Up About ‘Using the Land Well’ on Family Farm After Drama With Dad Matt Roloff
Jacob Roloff opened up about “using the land well” on his family’s farm after his father, Matt Roloff, chose to not sell the property to any of his kids.
The Little People, Big World alum, 28, took to Instagram on Sunday, April 13, to share photos of himself and his son, Mateo, 3, on Roloff Farms. Alongside the photos, he shared a quote that read, “There are no agricultural miracles innocent of the sweat of laboring peoples.”
“Great quote for the way I think about the future of the farm lately. No more TV, no technology and no gimmicks can escape the reality that we have to use the land well or we don’t deserve to keep it,” he wrote in the caption. “There’s a lot of ways it could go, and a lot of things we can do after reforming old SOPs and opening up. With no capital myself and only sweat and labor I hope I can get some good things going if the priorities can get ironed out.”
While he said he hopes to see the farm continue to thrive during pumpkin season, Jacob added, “I would really love to see summer markets under our windmill, maybe with some U-pick fruit areas, food carts and craft booths. I can see lots of people coming out for that. Some events, too, and maybe classes. Who knows. Something more legitimate for and commensurate with this beautiful land I’m gratefully able to steward. More trees, more blooming, more growing, more community oriented; more alive and more real most of all.”
Jacob continued the caption by explaining some of the work he has done on the farm. “Teo helped me plant some cherry trees along the old property line the other day. The same line had some poplar or locust trees with a different fence along it when I grew up,” he shared. “We bought the neighboring property, due to the unnatural influx of show income … irrespective of farming, and the trees died or were cut and we merged the lines.”
“Now we’re planting some cherries along the same old line but from the other side. The old place will be rented until it sells (¿en esta economía?), but it’s exciting to have an essentially open slate on this new side to do whatever we can to save it for another generation,” Jacob wrote. “I just have a feeling that actually farming could be the most rewarding and obvious choice. So I’m planting at least 100 trees a year, and going to try and grow as many pumpkins and flowers as I can for an enjoyable and beautiful season this year.”
Jacob wrapped up the caption by acknowledging what the farm means to his family. “Whatever ends up happening, at the very least Mateo will have spent a lot of quality time with me doing the Lords work planting trees and getting his hands dirty,” he wrote. “Onward.”
The former TV personality – who shares his son with wife Isabel Rock – penned the message after fans learned that Matt, 63, chose to not sell the family farm to Jacob or his three siblings, Zach Roloff, Jeremy Roloff and Molly Roloff.
While Jacob, Zach, 34, and Jeremy, 34, all expressed interest in buying Roloff Farms from Matt, the patriarch opted to put a portion of the family’s land up for sale in May 2022 for $4 million. The decision led Zach and Matt to have issues, and he, his wife, Tori Roloff, and their children relocated from Oregon to Washington.
Despite choosing not to keep the farm in their family, Matt took the property off the market in October 2022 and announced his plans to convert it into a rental.
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Matt later put the land back on the market for a second time in August 2023 for $3,395,000. However, he continued to struggle to sell the farm and took the property off the market once again in December 2023.
