The 'Little People, Big World' star spoke to ET about the farm's future.
Matt Roloff has officially begun executing his Roloff Farms backup plan. This season of Little People, Big World has seen the elder Roloff come to terms with his relationship with his son, Zach, following his decision not to sell him the north side of the family farm.
Instead, Matt decided to put the farm on the market for a potential buyer, while Zach, his wife, Tori, and their three children build their life on a separate property in Washington. Outside of Zach, Matt wasn’t able to convince his other children -- Jeremy, Molly or Jacob -- to buy the land prior to putting it on the market, and has not been able to lock down a buyer. So now it’s time for Plan B.
"Well, we haven't sold it," Matt tells ET’s Cassie DiLaura. "Plan B is actually taking place right now. All of the families that looked at the farm but couldn’t get their heads around the long-term commitment of purchasing it are now gonna be able to stay here as a short-term rental, so I think Airbnb. We’re gonna set the farm up for more people to share it, for a week or less than a week. So we’re very excited about that."
For Matt, it’s all about finding people who are going to look at the farm as "a labor of love," adding that whoever is taking on the farm in the moment will get the full experience.
"More people could actually enjoy the farm and get a taste of it," he says. "We might even let them use the mowers so they can get a real feel of what it’s like to do the work."
Having the temporary tenants work is supposed to take off some of the pressure from Matt, which is a major reason he wanted to sell the property in the first place.
"That's the super scary part. We're allowing people to come into our [house], so that's the scary part. The idea that we are gonna continue to own the farm and I will have to continue to maintain it and be responsible for the maintenance of it, which is the part I don't like about it," he says. "Because that's the part I was trying to get rid of the most was the maintenance."
The experience may also include a special appearance from his ex-wife, Amy, who lived on the north side of the farm while they raised their family, before eventually selling her portion to Matt after the end of their marriage.
"I'm trying to talk to Amy and talk her into coming and doing cooking lessons in her house while people are staying," he quips. "Chris' idea not mine."
According to Matt, it was Amy’s idea to rent the farm years ago. But of course, he didn’t listen.
"Amy actually thought of it years ago and bugged me about it," he says. "She likes to give me a really hard time about it," he says. "It’s all fun. We’ve had some laughs about that."
For Matt, Plan B gives his children a chance to have more of a say, and to possibly spend more time on the farm with their respective families. The business owner’s ideal plan would be for his four children to feel encouraged to come back more.
"The one thing I always wanted was for the kids to figure out a way to share the farm, all four kids. And now with this new arrangement, it is shared because these kids can block out time, family members can block out weeks or days,” he tells ET.
He adds, "It’s like having a family timeshare. When the idea came forward, it really seemed like Plan B was actually a good plan and should maybe have been Plan A."
Matt says that his children were all on board. However, he understands that they have their own lives, with their own properties to take care of.
"I think the kids are to the point, you know, especially Zach and Tori, where they move, they got their own project, they got their own space,” he notes. “I don't know that they're really worried about what's happening back here."
Little People, Big World airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
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