The Bandit

Three chickens killed in one day by a single fox. I’ve seen the little bastard. It’s a juvenile, possibly a male. He comes out in broad daylight and isn’t very fearful of humans. The chickens have had to be kept locked up today and possibly the next few days because of him. He has to die soon. I just need to see him long enough to get off a good shot.

First Quarter Egg Totals

From January 1 to March 31: 207 eggs total for an income of $51.74 (at $4 a dozen)

Not bad for the winter months.

Goat Foot

Every 3 months a goat’s hooves need to be trimmed (unless they’re walking on rocky terrain where the hard ground will naturally wear down their hooves). I’ve had these goats about a year now and I’ve yet to ever trim them. 3 of the 4 never seem to need it. Their hooves stay pretty well fit. Yet Primavera’s feet get all ugly and splayed. So today, lacking much else to do, I put her up in the milking stand, fed her some grain and gave her a pedicure. That’s a pretty disgusting task. Hay, manure, and dirt gets matted in there and over time starts to rot. And then she yanks on her foot, prolonging the experience. I don’t have the proper tool (a set of clippers made just for goat feet) so I used my pocket knife. It worked well enough, but took a little longer. I guess both her and I will get used to the endeavor and then it won’t be so bad. Still … yuck.

A few days ago the goats got into the feed storage area when I left it open one morning. They ate about a half bag of feed. I watched them all day, expecting one or all of them to fall over dead with the bloat, but they all pulled through. Lucky goats. However, as a not-so-pleasant reminder of the episode, all of the goats have the runs. Yuck.

The temperature has dropped back down in the 50’s here and there’s a fierce wind. So far I’ve got onions and cabbage planted, but the cabbage isn’t doing so hot. I may need to just till up that whole bed and try it again. I feel like I’m just so much behind schedule, but all the other farmers I talk to are in the same boat. Some are a little ahead, some are still further behind … but the difference isn’t more than a week or two. We went from a foot of snow to suddenly green in the span of about a week, it seems, and the rain has been pretty steady since. The ground never has really dried out. I’ve got one more week here of work and then I’m going to focus on getting the rest of the garden taken care of. Time to dig in the dirt.

Survivor Onions

Last year we lost the war of the weeds in the onion patch and over half of the onions were written off since we couldn’t find them. This year, I’ve got onion greens shooting up through last year’s dead grass. Digging up the bulbs, I can see that each bulb has now split off into 3-5 new plants. I’m carefully pulling them apart, trying to give each bulb as much of the root structure as possible, and transplanting them to a raised bed that I spaded up this morning. It’s like a little gift. A blessing of onions. I don’t know how many of them I have, but it looks like quite a few. Certainly enough to justify the time and labor of transplanting them. Now if they’ll just survive the process …

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. What did you do for Earth Day? I did, essentially, nothing. Except for devoting my entire life, labor, and financial fortune to making a small 5 acre microcosm sustainable. Oh, and I’m teaching my children how to fundamentally survive at a subsistence level, to raise their own food and to withdraw from the environment only in a sustainable manner.

Yet the mass media and world at large is wagging a finger and saying “shame on you” because I didn’t buy an “Earth Day 2008” t-shirt made in China where 10% of the proceeds will go to plant a tree in the rain forest to replace the 500 year old tree that was cut down last week.

They can jump in a lake. I feel good about my life and my “carbon footprint”.

Farm Profit

Last year my farm made a profit. Not much, and not enough to live on … but we were in the black. Yet my tiny 5-acre operation isn’t considered a working farm by the ‘real’ farmers who run 500 acres of corn and soybeans and exist on government subsidies, illegal immigrant labor, and bank debt. They haven’t turned an honest profit since 1983, but yet they will sneer at the small homesteaders like me who are managing to keep their head above water. In this post, I’m going to cover a couple of the obstacles to me making a profit.

First off, there’s the tax burden. I paid through the nose for my farm, and even though the land and house is in disrepair, the location pushed up the price quite a bit. My tax burden is almost $6000 per year. So regardless of what else I do, I’m doing “slave labor” for the government until I’ve paid off that burden. This burden is so high due to the current real estate market. There are lots of subdivisions that have popped up in my county and the government assigns my property a value based on the selling of that real estate, not the actual use I’m putting my land to. It’s ridiculous that they only assess value to a property based on the event of that property changing hands. If the real estate market where I’m at crashes, it would only be the best possible thing for me. The county should reassess my property value, and though I’d be technically “upside down” on my loan, I can handle that so long as I still have my outside employment. By that time I could probably also refinance my loan quite favorably. However, for right now, I’m building pyramids for the pharaoh and working my butt off to make that $6000 a year. Right now I don’t even include it in the equation of farm profit, since it’s so far out of balance. I figure we’ve got to live somewhere and we’d be paying property taxes regardless of whether we were farming. So that goes under normal operating expenses, not farm expenses. And in the end, I think that at some point we may end up having to move elsewhere, to a land with very low property taxes where we can run an isolated farm and turn a profit.

Next obstacle on the list is the poor state of repair of the farm. This property has gone through a series of owners over the last thirty years, and not a one of them gave one whit for the fertility of the land. Gone are the days of multi-generational farms. The two old lesbian women who owned the property before us did no maintenance on the house, the barn, the fences, and the large number of horses they owned ate up all the fertility of the land. They deposited some of that fertility and I’ve shoveled it into the compost heap, but it’s not been spread yet around the entire acreage, and about 2-3 tons of that fertility in the form of horse-flesh was taken away when we moved in and they moved out. Now I’ve got a few locations of really good fertility on the property, and a whole lot of low fertility spots where the only thing growing is weeds. So I’ve got the cost of repairing the home, repairing the barn, and repairing the fences. In addition, I’ve got to spend a whole lot of energy and time rebuilding the fertility of the soil here. You can’t buy that in a bag. It’s got to be done through the farmer’s own physical labor. It would be easier to put in that time and labor if I knew that one of my sons would inherit this place, but instead it may be some anonymous stranger reaping the benefits if we need to move away to escape the tax burden. As Kat tells me, “it’s the right thing to do regardless”. Maybe that’s why God called me to this location. The land was in need of a caretaker, even if only a temporary one. After so many years of abuse, it was time for someone to reset it. I can find peace in the labor if I think of it that way.

The next obstacle would be the necessity for an outside job. It takes away a large amount of time and energy from my farm existence. I knew it would have to be this way for some time, and I pray that God will make my path clear for me. However, I was anxious to begin this lifestyle. It did not make sense to wait ten more years. The future is filled with uncertainty, but I’m confident we made the right decision in beginning now. If it means I must work harder and have less leisure time, then so be it.

The final obstacle I will discuss in this post, though I could come up with a few more, is the American Dream. Everyone in America believes that they should receive maximum profit from their own endeavors, but that everything they buy should be at a rock bottom price. This concept includes food. For generations now, American society has moved as much intelligence as possible from farming to city life. My own father advised me to “go to school and get a good job because you’ll never be a farmer”. Within five years of him offering this advice, he had bankrupted the farm my grandfather had passed to him, taken a factory job in the city and would soon be in a divorce. So the general feel is that everyone farming today is essentially doing so because they aren’t smart enough to do anything else. In some cases, this may be true, but in the majority of cases I’ve seen people are farming because it’s their family legacy, their religious calling (Christian Agrarians), or because they love it. Yet the American image of the farmer is some dumb hillbilly in overalls. As long as America continues to think of the farmer in that fashion, they will continue to think that the product of that man’s labors are not worth much money. This concept is bolstered by the cheap food from China and Latin America we’re getting, and the usage of illegal labor. When all that stops, then perhaps America will realize once again that food is the true “Wealth of Nations” and that without food, everything else stops. No highbrow culture in New York. No “arts” from Hollywood. No financial shenanigans from Wall Street. No governance from Washington DC.

 

From the question pile ...

Y’all can ask as many questions as you would like. I love discussing farm things. And, I feel like I’m giving a little back … when I was getting ready to start this a year or so ago, I was reading farm blogs, magazines, listening to podcasts … pretty much everything farm-related I could get my hands on. I don’t do that so much anymore, now that I’m actually the one getting my hands dirty, but I’m still intrigued. Sometime soon I’ll post a list of the farm blogs I still read. Remind me if I forget, cause it’s important. Now on to the questions.

I was in Minneapolis working when the quake hit. It happened at 4:36am, about 4-5 hours south of us. Kat said the baby woke up around that time, but there was nothing really obvious going on so she went right back to sleep. There’s no damage on the farm. The chicken coop I built is still standing. I’m bragging to everyone I know that I built a structure that can withstand earthquakes. *cheesy grin*

Around the first of the year I stopped feeding the goats any grain. They weren’t getting much, but I was giving the two does a little. At that time, there was no forage for them. Their only nutrition was hay and grain. Around the end of February, when the snow started melting off and you could see some plants, I cut their hay ration in half. That was the point where they really started dropping weight. It was probably too early to do that. The forage they had available probably did not have a very high nutritional content and however much they ate it wasn’t keeping their nutrition up. Now there’s lots of fresh, green grass and such that they like to eat, so I’m not worried. Neither of the does are pregnant or producing milk, so they do not need the extra nutrition that grain provides. And grain costs money. Grass is free. It takes a little of the sting out of owning non-producing goats if you’re not having to spend money to feed them. In September I plan to put the does back on grain, the males will probably disappear, and then in mid-October I plan to have the does bred. That should give us baby goats (God willing) in February-March and have us start milking again when the weather returns to a tolerable state. If we bred them now, we would be milking all through the dead of winter, and I don’t think any of us could handle that. Also, keep in mind that the goats are thin by my standards, but not too thin by general goat standards. Most goats in the world go their whole lives without ever tasting grain. Goats are a desert creature, capable of surviving in the harshest of climes on the thinnest of subsistence. I should not panic just because the hip bones start to jut out a little. Another farmer I know down the road came over and looked at them and pronounced that it was completely normal. He said, “Grass gives you thin goats, grain gives you fat goats. Nobody benefits from fat goats except the goats.”

The cat’s leg has healed up nicely. Turned out he had a wound on the back of his leg. I suspect he may actually have been bitten by his brother. They are starting to fight and spray a lot and it’s past time to have them neutered. They also spend too much time loafing and not enough time catching mice. And we are completely overrun with mice due to my stupid mistake in the fall. I stored some grain for the livestock in the garage attached to the house. Never do that. It attracted mice and rats and now we have a HUGE problem. The mice are all in the house, and the rats are all in the attic and garage. It’s going to take us forever, and a lot of traps to get rid of them. That was a stupid mistake. I knew better, but took the lazy way out. I could write a book on all the problems I’ve had over the past year when I took the lazy way out or did something half-ass. It really, really comes back to bite you with farm work.

Haven’t found out about the line of ants going into the hive yet. I haven’t been home much the past two weeks. I didn’t get enough off-farm work in this winter, like I’d hoped to do, and now I’ve got to make up for it by taking every little thing that comes my way. It’s bad because it’s keeping me away from the farm when I most need to be at the farm. Still, got to make ends meet so a man does what he must.

Farm Life

I’m sure that plenty of people find farm life boring, but I can sit out under an old maple tree and watch my farm for hours, often to the point where some real work is being neglected. In spring, the farm is a rich pageantry. Just the view is extremely pleasant. The grass is short and green, the weather is extremely comfortable, and here and there a few flowers and buds are appearing. Not so many that it confuses the eye, but a few that catch your attention due to their rarity. After the long, cold winter it’s especially pleasing to sit here in comfortable weather watching a lush, green countryside.

Then you add in the animals. Wild birds soar overhead and sing in the trees. When you manage to sort out an individual birdsong from the cacophony of noise they are all making, it’s often a mystery as to what kind of bird has made that call. If the bird is familiar to you, then it’s pleasing visit from an old friend. Out by the barn, I can see barn swallows soaring in their loops around the pasture. They have returned again this year, after raising their brood in my barn last year. Or perhaps that is some of the young ones whom I replaced in the nest last year after they prematurely fell out. Do they remember me kindly in their little bird way? I hope none fall out this year. We now have cats that will not be kind to baby birds.

The goats are milling around, eating clover and annoying each other. The dynamic of the goat herd is somewhat fixed, but the young ones continue to test their elders and play. They are so thin from the winter, and now that the grass is lush and green I feel better, knowing that they will begin to put on weight again and thrive. Hopefully they will thrive well, and in the fall we will breed them, so that this time next year we will have baby goats and be milking the does for our own table.

The chickens are a constant source of amusement. I could watch them for hours. The dynamic of a flock of twenty-two is ever changing. The boss rooster, Horatius, he is keeping the ladies in line. Some of the hens have darted straight for their favorite nesting spots in the barn, clucking to scold me for not waking up earlier to let them out of their coop. It’s 8am, but the chickens always rise earlier than I do. I am awakened early enough, right at dawn, but I lay there thinking and slipping in and out of sleep until I finally become conscious enough to realize how much work is to be done. There is no snooze button on a rooster.

The other hens begin checking the places where they like to eat. A hen remembers from day to day where she found something good previously, and they have a busy schedule of such locations. They go from spot to spot, looking for their own food but also keeping a watchful eye on all the other hens in case one of them finds something good.

A bee lands on a dandelion, one of the earliest spring flowers on the farm. It’s most likely one of my bees, from the hives out in the orchard. Those hives are a constant source of worry for me, as a novice beekeeper. Every time anything strange or unusual happens, I worry that it’s the beginning of the end for the hive, but they always seem to bounce back. Both hives have bees bringing in pollen, so I know there is a queen in residence laying eggs. However, one hive is a buzzing center of activity, and the other hive seems dark and relatively abandoned with only a few bees coming in and out. A trail of ants is leading inside the hive, and I’ve soon got to research what that could possibly mean. When I have time, I’ll take the top of the low-activity hive and see what’s going on in there.

The blackberry canes have got some leaves now, showing green along their purplish stems. It’s a huge patch of blackberries, and last year we ate our fill. This year I hope to gather even more, freezing some for those long months when there is no fruit. More immediately though, I think of picking fresh blackberries off the vine and eating them right there at the edge of the treeline, in the warm June sunshine. I can already taste the tart-sweet flavor on my tongue.

Blogging

The world is getting green again. I’m doing more farm chores, and since I’m outside a lot more, my mind is more active. Expect I may be blogging again more soon, or perhaps moving to a new farm blog where I can focus on more exclusive farm topics.

Why am I staying away from this blog so much? First, I find that social issues and politics are just too tiresome for me to think about lately. I know, I feel like I’m not doing my share in the revolution and all, but my family and I have already somewhat exercised the “Benedict Option” and withdrawn from society. Or at least as much as is fiscally advisable at this time. So mentally I’m not keeping track of all the goings on anymore than I have to. Second, I think we’re entering a time in America where having a publicly searchable blog of all of my anti-government beliefs and topics may not be wise. While it may not be time to flee the country, I think it is time to perhaps keep my head down until I see how things are going to go.

To answer your questions, Laura:

I haven’t been really in a blog mood, but I’m still alive. Maybe I’ll get back to it, or at least get to where I jot down a few quick notes on a semi-daily basis. Here’s your answers, Laura.

The bees are good. They did survive the winter and they are bringing in pollen, which is a sign there is a healthy queen in residence and she’s laying eggs. They are gearing up for spring/summer. They are collecting RED pollen from somewhere, though I don’t know what’s in bloom. It’s strange to see these bees come in with these large red pompoms on their legs. I’m still feeding them sugar, to help them along.

The goats are good, but they really have gotten thin. It’s strange, but they didn’t seem to get too thin until that last week or two of winter when they started looking REALLY thin. There’s forage for them now, as everything is getting more green, and I’m also still feeding them a tiny ration of hay. This is a year of rest for the goats, as they won’t be bred until the fall and have no milk production responsibilities, so being a little thin right now isn’t going to hurt them.

The chickens are doing REALLY well. We’re getting around 10-14 eggs per day. Our house is overrun with eggs. We have fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, egg salad, homemade bread (made with eggs) and then we give some eggs away too. Almost every day we’re eating something to do with eggs. Yeesh. I’m almost egged out just thinking about it, but it’s a real blessing. Keep in mind there are food riots going on in some countries right now, and my hens are dropping enough “free” food per day to feed half my family. Every two days we get one full meal out of them. Awesome, eh?

I have not tilled, really, but I’ve spaded up one of the raised beds and planted cabbage. I’ve started working the rest of the garden, as it is time, but the ground has been just too wet where I’m at. I need a solid week of dry sunshine to get things perfect.

The puppy is a complete dog now. He’s doing pretty well and pretty obedient, to me at least. He still disobeys just about everyone else, and he can’t be trusted to not bother something or tear up whatever he finds laying around in the yard. He’s eaten and destroyed all sorts of things that I didn’t think to keep out of his reach. He’s learning, and I’m learning as well.

One of our cats has a hurt leg, and I’m suspicious that the dog did it to him. The cat (Dragon) can’t walk on it and the leg is extremely swollen. It’s his front leg, and he gets around and doesn’t seem to be in much pain, even if you poke and prod the leg, but it’s alarming. If the swelling hasn’t gone down by the end of the week, it’s off to the vet we go. These “free” cats have cost me a lot of money.