A Diverse Farm ...

As you can see from the picture above there was a new litter of pigs born Sunday night in the storm and things seem to be going well. But, if you look closely at the picture you will also notice a chicken in the foreground. I think it's a perfect example of the diverse farm and also helps remind me that the chickens are out doing their job in the pig lot, the pasture, and all around the farm. Plus, they are laying eggs ... although I wouldn't mind having some more egg layers around!

Rock Stars and Professional Bass Fishing ...

There was a time when I saved up all my extra money and bought rock star gear. I had electric guitars (still have one for sale if anyone is interested), I had multiple bass guitars, I had amps, I had heavy speaker cabinets, and I even was putting together a modest set of recording gear so that I could record the next great song. I played shows for 10's of people and for 1,000's of people (at least once or twice) and I thought about taking the whole music thing to the next level ... at least I wanted to ...

But, I just don't think I was cool enough for the rock star gig. So I thought to myself ... surely I'm cool enough for the professional bass fishing gig! I started trading out some of those bass guitars and amps for fishing poles, lures, reels, more lures, more poles, and more and more and more lures. I began reading Bassmaster Magazine and clipping out the articles ... I knew what all the hot lures were just as the were becoming popular ... I wanted to be a professional bass fisherman! I wanted to fish and talk fishing and sell fishing and be outdoors ... at least that was the plan ...

Then came the farm ... my guitars are out of tune and tucked away in a closet ... the only two amps I had left are at my mom's for storage ... my stash of lures and rods and reels sit about ten feet away from me collecting dust and catching spider webs ... none of those things are relevant for what I'm doing right now and what I want to be able to do. But, there are times that I wonder ...

Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just give up on the farming dream. I know the statistics for new business start-ups are very dismal (and that is what this farm is), so sometimes I wonder if I'm just one of those many businesses that are just prone to fail for whatever reason. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to come back after work and sit down for a leisurely meal or a quick bit of yard work. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just sell it all ... get a small house in a small town near a lake and just work for the weekends ...

Please don't think I'm complaining ... I'm just wondering ... But, the reality is that I want to farm. I want to make the farm go and be as profitable and sustainable as possible and I want to throw myself behind it one hundred percent. Maybe someday I'll look back at the farm as one of those phases or dreams that just never materialized (like music or fishing), but right now I feel that if I look back at the farm and see it had failed it won't be because of lack of effort.

:: A Positive Note :: As I read over what I just wrote I realized it was kind of a downer ... so let me just end with this thought ... if I'm going to be a farmer I'd like to bring a little rock star influence into the world of farming!!

Mechanical...

I think (or at least I hope) that everyone has their "thing". You know ... the "thing" that they are passionate about, that they enjoy doing no matter how challenging, and that they can really wrap their minds around. For some people it is art (music, painting, sculpting, video, etc.), for some people it could be baking/cooking, for others it may be writing, some will find communication to be their thing, and some people have the mechanical "thing" down. Of course there are many, many, many other "things" that people are passionate ... knowledgeable ... and skilled at, but that is a sampling at least.

Me ... I think my "thing" is talking. Ever since I was a preschooler my "thing" has been talking (I had the time-outs and detentions to prove it). Now, I'm not saying that being a talker is a bad thing and it surely has a place in the type of farming and selling that I do ... But, sometimes I REALLY WISH my "thing" was being mechanical! Because with the type of farming that I do and the type of money I have to invest in infrastructure it would be nice if I could do a little work for myself every now and then. There are to many times I find myself just standing and looking (trying to figure out how to do something) instead of actually doing ... and too many times what I'm trying to figure out how to do is rather simple!

Case-in-point ... right now my tractor is absolutely giving me fits. I understand that this is just all part of owning a 50 plus year old tractor, but at the same time I wish it was working like a charm! Currently my starting is going bad (and has been for over a year) ... my PTO (which was fixed last summer ... for a few months at least) is not functional ... and just recently a cylinder went to pot on my loader rendering the tractor immovable until I get the loader off (which had me standing and looking last night). Eventually ... hopefully ... I will get it all straightened out, but in the meantime I'm standing and looking and wishing I could find a great mechanically minded person willing to barter with a guy that is very talkative ...

That's life at the Crooked Gap ...

Doing it Right ...

Blogging has unfortunately been pushed towards the back of my work load lately, but I have been bouncing around a lot of things that I would like to write about ... one of those things was this topic ...

From the beginning of the farm (and to be honest even before the farm was owned) I have been going and going and going and trying to attain my perfect farm. Often that has meant that I just head out and get what I ... only to fully realize that I am not quite ready yet for that particular animal or venture yet. Actually, now that I think about it ... it's not that I don't realize I'm not ready, but rather that I don't care that I'm not ready and that I think I can just push on through it anyways.

It was that kind of thinking that had me start out with a cow and a calf over an hour away at my dad's and then eventually end up with over a dozen cows and calves at my dad's and then eventually bring that whole bustling herd to the farm before I even had a perimeter fence up yet. It was that kind of thinking that saw me bring up a load of sows that actually had one farrow in the trailer ... and ... well ... you get the idea. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and sometimes I just think I can do more than I really can.

This spring I have actually been doing a good job though. I don't have things set up nearly like I would like them to be and I'm not close to as far along as I thought I would be. But, I'm not doing things half way. I'm not running the pigs out into the woods in a paddock that will only keep me from doing it right ... I'm not just turning the cows out all willy nilly with out a plan ... I'm not raising meat chickens yet (which is something I very much wanted to do).

No, this spring I'm doing things the right way. It is taking more time, but hopefully in the long run I will see a difference for the better ... that is the idea at least ... I'll let you know how it works out.

Out To Pasture ...

If you follow my Twitter you will know that I finally got the cattle out on pasture the other day. Obviously I would have loved to make it happen sooner, and plenty (or all) of my neighbors have had their cattle out of the winter lots for quite some time ... But, I didn't want to sacrifice my pastures just for the sake of getting them out on the grass. The fact of the matter is that at this point my pastures don't take off like the ones around me, but they are beginning to turn around and with careful management they will be where I want them to be ... careful management just takes patience sometimes.

My greatest fear was getting them out on the grass before it had a chance to get going and then just running spots as I worked my cattle through the rotation. Because I held off (and because we have had some good growing weather recently) I think I will have a better summer and hopefully a long fall of grazing. I started the cows off down in the bottom where the grass is growing the best and then I am going to work them along the edge of the woods next, which is actually outside of my perimeter fence. As you can see from the blurry picture above it is green and they seem to be enjoying themselves.


After just a few movements though (four to be exact) I am so glad to see things working out just like it does in my mind. When I move them into the next paddock and look back at the one they were previously in it looks like it was bombed with manure and there practically isn't a piece of grass or clover that hasn't been pooped on ... eaten ... or trampled. Now I just need to get the chickens following behind ... oh ... and figure out what to do with the sheep ...

My Pasture ...

Whew ... first of all let me say that it's been awhile since I have taken/had the time to sit down and write ... even for a few minutes. A couple of weeks ago I started getting busy and then last week up until yesterday I was doing my civic duty ... jury duty ... and it was very time consuming because on top of jury duty I was also continuing to work at the town job to help keep the finances from taking a hit. Thankfully everything finished up yesterday and I'm hoping I can somewhat return to a normal schedule.

I just wanted to take a moment though and give an update on my pasture because a question about it popped up in the comments awhile back. First of all let me share the background ... This will be summer number three of grazing the pasture and hopefully the first with a whole seasons worth of multiple moves per day. The first season was what I would call "unmanaged grazing". At that time I had no perimeter fences so I just moved the cows around in large areas as there was need and as I could put up fence. The second year I did finally get the fence up and I rotated daily (for the most part), but not as many moves per day as I would like. Now I'm into year three and hopefully I'll be apply some changes based on what I've learned ... hopefully ...

The thing is though ... generally speaking the pasture has not improved as much as I would have hoped. As I've mentioned before this land spent at least 14 years in the Conservation Reserve Program and had a pretty weak stand of native grasses along with plenty of brush and bare spots. The warm season grasses that were growing are tough to graze early in the season so I haven't been able to get my cattle on grass as soon as I would like (such as this year ... they still are eating hay). Last year I no-till drilled seed on about 10 acres, but the spring was so wet that I could never get out and mow down the weeds that were taking over my new seeding. The result is that my alice white clover seems to have taken hold fairly well, but the grasses really did nothing!

So, that is where I stand now. Things are not at all where I had expected or hoped they would be, but I can see small changes here and there and I do have hopes for the future. One thing that I will continue thinking about though is some seeding in hopes of jump starting things a little. I was just disappointed with my last seeding try ...

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

If you've never seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington I suggest you check it out. Me ... well, I've seen it but I believe I may need to give it another look because I'm headed to Washington D.C. early this summer on behalf of Practical Farmers of Iowa. I will be going as part of a group of beginning farmers from at least ten other states to speak with members of the House and the Senate about the issues faced by beginning farmers. I believe my focus will be with the politicians from Iowa. I'm very excited about the opportunity if for no other reason than to share the story of the farm and how my farm has all come together.

But ... I am nervous. Obviously I've never been around this sort of thing, but also I've never even flown! So, it will be a whirlwind three days of nerves, fun, and I'm sure tons of education. I will share more as the big trip comes closer and I learn more. But, if you have any Washington D.C. travel tips or other ideas I am always thankful for them!

Grass Farmer?

As I was driving the tractor across the freshly turned (somewhat) black dirt spreading manure all I could think about was ... what kind of grass farmer do I look like now! I was in the process of taking my pasture back to bare dirt in order to plant "king corn" ... and I was enjoying it and getting excited about it! And, part of the reason I was doing it was because I just am not quite ready to kick the corn habit just yet. My cattle and sheep are grassfed only, but my pigs are still feed plenty grain and I don't see myself ready or able to change that in the near future (all though I know there are farmers out there not feeding or limiting their grain fed to hogs). My pigs will be on the pasture and in the woods foraging for part of the diet, but they will also have my custom ration available to them and that is why the corn experiment is happening.

The other reason I'm pretty excited about the corn is because of my ditches. Yes, the ditches have me envious because there is much better forage in them than there is in my pastures. In my opinion 14 years of life in the Conservation Reserve Program did these fields more harm than they did good. After the field was entered into the CRP program it was seeded down with native prairie grasses and then left to nature ... the problem is that 21st century "nature" isn't like 19th century "nature"! Years and years ago when this land was originally in native grasses there were fires and large herds of animals doing their work ... for the past 14 years this land just sat. The result was a lot of scrubby wood bushes that grew, lots of bare patches, and a dwindling stand of those native grasses that were seeded. Nature was not actually allowed to work and I think my pastures suffer because of that ... but, that is a long discussion and I'm not ready to get into it yet.

No ... what I am excited about is eventually seeding these areas back to pasture and watching them take off and see what happens when the cows and sheep and chickens are allowed to let nature work. That is what I'm looking forward too ... and I'm sure my animals will be equally excited about it! Right now they are still in the winter area because my grasses have not started to take off yet ... time and the livestock management will help heal the land ... I need to find patience!

Corn(y) Plans ...

I think the corn plans are coming together ... better than expected actually. Now I'm actually finding myself wishing that I had more room to plant, but I will just stop with the two small areas I have planned! I must think small right now and keep plenty of grazing areas, but in the future I hope growing some more of my own feed can become a real possibility. This season the corn will just be an experiment and an opportunity to do a little "play farming" with my cousin, uncles, and my grandfathers equipment. Here are the plans as they stand right now ...

• It looks like I'm going to be plowing up two areas totally around 4-5 acres. One section is a former winter lot, and the other section is kind of out in the pasture. Initially I wanted to use my current winter lot, but I just don't think that will work out this year ... I may end up seeding it and eventually using it for some sows.
• As of this moment the smaller section is plowed and has been disked once. It will get another disking and probably hit with a harrow before planting. The larger section is in the process of being plowed and then it will go through a similar plan. I will be spreading some homegrown fertilizer on the larger section though since it will not be in the winter lot like I had planned.
• Thanks to my cousin all of the equipment is here ore coming here. As I mentioned some of it actually originated on my grandpa's farm years ago, so this is the third generation to be using it. The plow, the disk, and the planter are all here and ready to roll!
• I have e-mailed back-and-forth with Laura from Abbe Hills about open pollinated corn. I think this may be my best bet for now because it isn't too far away from me and sounds good. She has been helpful and suggested they shoot for 55º to 60º soil temperatures before planting (usually after May 15th). That is a good thing to know and gives me time to get everything done!
• Cultivating after the crop is planted ... Well, that is still in the planning stages but if all else fails my cousin will bring up his tractor and a three-point mounted cultivator. 
• Harvest and storage ... yeah ... let me get back to you on that one ... 

What am I Doing?

I always want to take the time to write and I always have things that I would like to share, but I'm not always able to put pen to paper (as it were) and get my thoughts down. That was what has been going on over the last week ... thus there have been no posts. It has been an eventful time though for me on the farm. The first lambing season is in full swing ... a calf was born ... the open-pollinated experiment is possibly coming together ... and I'm beginning to look at different options and methods of feeding the pigs.

But, the thought that has been on my mind the most lately is this one ... "What am I doing?" There are so many times throughout my farming day that I'm not sure what in the world I'm doing! I know that there was a point where I just needed to start "doing" instead of just reading all of the time, but sometimes I wish I was just still reading about farming and then sharing my opinions ... the doing always has me more confused, confounded, and oftentimes frustrated. And even when I feel like I've made a major accomplishment I realize that in "farming reality" what I just did was basically just another ho-hum part of farming, not a major accomplishment.

You see ... catching the calf to ear tag it, milking a sheep and helping her lamb figure it all out, disking and prepping the field for planting, making small repairs on the tractor, looking over and purchasing farm equipment, or wrestling a pig to the ground for a little doctoring ... those are all pretty much normal things for most farmers. In many cases they are things they've been around their entire lives. For me ... well for me each one of those things are a major accomplishment and at some point while I'm doing them I wonder to myself ... "what am I doing!?!"

The Annual Mud Post ...

It seems like every year I have to site down and vent my "mud frustrations" on the blog. If nothing else it gets them off my chest! But, this year seems to be extra frustrating ... I'm sure there are many factors that have contributed to that fact. For whatever reason the winter had me frustrated and now the cool weather and the recent mud (and the 10-day forecast doesn't look promising) just seems to be continuing that trend. Maybe it is the "beginning" nature of my farm, but mud just makes me want to throw in the towel sometimes.

The wild combination of the normal spring mud, more feeder pigs than ever on the farm, the rising feed prices, lack of gravel on the drives, lambing season (for the first time), and the fact that I have no completely weather proof buildings (besides the house) has me wishing that I had more. Every morning and evening as I drive to and from town I find myself envying the buildings I drive past. Especially the abandoned ones or the buildings that are just part of a homestead where no active farming occurs. I would love to have the time to just tear them down and place them at my farm!

For now I just need to take the steps that I can. I need to remind myself that I can only advance slowly and that I can't have everything at once! I do believe that I need to figure out something for these muddy spring months though. I'm not overly concerned about the cattle and the sheep seem to be doing okay, but I would love to figure out a better solution for the pigs. A place for feeding and watering that doesn't become a bog (I do try to get those spots off of the ground). I'm beginning to wonder if a hoop house wouldn't be a good idea for these winter/spring months where they can't be on the pasture/woods.

Lots to think about ... major financial choices to make ... and plenty of mud to deal with. As I was quoted in the Des Moines Register a few weeks ago, "I get stuck getting things unstuck."

The Time/Money Conundrum

Yesterday as I was tackling the days chores and trying to get things ready for the summer growing season (getting the pigs in woods and cows in the pasture) I was thinking about the conundrum facing the beginning farmer. When you are beginning (even though I'm over three years in I still am very much a beginner) like I am without the benefit of family/shared land, facilities, or equipment everything has to come from somewhere. Many of the things I have acquired through extended family or borrowing, but there are other things that I have just needed to buy ... or at least felt the need to buy.

Let me give you an example ... If you are a regular reader of the blog you will know that I purchase my pig feed two tons at a time and it is bagged. This is a time consuming process which includes a stop at the feed store to load 80 bags of feed into my trailer and then a trip back to the farm where I either load each bag one-by-one in to the bulk feeder or feed by hand each day taking the feed to the pigs. I don't mind doing the manual labor ... even when I didn't have a working tractor and I filled the bulk feeder one bag time climbing up and down the ladder. The labor isn't a big deal, but the time can be an issue. If I only have a limited amount of time to get the work done I sometimes feel the need to use/purchase labor saving devices ... that is where the time/money conundrum comes into play.

In the ideal farming world I would have the feed store deliver to the farm in bulk purchasing about 5 tons at a time. I could have them fill up my bulk bin and then fill up the feeder. If I had the bulk bin filled the next obvious piece of equipment would be an auger wagon to use when refilling the feeder. This would be a huge time saving method of doing things, but it is also a little spendy and if I'm going to make the farm work I need to be able to cut every corner I can and substitute my labor for equipment.

I think the solution is to ... well, I guess I'm not sure what the solution is. But, what I'm going to do is continue to try and grow slow and use my labor as much as I can. From there I think I can just keep my eye open for the types of things that will help the farm now and in the future. What I really need to do is be able to go slow ... even though I just want to race ahead!

Encouragement & Hope

Sometimes I need encouragement and hope on the farm. One of the places I like to go for that is the book A Bountiful Harvest: The Midwestern Farm Photographs of Pete Wettach, 1925-1965. For whatever reason those pictures just offer up some of what my heart and mind needs from time to time. I was looking at that book tonight and that led me to looking up a few things on-line, which is how I found the picture above. Those are some pigs at the Iowa State University research farm circa 1940 (I believe). I liked the picture ...

If you're looking for some encouragement I suggest the book below ... you can click on the link to find it on Amazon.

I Went for a Walk ...

I worked late in town last night, but it was still beautiful when I made it back to the farm. So beautiful in fact that I decided to just leave the evening chores for after dark and go for a walk ... or should I say that I decided to go for a hunt ... Yes, hunt is the better description because what I was really doing is trying to hunt down my wayward sheep. And, by the wayward sheep I mean all of the sheep! Lately they have decided that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, and in their defense it is, so they have been taking off. I should also point out that it really is my fault that they have a wandering eye because I don't have my hi-tensile perimeter fence on yet.

This past winter was a little more rough on the fence than I had hoped. Not that anything major happened, but the deer popped the fence staples out of the wood posts and there are a few shorts along the line that I need to take care of. When the snow was on the ground nobody was really interested in leaving the comfortable confines of the winter lot, but now things are a little different and the sheep are ready to go (even if the pastures aren't ready for them yet).

I thought I had solved the problem by adding some Gallagher electric netting around the perimeter, but I guess the sheep aren't to impressed by the non-electrified netting. You have to get up pretty early in the morning to put one past them! So, tonight after my evening stroll through the neighboring fields I decided it was time to get electricity to the fence ... even if it was only a little bit of electricity.

One of the major "problems" that occurred this winter was that the pigs got ahold of the electrical cord on my good Stafix fencer. Luckily it wasn't a major breakdown and I'm in the process of ordering a replacement now. But, my back up fencer is much less than half as powerful. Right now though it will have to try and do the trick. I fixed the perimeter in the most needed places and threw on the back up fencer ... it's going ... kind of ...

Now it is time to get the real fixes done. Part of the reason that I hadn't attacked the fence yet is that I was hoping to take care of a few things on the fence that just weren't quite up to par. When I put up the fence I was trying to rush and save money ... both of which didn't really work out. This spring I'm going to have to add some extra support posts in the corners especially to help shore everything up and try and reduce the pull on the corners. Since I need to do this I hadn't gone around yet this spring to tighten up the fence and fix a few of the insulators. I realize now that I just need to find the time and the money and get it done! 

Or I could always just learn to enjoy the evening walks ... 

A Beginning Corn Farmer's Shopping List?

If I'm going to do this whole open-pollinated corn experiment I need to start getting serious ... and fast! Of course I'm going to need to get some corn (if I can even find any this late in the game ... I remember some suggestions in previous comments), but I've also been thinking about the "shopping" list of equipment that I'm going to need in order to pull of this feat. As I build my shopping list it becomes very evident that there are really two lists that I could build. A list based on my labor/patience/time and a list based on a more mechanized approach. I thought I would share both lists and see if anyone had any suggestions. Before I get to the lists though I thought I should share what I'm working with. I'm thinking of planting in two areas that will total roughly five acres of ground I believe. Both areas have been winter lots or "sacrificial areas in  the past and don't have very much grass covering the ground right now. But, they both should have some good nutrients to work with. Now for the lists ...

Small-Scale :: More Labor

• Soil Preparation ~ Rear-tine garden tiller (I have one, but it would require lots of time/patience)
• Planting ~ Simple one row garden planter (Again, I have this one ... see above for requirements)
• Cultivating/Weed Control ~ Rear-tine garden tiller
• Harvesting ~ I've got two hands right and a wagon right?
• Storage ~ Haven't quite figured that one out yet ... open for suggestions ...

Small-Scale :: More Machinery (less time needed)

• Soil Preparation ~ 2-bottom plow (I have this one and plowing might not be a bad idea to take care of some of the brush) ... and then disc/harrow (I don't have a disc ... probably can get a harrow without much trouble)
• Planting ~ 2/4-row planter (Don't have and would need to do some shopping or asking around)
• Cultivating/Weed Control ~ Cultivator (Again, I don't have one ... I would think if I could locate a smaller three-point cultivator it wouldn't cost too much)
• Harvesting ~ Two hands and a wagon still sounds fun, but I know a guy with a two-row picker ... maybe I could work something out
• Storage ~ See above list ...

As you can see the "more machinery" list is also going to be the "more money" list, but is it also the "more practical" list considering a town job and all the other demands of life? I would love some input ... or even leads on equipment ;)

Are Dexters the Right Breed for Me?

A few posts ago when I was writing my chapter review for Tim Young's book, "The Accidental Farmers," I mentioned in passing that I was questioning whether or not the Dexter breed was for me. It's something I've been thinking about lately and just this morning someone posted a comment asking why I was thinking that way. So, I figured it was time for me to try and articulate some of my thoughts on the subject. First of all let me say that at this point I'm still keeping the Dexters and trying to work with them, but knowing what I know now if I was starting over with the same goals in mind I'm not sure that I would go with the Dexters.

I don't remember exactly which book it was, although I'm pretty sure it was by Joel Salatin, but early on I remember reading that "seed stock" anything was not a good idea. What that meant was that going with pure breed animals for meat sales based farm probably wasn't a good idea. I tried to think my way around that by telling myself that I wasn't really interested in selling seed stock, so the ability to sell a heifer every now and then was just a bonus. I loved the historical aspect of the Dexter, I loved the small size, and I loved what I read about their qualities as a historical tri-purpose breed (meat, milk, and draft animals).

Here is my totally uneducated thinking of why I may not be sold on them for my farm right now ... The Dexters are listed as a recovering breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and at one time their numbers here in the U.S. were pretty low. I think as they began to recover some marginal animals were kept for breeding stock (both cows and in my opinion especially bulls) that helped grow the numbers within the breed, but didn't really emphasize the strongest qualities of the breed. On top of that I'm not sure there is a very large number of people raising Dexters in the same type of all grass and no antibiotic system that I'm using right now.

That's all to say that while I still think Dexters are a great breed and that they would work in many situations (including mine) they may not work perfectly in my system. Or more specifically the particular Dexters I have weren't the perfect ones for me. When I decided on Dexters over three years ago what I was doing was choosing a breed based on their general historical background. What I should have been doing is choosing cows (not a breed) based on how I want to raise them. I honestly believe I would have been better served spending the money to get cows from a rotationally grazed farm that was grass based only. This may have meant I bought Dexters or it may have meant I bought cows ... just great cows ...

I think Dexters can still work and I hope to make them work on the farm. Above all I still think they are perfect breed for the small land holder because of their size and relatively calm disposition (although there are exceptions. I would like to add a couple other cows at some time though ... just to see ...

Agonizing & Pork for Sale & Farm Updates

Sometimes I just think and think and think and agonize and agonize and agonize ... and well ... you get the idea. There are just some decisions that I have a difficult time making as I try to process the information and come to the best conclusion. One of those decisions that I'm agonizing over right now is pricing. I know that I need to adjust my prices and I'm not ashamed of that (because if I don't the feed prices might drive me mad). But, what I do agonize over is just how much to raise them and how exactly to land on that perfect price!

Without a doubt I am not very prepared to figure out the exact amount that I need to charge because I'm not doing a very good job of tracking feed conversion and feed consumption of my growers and sow herd. That's not to say that I don't know how much they are eating and about how much per day that they are eating, but rather I'm just not sure how well that feed is working and at what rate it's turning into pig pounds! I've read quite a few research papers on the topic and I know that I need to do a good job keep the feeders adjusted and things like that to get just the right feed-to-weight conversion, but I'm not there yet.

So, I just toss the figures that I have around in my head throughout the day and then try to land on a price that I think is fair for the farm. I'm getting close to having it nailed down and when I do then I'll be sharing more information about the pay-as-it-grows program. If you are interested in a pork whole or half feel free to send an e-mail and I'll add you to the list!

Even though the weather has taken a step back from the 60º and 70º temperatures that were so much fun I have been making my way around the farm and taking stock of the projects that need the most attention as spring comes. There are some repairs that need to be done on the hi-tensile fence, along with some fencing issues that just never were finished. I really want to get out and mow down some tall grass and bushes, but the PTO isn't working on the tractor (again). Of course I need to get thinking about prepping the garden ... thankfully there is a rear-tine tiller to help me this year! And, if I wanted to save myself some headaches later this year I should really be out in the woods cutting paths for the pig paddock fences!

We'll see how the spring goes ...

Percolating ...

I don't especially care for coffee. In fact I can remember the exact time that I tried coffee for the first time ... I was out cross country skiing and Craig offered me a cup of coffee because it was so cold outside. I was cold and it smelled good, so I took a taste ... and then spit it on the snow! I distinctly remember not being able to get that coffee taste out of my mouth. I still do not like coffee (I'm a hot chocolate guy), but I do love the smell of good coffee and I do enjoy using words that I associate with coffee ... words like "percolating" Right now percolating seems like the best word to describe my mind. One of the definitions for percolate (according to M-W.com) is :: "to spread gradually". That is what all the ideas in my mind are doing right now ... they are starting to seep and ooze and spread and well ... they are starting to percolate. The only probably is that percolating is a slower process.

What I'm trying to say (see I'm having trouble getting the thoughts out) is that I have the farm and farming on the mind a lot. I'm continually trying to figure out exactly how to do the project that I envision. I'm always thinking of the next thing that can be added to the farm. I'm constantly fretting and worrying about jobs and how everything will keep going on the farm. And, I often find myself stumped and perplexed by farm issues. That is why I think it is good to have mind breaks from time to time. Lately I haven't been doing a very good job of giving my mind breaks, but tonight as I was trying to compose a post/information sheet for a "pay-as-it-grows" program (more on that coming) I was distracted by the music I was listening to ... and it was a good thing!

Outside of the farming world here is what I'm reading, listening to, and watching right now...

• Get Low :: I rented this the other day because I loved the preview so much ... and I'm a Robert Duvall fan. It was a pretty good movie with an interesting plot. I mean it's about a hermit who built his own log house ... what's not to love!
• Travel III :: This is a short album (there is also a I and a II) from the band Future of Forestry which gets their name from the C.S. Lewis poem I have mentioned on this blog a couple of times.
• The Line Upon a Wind: The Great War at Sea, 1793-1815 :: Ever since the movie Master and Commander: Far Side of the World came out I have been enthralled by the tall sailing ships of the 18th and early 19th century. This is a big book that covers the Napoleonic Wars from the naval perspective. So far so good!
• Sigh No More :: Music I just like ... that's it ... I think I found them last spring and I remember listening to this album as I was drilling seed in the pasture!
• 48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal :: Did I mention I was looking for a job ... still reading and still looking ... 

What are you reading, listening to, or watching these days? I am always amazed how reading a book about Horatio Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar can inspire me to farm ... but it does!

Alternative Feeds?

If you've read my blog lately I'm sure you've noticed that the price of feed is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. When spring and summer gets here I'm hoping and expecting that my pigs will be getting a portion of their feed from the woods and pasture, but even then the prices (which may even keep rising) will have a huge impact on the farm.

A few posts ago I mentioned that I'm hoping to try some open-pollinated corn this year, but I'm interested in other options as well. I've been reading articles about feeding dried distillers grains ... I've been looking for alternative protein sources ... and I've been going back through some of the "pig" books that I have looking for ideas. But, I don't feel like I've come up with the right option.

I'm still looking for ideas though. If you have any tips or suggestions I would love to hear them ... and I'm sure others would as well!

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Muddy Hole Farm

life in the muddy hole

There was a time last year when I was searching for a new farm name that I wanted to call the farm "Muddy Hole Farm". I thought it was a fitting name because there always seems to be mud on the farm somewhere and because it works with the whole pig being a pig thing. Of course there was also the historical aspect of the name because "Muddy Hole" was the name of one of George Washington's farms. But, after careful though and input from others I decided maybe it just didn't convey that picture of a beautiful pasture based farm! I still say the name would fit though ... I mean just take a look at this picture on the right.

Mud is always going to be an issue on any farm, but it is compounded a little on this farm because I don't have gravel in some of the areas that are highly traveled by the tractor or even in the shed. This of course leads to some major ruts, the possibility of getting stuck, and some major muddy holes in the shed. If I can work it out this year I'm going to try and get some more gravel on the farm so that I can still function in these muddy times. For example if I needed to get to my livestock trailer today I don't think I would be able to get it out of the shed or even to a place where I could load pigs.

Of course I need to remember that getting all worked up about the mud right now will probably mean that later this summer there will be no mud in sight and I'll be wishing for some mud puddles!

In a completely unrelated note I've been working on creating a new résumé for my job search and I would love some help. In the past my résumés have been fairly bland and just a listing of places where I've worked and then things that I've done. Since I'm looking to move to a job that is different than all the others I've had in the past I've decided to create a more functional résumé that shares my skills and abilities. If you have any experience with résumés I would love to share mine with you and get some advice. Please just shoot me an e-mail and I send one to you. Thanks again for all the help and encouragement you all have been giving me.