A Follow Up on Yesterdays Post...

Yesterday I mentioned an article from the New Farm website and threw out a few quotes that I found interesting after one quick read (I didn't have much time for a post yesterday ... so I just threw that up). If you didn't have a chance to read the article I would encourage you to do so by clicking on the link above. But, I also said that I would take some time to day to share a few thoughts that I had after the article.

The folks at New Farm asked one of their interns (who worked in the communications department) what it might be like if she and another English major (like herself) were asked to start an organic farm. It seems that they told her that she would start with $10,000, internet access, five acres, and the friend. What followed was her thoughts on whether or not they could make it ... in a nut shell she felt that it would be tough to do and probably take several years of failure to make a profit (something Rich addressed in the comments yesterday).

The author said,

"I can see that farming is a huge undertaking, and I simply don't possess the skills or knowledge to pull it off. Interested as I may be in the concept of organic farming and feeding people, the scope of work that would be required by such a mammoth task would be too daunting."

I have often said (I have heard it lots of places) that you have time for what you want to have time for and money for what you want to have money for. For example people who complain about never having enough time find the time to watch plenty of TV, or people that worry about their lack of money somehow can find a way to have a few cell phones, internet, satellite TV, and much more. To an extent if you want it you will find a way to have it.

Now, I'm not saying that is true with everything because I'll never be a starting shortstop for the New York Yankees (something I would like), but it is often the case. When it comes to farming I think it is something that is obtainable. Of course you have to have certain abilities and there will always be people that are just GREAT farmers, but if you have the passionate desire to pursue a life in farming I think it can be done ... no matter how daunting or mammoth the task may be.

I do believe that the author was right on when she talked about how she would go about things if this was something she was going to do. She mentioned that she would read as much as possible, try to learn from others doing what she wants to do, find classes and other educational resources to help, and learn from the mistakes. That is a lot of what we are doing as we continue our journey into the life of beginning farmers/home builders/everything else.

One last thing... Up in the introduction to the article the editor's note says,

"Her things-to-learn list and honest assessment shows the wisdom of a prudent person recognizing that this is one undertaking where experience and confidence are the foundation for being able to use even the best information and financial incentive."

I think that is a very true statement ... as long as we understand that experience and confidence can be cultivated. I have life experiences that lead me to believe that I can tackle tough problems and think on my feet. Those may not be farming experiences, but they can help me as I grow into farming. Also, I have confidence that I can learn and can succeed if I am willing to sacrifice, work hard, and be humble.

I agree that becoming a beginning farmer is a very tough "row to hoe", but I don't think that means it is impossible. At least I hope it isn't impossible...

Farming Isn't That Easy...

Here is an article I found on the New Farm Website titled, "Too Tough a Row to Hoe". It was written by an intern working at the Rodale Institute and I think is rather eye opening. I don't really have time to tackle it all today (farming and working really is time consuming), but I wanted to throw out the article for you to read if you are interested and then compose some of my thoughts for tomorrow. I really do think though that this article and what it has made me think about is really the core of "The Beginning Farmer" blog. So, here are a few quotes from the article that really stuck out for me. Check them out, check out the article, and let me know what you think...

• "So I can’t really fathom the struggle I would go through if you ordered me to start an organic farm with five acres, $10,000, internet access and a fellow English major for a partner. I can see that farming is a huge undertaking, and I simply don’t possess the skills or knowledge to pull it off."
• "I would have to make a transition from student life in the academic world to that of a farmer facing complex decisions that determined income."
• "I would need to learn everything from scratch, from when to plant crops to figuring out a crop rotation to what equipment I would need to buy."
• "Studying is all very well but it can only take you so far. The rest you have to figure out for yourself, on your land, asking new questions when new thing come up. My guess is that even if I worked hard and most things went as well as could be expected, it would be several years of failures before my small organic farm saw any success."

Creative Farm Leasing

From time to time I receive e-mails from people asking about how they can get into farming or how we are making it financially possible (more on that specifically soon). Well, I had those questions running through my mind when I came across this old article on the New Farm website. It is from all the way back in January of 2007, but it seemed very timely to me because of the e-mails I have received lately. It also made me wish I could find a deal like this.

The title of the article is, "A Good Deed: Young farmer couple and established landowner explore innovative land access with trust, hard work and patience in Old Virginia." Basically this couple came up with a very creative farm lease in conjunction with a land owner that was already in the business of grassfed beef, but had room to spare. To me it sounds like it was a win/win for everyone involved despite some of the problems that they have faced and surely will face.

Remember, I said the posts would be short this week... This is one of those short ones, but if you have a chance to read the article I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, I would love to hear about any other creative ways that people have gotten into farm that you know of.

Got Milk? Raw Milk that is...

Yesterday I came across an article on the New Farm website titled, "Dairyman wants super-quality raw milk in retail stores". The dairyman in this case is Jerry Synder, of Sunny Cove Farm, and the "super-quality" raw milk is unpasturized, 100% organic, and pathogen free. Mr. Synder direct markets his milk (along with grassfed beef, organic apples, and maple syrup) from an on farm store that is open Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 PM until 5:00 PM. He runs a small herd, by most standards, of 50 cows on his all grass dairy.

It all sounds great ... super quality milk, an all grass dairy, organic beef, on farm sales, the store is only open 12 hours a week, small scale, family operated, and customers willing to pay the premium. But, Mr. Synder doesn't want to just sell his milk on the farm. He wants to fight the laws and the regulations to allow "super quality milk" that has been super tested to be sold in the stores. Mr. Synder has his milk tested regularly and it tests at levels 1/4 of the allowed limit. He attributes those great results with quality herd management, knowledge of genetics, sanitation, and nutrition.

At this point I have no desire to have a milking operation on the farm, unless it is just milking a couple of our Dexters for ourselves. But, I find this battle going on in New York pretty interesting because Mr. Synder is producing a superior product and is now trying to work within the system in order to take it to a larger market. It reminds me of Joel Salatin's book, "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal" (which I will read sometime). I encourage you to check out this article and give me your thoughts on raw milk sales. Also, I would be interested in what the laws are in your state. I think here in Iowa it is illegal.

Mmmm... Tasty Pork!

Okay, the Gearld Fry article wasn't the only cool article I read on New Farm the other day. I also ran across an articled titled, "Customers seeking taste, type, integrity and terroir drive traditional pork revival" by Kelly Klober. Mr. Klober is the author of a few books, including "Dirt Hog" which I received for Christmas and will probably start reading after I finish the book I'm on now. The title really tells it all with this article, but it really is a good read. Plus, it is another plug for the heritage breeds.

The article has a quite a bit of information and gives a nice overview of some of the possibilities available for the small pig farmer these days, but I won't take up the space to give you a blow by blow account of the article today ... I'll just give you some of my thoughts and encourage you to check out the entire article.

In the late 80's and early 90's my family was fully entrenched in the hog industry. At the time my uncle was running hogs in a confinement building along with some cattle and his row crops and my Father had hogs ... well, he had hogs everywhere! We were living on an older farmstead in the Northeast part of the state with a couple of barns and various other outbuildings. We started finishing feeder pigs in one barn ... then they spread to the second barn ... next they made their way into the old chicken house which we added a wooden feeding floor too ... and finally they were pretty much everywhere! Mostly we were buying feeder pigs and selling them when they finished. It was good money (although it was stinky work) for a time ... but, then the bottom fell out of the market and the family was no longer in the hog business. Luckily we didn't lose much other than a source of income (which is a big deal).

Well, I don't know all of the details ... but, after the market dropped things started to change in the hog industry. It hasn't quite gotten to the point of the vertical poultry business yet, but it is on its way. At one time in this country every farm had some hogs just because they were considered a safe way to get a consistent return. That is no longer the case ... unless you are doing something different.

Even here in Iowa (confinement capital of the world) people are beginning to desire something more from their pork. Our blogging friends up at Sugar Creek Farm are selling farm raised pigs and many other Iowa farmers are starting to tap into what I would call the "real pork" or "quality pork" category. In fact the PFI along with other organizations is holding NICHE Pork meetings around the state. People are trying different breeds (lots of Berkshire) and different methods in order to get back to the way pork used to taste.

I must admit that now that we have our cattle pigs and the pork that comes with them are pretty high on my list. In fact, they will most likely be the next piece of livestock that we purchase. The question is, "what do we get and why do we get it?"

Over the past few months I have mentioned Tamworths, Berkshires, Ossabaw Island, and other heritage or rare breeds. I also would like to add Glouchester Old Spots because I just found out there were a few breeding those. We need to have hogs on our farms that not only can tolerate the outdoors, but that can thrive in the outdoors. We need hogs that can "root" up part of their meals (root, hog, or die!). And, most importantly we need hogs that can become a sustainable component of the farm.

One of the many things that I do is coach high school girl's soccer. I've been doing it for just at four years now and I enjoy it for many reasons. But, one thing that I have observed is that too many girls are focusing on just one sport. They won't go out for soccer because they only do volleyball or they only do basketball, yet study after study has shown that when athletes aren't out their competing in a diverse area of competition their sport of choice can suffer. Just think about when you grew up in a small town. The same people went out for every sport ... just because! Well, that isn't always the case even in the small towns today. People think they need to specialize to be successful.

Farming has fallen into that trap also. People are grain farmers, cattle finishers, dairymen, or pork producers ... too much specialization. In order to get back to quality (just like our high school athletes) we need to have diverse farms that not only have a well rounded balance sheet, but that also produce a variety of foods. Pork is just another part of that variety!

The Importance of Our Heritage Cattle

Recently I came across a very interesting article written by Gearld Fry on the New Farm website. The article was originally published on his website, Bovine Engineering, and is titled, "Intelligent Husbandry of Primary Heritage Breeds Could be Our Key to More-Sustainable Farming and Food." That is one super long title, but it is a great article so I will let it pass!

I believe the opening section of the article is an amazing representation of what is happening in livestock agriculture (and probably crop too) right now and you should probably read it and re-read it several times so it sinks in. But, the basic premise is that at one time our farms were filled with "truly functional family cows" raised by this generations fathers and grandfathers. Once the sons and grandsons returned from educational institutions they bring with them new "knowledge" about creating the perfect herd from a commercial standpoint. Oh, and they learn this knowledge from Universities that are funded by large corporations with greed behind their motives.

So, the son our daughter takes over and starts to implement change using the latest breeding techniques in animal sciences. They create calves that wean bigger and finish bigger and that produce more milk, but they also find that despite all of the vaccinations their cattle keep getting sick and dying for no apparent reason. With all of the inputs, work, burnout, and animal loss their farm becomes increasingly unsustainable...

I think this quote from Mr. Fry sums up best where we are right now as an agirculutral industry (maybe it is a bad thing to be considered an industry) and culture:

As it is, cattle—animals that in their natural state could normally stay fat and healthy on green grass and good hay, and nourish families with wholesome and healthy meat and milk as God intended —have been steadily transformed into what has become a starch-dependent, mongrelized production machine that produces food that tastes like cardboard and causes heart disease and numerous other health problems.

At one time farmers and ranchers never or rarely had to give any sort of treatment to calves while still nursing ... not so today. At one time twice yearly worming wasn't even on the radar ... not so today. At one time cattlemen breed for sick-free cattle who could produce instead of super producing cattle who rarely weren't sick. In the words of Mr. Fry, "My friends, this should not be."

The rest of the article goes on to tell more about the faulty system that we are operating under in today's livestock world. I think this is a must read article for any farmer who believes that their farm should and can be sustainable.

In the article Mr. Fry mentions that there were 8-10 breeds of cattle that were adapted to various environments across our country. I think he raises Devons, so I assume that would be on the list, but I wonder what else. Maybe he mentions on his site or maybe some of you have some guesses? Let us know what you think.

In the meantime, check out the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy to learn more about our heritage breeds that are in danger and consider a breeding program that takes advantage of the genetics that our forefathers perfected over years and years ... not just the ideas of 50 years and research funded by animal medicine companies.

**As you may have noticed from the picture above I suggest Dexter cattle. They may not work for everyone, but the do fit the definition of a dual purpose home cow!**

It's Time to Think Outside the Box

Yesterday I mentioned in my post, almost in passing, the importance of "thinking outside of the box". Well, it is fitting that I did because this afternoon I was checking out the New Farm front page again and I stumbled across this ARTICLE titled, "On the Plains, there’s room outside the box" by Pete Letheby. It is a short little OP/ED article that gives a short summary of what the Switzer family from Nebraska has done.

When Adam Switzer returned to the family ranch they thought that the conventional cattle ranching of the area wouldn't pay the bills like in the past. Long story short, they looked at their land and tried to think of ways that they could use it to work for them. While they still run a cattle operation on their ranch they have built added an extra source of income ... a source that has become their largest. What started out as a couple of cabins has turned into 70 lodging units that is often full. They realized that they had more than just acres of range for cattle, they also had things that others would come and enjoy. They had prairie chickens (people like to watch them), they had spring-fed streams for canoing, they had wide open spaces for horse riding, and they had hunting opportunities. They thought out of the box ... beyond what their neighbors were doing.

So, what other "outside of the box" opportunities are there out there for farmers to boost their income. Agri-tourism is something that has been thrown out there a lot, but there can only be so many B&B's on the farm ... hunting places are starting to pop up around our area, but they don't always mesh with a livestock operation if you have limited amounts of land ... grassfed beef/pork/poultry is something that is growing and I see that as a great thing ... I think that capitalizing on new ideas is going to be the key of successful small-scale farmers in the time to come. Yes, grassfed and naturally raised is here to stay, and allowing people to come to the farm and experience where their food comes from is great ... but, what else can we do?

That is one thing that I'm thinking about a lot these days. In any future farming venture we do I would like our pastured animals to be the centerpiece, but we are beginning to think of other ideas. Maybe we could add Christmas trees, not open to the public, but as a bonus opportunity for our customers. Possibly an Amish market ... more than just a farmers market, but a place where multiple Amish gather together to sell their goods. How about becoming a respected breeder of purebred cattle (that is one direction I would like to go)?

There are a lot of "outside the box" ideas out there that are being done and that haven't even been tried yet. It is time to be creative and build on those ideas! Do you have any ideas...?

"Good Farming is Like an Evolving Dance..."

I just have time for a short post today because the week leading up to Christmas is a busy time for me with Sunday service and Christmas Eve service and all the things that go along with it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a chance to share a little more. But, I did want to point you to an interesting article that I found over at the New Farm website.

"Striking a Balance" is the title of the article by Deborah A. Hyk and the subtitle is, "Family learns that good farming is like an evolving dance." There are a couple of reasons that I found this article especially interesting.

First of all the VanDerPol family is farming together as a family. Their son and his wife joined the farm in the 90's and they have been able to create enough income for them without buying up all the available land around them. These kinds of examples are especially interesting to me because the common thought in Iowa is that the family farm only can produce enough income to support one family so the kids have to leave the farm. With the kids gone and starting new lives without the farm when the parents retire there is nobody to take over ... what used to be a circle of land passing on to generation after generation has become a dead end.

The second reason I enjoyed the article is because they have made a transition from conventional farming methods to more pasture based methods and they have succeeded. I wonder what they would think of my post below and the idea that we can't produce enough on pastures. These success stories are not only great resources for finding farms that are doing things right, but they are an encouragement to me because it shows that it can be done.

Here are a few quotes from the article to pique your interest:

Initially, the VanDerPols decided to put pigs and sheep on pasture. Although Minnesota does not have a climate suited to raising hogs on pasture year-round, Jim noticed that even Minnesota pigs benefited from the seasonal pasture time. Weaned litter sizes were larger when the sows farrowed outdoors, he said; the sows were generally healthier, as well.

This was the first significant step away from a cropping system as a way to support livestock. The farm still includes crops as part of the rotation—alfalfa and orchard grass hay for two years between small-grain crops, with corn or soybeans as occasional visitors to the mix.

They also knew they wanted to keep the farm an intergenerational success. “I grew up here,” says Jim. “But I’m one of the last few still farming the family farmstead from the years when I was growing up.” Across Minnesota and across the country, farmers with large-sized acreage have acquired farms but haven't had an opportunity to pass them onto the next generation. Jim and LeeAnn wanted their farm to be one of the exceptions.

To make that happen, they needed to make certain their acreage was as productive as possible. Maximizing pasture clearly seemed to be the key.

“Our customers are people who appreciate the locally grown, environmental sustainability of our products—and they are folks who like the taste, as well,” says Jim.

A Quick Saturday Morning Post...

A busy day is ahead so I just thought I would through up a quick little post. Yesterday we finished getting the yard, garden, and shed ready for winter. We did a last little bit of cleaning up in the garden and then rearranged the shed so that we could get to our winter shovels and put up the garden fence and tomato cages. Also, we spent a few minutes doing a last minute upgrade to the chicken pen. We knew a potential ice/freezing rain storm was on the way and we wanted to give them a bit more cover ... so we added a nice blue tarp! Ahh, the wonders of blue tarps. So, as I type this now I look out on the sleet/ice/freezing rain coming down and I'm glad we got the work done yesterday.

I did come across an interesting article yesterday about Jack Erisman and Goldmine Farm in Illinois. It is a case study from the New Farm website that chronicles the farms transition to organic crops. It is a pretty interesting article because the transition spanned quite a few years practically starting in the early 1970's and coming to completion around seventeen years ago. It is a fairly long article, but I encourage you to check it out because it tells about a 2,000 acre family farm that moved from conventional chemical crops to a seven year organic rotation along with a cow/calf herd.

Here are a few interesting excerpts from the article to pique your interest:

• Ultimately, Jack’s education and life experiences had an impact on the way he approached farming. By the end of 1969, he had come to realize more fertilizer and chemicals didn’t necessarily mean more profit. He also began to consider human and agricultural history, and came to realize that humans grew their food for thousands of years without the benefit of synthetic chemicals.


• To this day Jack has never collected a single government payment.


• Indeed, the first years were difficult, but he had a business plan, stuck with it and made a profit.


• Jack talks to many beginning organic farmers, and recommends they put fields going into organic into a small grain—wheat or oats—then into grass/legume cover crop, let the land rest in this state for a couple years and take a hay cutting or graze if some income is needed from the field.


• Jack does not participate in government programs for philosophical reasons. He has built waterways and terraces on his farm without financial assistance from the Soil Conservation Service. “Why should I ask the government to help me with something on my own land that will bring me benefit?" He has gone to government agencies for information, but he would consider it hypocritical to accept money from a program that he doesn’t believe is right.

There is a lot to think about in these little excerpts so I hope you check out the entire article!

A Few More Thoughts...

On Saturday I posted a quick little summary and link to an article about Misty Brook Farm in Massachusetts. The article came from the New Farm website, which I check periodically to see if they have any articles of interest up. I don't know exactly what it was, but this article really struck a chord with me and got me pretty excited about farming possibilities. Maybe it was the success they have had, maybe it was the way they were doing things, maybe it was the type of things they are doing, or maybe it was something else. All I know is that the article made me pretty excited so I thought I would share a few things that I really appreciated.

To me, the opening sentence speaks volumes. "To start with something small and build it up is a skill that many possess but few have the will to cultivate." I have never really thought about it exactly like that before, but it does seem to make a bit of sense. Many people have the tools and skill to get something going and grow it into something great, but what they don't have is the will (passion, desire, strength, faith, whatever...) to see it through to that great growth. Brendan Holmes and Katia Clemmer started out with some great things. They had an education (I'm working on that), experience (slowly finding some), and a pitchfork ... wheelbarrow ... and pickup truck (got it, got it, and would love to have it!). But, the greatest thing that they had was the perseverance to stick with their farm, set attainable goals, and work hard. Those last three things are not always easy for everyone to grasp. As we contemplate a transition to a farm life and work, I believe those intangibles, perseverance, goals, and hard work will be the most important thing we can have.

Another point that came across loud and clear to me in the article is that this couple did not start out as "landed gentry" wanting to make a move back to the land. They began by renting land, losing land they had rented, finding more land to rent, and then adding rented land as their herds and operations grew. So often I hear people putting down authors like Joel Salatin, Allan Nation, or Gene Logsdon because they believe the only reason those people are able to make it work is because they have large outside sources of income or they inherited all the land that makes it possible for them to land in the financial black. But, this couple didn't have any of that to begin with. In fact if you read the article you will see that they had to persevere through a few land difficulties. They were able to do it, and they were able to succeed.

One of the last things that I really took away from the article is how diversified they have become in a short while. Their farm produces beef, veal, raw milk, raw cream, pork, lamb, and vegetables. Plus, at their on farm store they sell another local farm's poultry. They have a small hay operation to provide for their livestock, they use a couple Morgan horses for some of their equipment work, and they are doing all of this while adding a new baby to the family. While this all seems like a romantic picture of the farm life, I think it is an equally beautiful picture of what is possible when you tackle a farm business in the correct way. I have a feeling they will continue to succeed because of the intangible that they possess and because of the way they have diversified their farm and not put all of their eggs in one basket.

If you want to find out more about their farm, or if the pictures on this post and the one below intrigue you, I encourage you to check out this LINK. You will have to scroll down to until you see "Misty Brook Farm" listed, but then you will find their address, number, and e-mail address. If you are in their part of the country I think you should check them out!

A Must Read Article...

I don't have much to say other than ... You Must Read This Article! Basically it is about a couple that desired to farm and went about it in the right ways. Because they decided to take it slow and not encumber themselves with debt they are starting to see their farm and provide a living for their family. It was a very inspiring and at some levels practical article that you should all read.

So, check out the article titled, "A vision of Misty Brook : Positive perseverance enables a young couple to live out their dream." over on the New Farm website and let me know what you think.

A Farmer Hits the End ... For Now

Nope, not me! I can't hit the end yet because I haven't even started yet, but I didn't come across an intersting article over at the New Farm website. New Farm is a farmer-to-farmer website from the Rodale Institute and features some interesting articles and a sparsely used forum. I check it every once-in-a-while just to see if they have any new articles on the front page.

A few weeks I came across an article entitled: "The end of farming for me, for now". (Click on the article title to read the entire thing) Basicall this guy started out with goal and a vision to farm full-time and he headed out to do it. In the article he lists four major problems he had and does a little explaining of his downfall. It really is a great read and has given me a wonderful perspective of the things I could be facing if I reach for this vision. So, just check out the article and leave any thoughts if you have any.