You Might Be a Redneck if...

...you forget to take your wide-brim hat on a sunny day! That is my story from Wednesday. Yesterday we needed to set up some new temporary fencing for the cows and give our steers/bull calves a little more room also. That meant getting up early and driving to the farm so I could get plenty of work in before I head to get to the soccer field for practice. It was a busy day to say the least, but we got the things done that we needed to get done.

Right now we are not doing the Managed Intensive grazing set up as I would like to to do, but we are doing a little bit of rotation with the cattle. This particular pasture is the fourth one that they have been on since the grass started to green up. The first area is looking really good, but that is the field we are going to save for hay this year. The second area is starting to come back, but we could use some warmer soil temperatures. The last pasture they were on is a little rough now, but that is part of the idea. Of course their new six acre spot is pretty nice right now.

These pastures that we are using now are a mix of fescue and a some other unknown grasses. The are actually pretty sparse and I think we plan on doing a little seeding and renovation after we move the Dexters to the new farm. The idea is to get them ready so we can use them for calving or finishing some of our cattle over the next few years. My dad's farm has more acreage than ours so it is nice to have some expansion possibilities.

If our soil temperatures would actually come up to normal we would have some really good growing going on. Hopefully this will happen soon so we can take them back to the second pasture they were on. If we continue to have cool and cloudy weather we will just set up one more 5 or 6 acre pasture and then start to hit them again.

Thankfully it was a nice sunny day to work. My brother helped, my sister helped, my dad helped, and my step-mom helped. Hopefully next time the rest of my family can make it.

Farming Book Recommendation

Yesterday I posted my last "chapter report" from Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". Today I would like to recommend it to others who are (or wanting to be) beginning farmers like myself or those that are looking to take a different direction with their small farm. It is well written and organized in such a way that it is easy to read in small chunks (a good thing for a busy person). Also, I think it is full of good practical advice and principles to follow (or at least consider).

As I have mentioned in some of the "chapter reports" it is a little different than some of the books by Gene Logsdon, Wendell Berry, or Joel Salatin. While all three of those writers include many practical tips and advice in their books they also include many philosophical thoughts behind the reason to do things certain way. Mr. Macher doesn't get into some of those areas and sticks with the basics. Things like what livestock or crops to choose, what to consider when buying machinery, how to set goals, and so on.

Here are the links to all eleven of my "chapter reports: Chapter 1 ... Chapter 2 ... Chapter 3 ... Chapter 4 ... Chapter 5 ... Chapter 6 ... Chapter 7 ... Chapter 8 ... Chapter 9 ... Chapter 10 ... Chapter 11

Now that I'm done with this book it is time for me to start the next one. Here are my choices: "Harris on the Pig: Practical Hints for the Pig Farmer" by Joseph Harris ... "Dirt Hog" by Kelly Klober ... "Grass-Fed Cattle" by Julius Ruechel. Vote in the comments for what you think I should read next.

**In a totally unrelated note I encourage you to go over to the Epi-Log and vote on the, "Eat Me: Farmer Ethan To Name A Calf After Michael Y. Park". This is a funny little thing that he came up with and I thought it was silly enough to go along with. Of course he already has a vegetarian implying that he should only eat veggies, but that doesn't mean you can't vote!**

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 11 Book Report

Well, I have finally made it through the last chapter of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". It has taken me a little longer than I had hoped, but not because it wasn't an interesting read. This chapter is titled, "Where Are We Going" and it gives a brief history of agriculture (according to Mr. Macher) followed by his thoughts on the direction of farming in the United States today in and in the future. This is the kind of stuff that really interests me and I would love to takes some time in the future and read more on the history of agricultural from a practical and cultural standpoint.

Basically, Mr. Macher writes that in the beginning of U.S. agriculture we would use the land until it didn't produce any more and then we would just move and start over. Of course in the 1930's the problems with this method showed their ugly face and people become more concerned about soil conservation and land in general. After WWII people began wanting a "taste" of the country life so they started moving from the cities to slightly more rural areas and businesses and industries followed them. According to Mr. Macher (don't know where the stat comes from) we lose 2 of farm land to development ever minute.

With the industrialization of farming post WWII we began to see that fewer and fewer farms were producing more and more of our food. With that increase those farmers began to specialize and focus their efforts on one type of livestock or crop. Of course this spread everything out so much that almost all of the food had to be shipped a great distance to get to the consumers ... this wasn't a big deal at the time because transportation was cheap.

Of course you had John Deere, the plow, "fencerow to fencerow", bigger is better, and then the farm crisis. In the 1980's there were farms lost, lives taken, and marriages and families broken apart because of the get bigger mindset (and the willingness of the land bank to give money out so freely). Those that survived either barely did or got bigger in the process because they were able to buy up what was suddenly available. It kind of sounds like a bleak picture ... but, Mr. Macher points out some good news. The number of small farms (178 acres and down) is growing and with that the opportunity of small farmers to diversify and make a living.

That is some interesting stuff, and like I said is a book in and of itself that I would like to read. But, he closed with four last points for a beginning farmer (or one that wants to change). I'll leave you with those points:

• Experiment - Start farming wherever you can (unless you live in my town, then don't have chickens in your backyard). Grow a garden, set aside a small piece of land to do something different, or at least start planning. Just get doing!
• Rent Land - In some ways I think this is becoming more difficult with the current high grain prices than it was 10-15 years ago when many of these "you can farm" books were written. But, it is still a god staring place and it is important to remember that you can rent a pretty small piece of land (even in town) to get started with a market garden.
• Lean As You Grow - You don't have to have everything or do everything right away. In fact you probably wouldn't be able to handle it just like I am not going to be able to handle it all at once. But, take is slow and as you learn and experience more then you can grow.
• Always Watch Your Bottom Line - Bigger isn't better, sometimes you can do more with less or if you can't do much with a little then you probably can't do any better with more! It is easy to treat farming as as "hobby" if you are just getting started and have a town job that is supporting your family and beginning farming. Don't do that! Make sur the farm is working for itself no matter how big it is (this could be as simple as cutting your grocery expenses).
  

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 10 Book Report

Ron Macher begins chapter 10 of his book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable", with this great statement:

Successful farm management is two things:

1. Farming is taking all you can from the soil so you can sell the surplus to make a profit.
2. Farming is also putting back into the soil all you can so you can maintain and increase fertility.

That seems like pretty sound advice to me, and the start of a mindset that sees your farm management practices as a tool (also what Mr. Macher is advocating).

This chapter discusses many of the same things you will see in other books of this type. Rotate your crops to help build and maintain N-P-K ... use your livestock to work for you ... know what your resources are ... work smarter, not harder ... gain as much knowledge as possible through reading, discussion, and seminars ... and build reserves of money, crops, and livestock (if needed). But, there were a couple of sections in this chapter that I payed close attention to.

The first section that I read closely was the section on using family labor. Watch out parents/brother/sister ... I'm coming for you! Okay, maybe not that kind of family labor, although their help is always appreciated, but more specifically my immediate family. Mr. Macher talked about he importance of helping your children learn to love the farm. One thing that I have understood from the beginning of this journey was that if my family wasn't behind it then it wasn't going to happen. With that in mind I want to do as much as possible to get the family involved from the beginning.

Even though my children are only 2 and 4-years-old we are trying to get them involved in farming. We have "discussions" with them about our Dexters, chickens, or other things we would like to do this summer (most include Caleb telling me that he is going to buy a cow for a price that he makes up in his head). We take the kids out to the land and talk with them about what we will be doing out there. We have them help name our calves and make sure they see them when the are born. Basically, we are trying to make it fun for them. As the grow older the ways to "make it fun" will change, but the principles will be the same ... and it will always be important that the whole family enjoys farming.

The final thing that really stuck out to me in this chapter was his section on, "Planning for Farm Efficiency". The reason this section made an impression is because we will be starting from scratch with our farm layout so we should do it the most efficient way possible. One book Mr. Macher quotes says that for, "every 100 feet of unnecessary distance between the house and farm adds up to 14 miles of travel a year for each daily round trip." With that in mind I see the importance of laying out our buildings and facilities according to a plan ... rather than just what looks best at the moment. As we have time (and as the grass is either burned or mowed down) we plan on spending plenty of time at the land and planning our layout. No reason to waste footsteps, especially when you are farming in addition to another job!

This chapter was a good overview of some basic farm management principles and gave me plenty to think about. There is only one more chapter left, so keep an eye out for my thoughts on it and then a short review of the book.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 9 Book Report

Chapter nine of Ron Macher's book "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" deals with machinery, in fact that is the title of the chapter! The thought of machinery is one of the many things on the front of my mind right now because of our hopefully impending land purchase and the work that will need to be done (house, septic, electric, water, fence, hay shed, etc.). We are going to need to decide what we will need, when we will need it, or even if we need anything at all.

I like the principle that Mr. Macher begins the chapter with. "Machinery and tools should save time or reduce the need for additional labor. Otherwise, they are a waste of money." This is a good basic principle to take into account when you are thinking about the machinery you are going to need. I would also throw in something about whether or not it would be more economical to hire someone or rent the machinery to do certain jobs that don't happen that often. At least until the money or the need is really there.

For example, I can think of lots of uses for a tractor with a loader for the farm. It would be helpful in building our house and hay shed, putting in the fence, and maintaining our pasture and woodlot. If we are able to swing it somehow I think that will be one of the things first on my list. On the other hand, I have been thinking about hay equipment (small square baler, mower, rake, and wagons). Is this a "need" or something that we should hold off on in the beginning. Of course we are going to need to bale hay (probably on 23 or 24 acres) for our livestock, but would we be better off renting or paying someone to do it. There are downsides to both having and renting/hiring and I will have to put a lot of thought into both sides of thinking.

In another section of this chapter Mr. Macher points out that hand tools should also be considered a piece of machinery (remember they can also reduce labor). Hand tools should be the first things we look at he writes and points out the importance of having quality tools that will last and really help make the work easier. Of course you can't do it all by hand, but you would be surprised by what is possible.

There are also sections on fencing, processing equipment, and even computers in this chapter. All of those things can be an integral part of the farm and need to be looked at in terms of cost, maintenance, and productivity. Mr. Macher has also included some charts (that are slightly out-dated) at the end of this chapter that give some variable machinery/equipment costs per hour, per acre, and so on.

And of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention his small section on using draft powered implements. I know that there are a few that read this blog that are doing this or hope to do it and it does offer many benefits for the small farm. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to take that step yet!

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 8 Book Report

I haven't exactly been flying through this book by Ron Macher, but it isn't because of lack of interest! Chapter eight is a real nuts and bolts kind of chapter about choosing what exactly you are going to do on your farm. Of course this is something that many people have already considered to an extent, but Mr. Macher brings out quite a few ideas in this chapter. In fact he touches on at least 26 different ideas and gives a few thoughts on each one. They range from the basics like cattle to more unique ideas that will require special marketing, such as vermiculture (worms). The chapter opens with a series of questions (and explanations of those questions) to think about when you are choosing your various enterprises. Then goes into the section on the different possibilities (including some basic cost/profit comparisons, and finally touches on a couple of things that get debated and discussed on here all of the time ... Diversity and Sustainability.

The questions at the beginning of the chapter were great reminders of exactly how much needs to be considered when you are starting out from scratch. You need to think about things like marketing, water, soil, liability, machinery, labor, pricing, and if there is even room or a need for what you want to do in the marketplace. I think this is important stuff for the beginning farmer to remember and have drilled into their head, but it is equally as important for a farmer who is transitioning to something different or to direct marketing. Some of it seems basic, but I think until you take the time to really research and answer most of the questions Mr. Macher brings up you would be wise to slow down. Something about lacking to plan, planning to fail, or measure twice ... cut once comes to mind! I guess I'm trying to say that it is very important that you know what you are getting into and what it will need to look like. Having all of these questions in one place may be worth the price of the book in and of themselves...

After the section with all of the questions Mr. Macher moves on to suggesting some farming ideas. While I do have a pretty clear picture of what we would like to add to the farm and how we desire to build what we already have, because of my passions and the market that surrounds us, I did find a couple of the ideas interesting and possible candidates for spot on our diversified farm. One of those things was vermiculture. I don't see becoming a "worm rancher" a centerpiece of the farm, but I do think there are possibilities if you are doing on farm sales of meat or other products to also produce composting kits (as was mentioned in the book) or worm castings as fertilizer. My wife and I had the chance last summer to check out a couple who produce (well the worms produce) worm castings. There is not a lot of overhead to get started, and there is a growing market if you are wiling to build it. Just something we may think about.

One other venture that caught my eye, and that had been on my mind, was traditional grains. Not in the sense of large scale conventional row crops, but rather I'm thinking about open pollinated corns or cereal grains for grinding. I have not do a lot of research into the possible markets for these things, but it is something that I plan to look into. If nothing else I would like to raise both open pollinated corn and cereal grains for our farm and family use.

While a Joel Salatin book may give you a good combination of "how to", "passionate encouragement", and a "farming worldview" I think "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" by Mr. Macher is a must read for any beginning or growing farmers such as myself. Just three chapters left...

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 7 Book Report

Chapter 7 of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" is on what I believe is one of the most important aspects of small-scale farming. Marketing! I'm not saying that just anyone with experience and ability in marketing can become a great small scale farmer, because farming takes a vast amount of scientific, commonsense, mechanical, and intuitive knowledge. In fact, I have said it many times before so I will say it again, farming is an art! But, when it comes to being a profitable farmer (especially when you farm on a small scale and don't receive government subsidies) marketing is a very large piece of the puzzle.

With all of that in mind I read this chapter with quite a bit of interest and it didn't disappoint. I won't go as far as saying that the chapter contained a bunch of new knowledge that I hadn't heard of or thought about before, but Mr. Macher presented the information in a very readable and understandable way.

One of the things that really struck home with me were his, "Eight Steps to Identifying the Market". Nothing in those eight steps is very revolutionary, but sometimes it is good to look at a task with a process and goals in mind. I believe that is especially true when it comes to something that you are unfamiliar with or you are not quite certain that you can even do well. For most farmers marketing is one of those things. Many people decide to farm because they love the solitude, or the open spaces, or even the ability to be alone and their own boss. But, if you want to have a profitable small scale farm you need to get out there and market ... to people!

Here is a very brief overview of his eight steps:

• Get maps of your area.


• Find your self and draw circles with a radius of 25, 50, and 100 miles


• Figure out how many people live within those circles and realize that most customers will come from inside the 50 mile circle. (This is basically two of the steps combined into one)


• Research what other alternative or small-scale farms are in the area, and what they are selling.


• Scope out the local grocery stores in some of the larger areas. What do they carry, can they purchase stuff local?


• Now that you have gathered all of that information go over it with a fine tooth comb. What crops or livestock are missing? Is there anything that is being brought into the area because of high demand that you could produce?


• Finally, "find out who your customers are". Are there ethnic groups, a population of people concerned about organic, or even people that are just looking for stuff the way it used to be (Sugar Creek Farm blog just mentioned that 2/17).

Following these steps won't help you market your farms meat or produce, but it will help you choose things that are in demand which makes marketing easier. Also, this isn't in the book, but don't forget to remember your passions. You will find marketing much easier if you are passionate about what you are trying to market!

The rest of the article is full of information and real-life stories about niche markets, value added stuff, pricing, advertising, and even where or how to sell your products. It's a pretty good chapter, and the deeper I get into this book I think it is a great practical guide to making the small farm pay. It won't give you the passion of a Joel Salatin or Gene Logsdon book. It may not give you all the nuts and bolts like a Carol Ekarius or Allan Nation book. But, it is full of down to earth steps, principles, and advice.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 6 Book Report

Farm goals and planning were the topics for chapter six of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". This seems to be a pretty popular topic in the small scale farming periodicals, books, seminars, and even blogs I guess (since I have mentioned it a few times). I think the emphasis on goal setting, building a business plan, and holistic management is one of the things that sets new smaller scale or un-conventional farmers apart from the bigger conventional farmers. Not that they don't have goals or a business plan, but rather that it is more often based on what the neighbors are doing instead of what would work best for the farmer, the family, and the farm.

Mr. Macher takes a little bit different approach than some of the other books or articles I have read on the subject. Carol Ekarius in, "Small-Scale Livestock Farming" takes quite a bit of time explaining planning and management. That book, which I have read and will post some book reports on later, is full of the whys and hows and nuts and bolts of how to go about writing and planning. Mr. Macher gives a brief introduction on planning and goal setting and ends the chapter with some thoughts on achieving your goals and developing a farm plan. Sandwiched in between is a set of sample goals. I found it pretty interesting to read these hypothetical goals and his thoughts on each one. Also, he broke the goals down into groups of ... "Long-Term Goals" ... "Medium or Intermediate-Term Goals" ...and... "Short-Term Goals"

I thought I would choose one from each of the sections that stuck out as I was reading. Remember these are not my goals ... but they do make a lot of sense to me...

• Long-Term Goal: We are from the city, so I will work part time for a farmer, maybe on weekends, to learn basic skills and ask questions, questions, questions, so that I can gather an idea of what I want to do. I will work for free if necessary to achieve this goal.

-I think that is a great goal for the beginning farmer and I do it as often as I can when I go and work for my uncle and other family. That isn't any better learning that doing around someone who does ... or something like that


• Medium or Intermediate-Term Goal: I will purchase breeding stock, machinery, buildings, and such on as low-interest loans with 3- to 5-year terms.

-Debt sort of scares me like the plague ... we have never had any, and I think we would be perfectly happy to live our lives without any. But, with that being said I know that there is a place for debt when managed and accounted for properly. I think one key to handling debt is to have a good set of goals and a great business plan in place. Not just a good enough business plan to convince the banker ... but, something good enough to convince yourself!


• Short-Term Goal: We will figure in time for rest and recreation this fall.

-I think the reason that this one stuck out in my mind is because it is something that I'm not very good at doing. We have not taken a vacation or real break from my job in a long time ... it is just something that has been difficult for me to do for many reasons. But, after writing about the "farmer burnout" article, and looking at my own life I think this is an essential goal for the small scale farmer ... or anyone!

Does your farm have business plan (no matter how big or small)? Does your farm have goals? Were those goals put down as an entire family? All good things to think about, and questions I asked myself after reading the chapter.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 5 Book Report

**Sorry about the late post today. I have been experiencing some problems with blogger and just realized that my post never made it up! Hopefully we will be back on schedule for our first thing it the morning post tomorrow**

"Weatherproofing Your Farm" is the title of chapter five in Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable". While there was plenty of information in this chapter that I have gathered from other sources it did contain a bunch of new thoughts on the subjects of weather and climate. Plus, I think the title alone made me think about the ideas of windbreaks and water in a totally different way. When it gets right down to it you have to realize that your weather and your climate greatly effects how profitable your farm is going to be. With that in mind if you can do little things to, "weatherproof" your farm you may be one step ahead in the game.

The chapter begins with a short overview of the effects of climate on the farm and of the importance of water to the farm. But, Mr. Macher quickly gets to the topic at hand, "altering your farm environment. The discussion begins with a look at shelter. According to the author, and I tend to agree, the best sort of shelter is three-sided, portable, has lots of bedding, and isn't overly tall for the animals using it. For most of the year (including very cold or warm times) animals will do fine without shelter, but in extremely cold and windy weather or possibly on a really hot day shelter does add to their comfort (although a three-sided building wouldn't probably make it warmer on a hot day). Besides a man made shelter tree groves or stands of cedar trees can also make a good shelter when the weather gets rough.

Conserving water is another important way to alter the weather on your farm according to Mr. Macher. Basically there are just a few ways to provide water for your farm ... you can wait for it to rain, you can use irrigation, or you can just save and conserve every drop of water that hits your farm. Waiting for rain and irrigation each have their place on farms across the country, but saving the water that hits the farm is probably the the most sustainable for the small farm. Ponds are one way to save the water that hits your farm. It is important to fence your livestock out of the pond, but ponds can provide water for your livestock through pumping or gravity. Plus, you can stock your pond to provide recreation or another income source. Cover crops also help save water by helping to control water and wind erosion. The cover crop will slow down the water as in runs down the field and give it more time to soak into the ground which always helps later in the season or in dry times. Finally, Mr. Macher talks about timing. When you plant your crops and work the soil is important to water loss. Whenever you have bare soil you are going to lose water through evaporation, so it is important to do these things in the spring when there is plenty of moisture available.

Much of the rest of the chapter discusses windbreaks and their role in creating microclimates on your farm. According to some University research a wind break will have up to a 40% energy savings for your buildings and farm. That kind of savings makes them impossible not to have I think! Plus, windbreaks of trees and bushes provide needed environments for the diversity of your farm. Another interesting concept that Mr. Macher discusses is the use of grain crops as windbreaks. Planting taller crops in strips with shorter crops between those strips will create a wind break that will benefit all the crops. For the small farmer thinking outside of the box like this is something that will increase sustainability and profitability (two very important 'bilities...).

Of course you can also extend your growing season buy using such things as greenhouses, grow lights, plastic covered hoops, cold frames, and so much more. Not everything will help everyone's profitability, but it is important for small farmers to find ways to at least lessen the effects of our climate and temperature. So, take a walk around your land and observe the climate and weather. Are their places that don't get the early frost? Places protected from the wind and weather that would make great calving areas? What does your farm have and need to alter the effects of climate and weather?

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 4 Book Report

Soil quality is one of the most important things for a small scale beginning grass farmer. If you doubt me, then check out the great comment from Kramer in this post, or just browse through any small scale farming book or grazing magazine for a few minutes. You soil is the basis for your forages which makes it the basis for the entire farm (if grass farming is your thing). It is something you should take into consideration when purchasing a farm or planning you farm. So, with all of that in mind I was glad to see a chapter in Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable".

Here is some perspective from Mr. Macher on the importance of your soil on the farm, "The foundation of your farm and your most important production tool is a living, healthy soil." With that in mind it is important that you know about your soil type, of which there are over 18,000 varieties in the United States. You can find that information from local agencies in your area, and I suggest that you do because there can even be multiple soil types on your small farm. It is just one of the puzzle pieces of knowledge when it comes to creating and maintaining good soil.

While soil type is important it is most important that you know what your soil contains according to this chapter. Three major soil contents in the US are sandy soils, clay soils, and loam soils. Your sandy soils are are going to be up to 70% sand and drain pretty well because the sand allows the water to pass through. The sandy soils don't contain a lot of nutrients because the water washes them away most of the time. The clay soils will contain at least 35% clay and they aren't very good at draining away water because they are so compacted. Just think of working with clay in art class ... when it was wet it was slimy and sticky and when it was dry it was hard ... that is like clay soils. Loam soils are the best to have in most situations. They contain a mixture of roughly 45% sand, 40% silt, and 15% clay particles which allows them to take some of the best characteristics of the other soils.

Another important aspect of soil management that Ron Macher touches in this chapter is the reality that our soils are full of living things ... and they should be! The living stuff in soils (such as insects, earthworms, bacteria, and fungi) do tasks such as aeration, fertilization, nitrogen conversion (into something that is usable for plants), nitrogen-fixing, and they contribute in decomposition which all helps create better soil. If we desire to increase the quality of our soil we need to cultivate all of these living things in our soil instead of hindering them.

Crop rotation is something that I have touched on in other posts, but this chapter includes a good overview of the idea and some of the advantages. Ron Macher also throws out a few different 5-year rotation ideas. I think this idea of a crop rotation really fits well with Gene Logsdon's idea of "cottage" farmers. Adding crops to the farm does add the need for more equipment, but it also adds a bit of diversity and provides the ability to be more self-sufficient in your farming ventures. It is something I think our family is going to look into, especially as we begin adding more poultry and pork.

Of course what conversation about soil quality would be complete without a short mention of the numerous benefits of rotational livestock grazing. Management Intensive Grazing or Ultra High Stock Density Grazing are all about creating quality soil and quality forages.

It is evident that Ron Macher knows his stuff, and while there is a lot of basic information that I find in this book that is covered in similar books I think his specific guiding principles that he mentions in each chapter really give the reader something to think about and process.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 3 Book Report

Chapter three of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" isn't a very long chapter, but it is chock full of good farming principles. That is probably why the chapter is titled, "Some Principles of Good Farming"! The whole chapter is only seven pages long, but I think these principles give the reader (in this case ... me) a lot to think about and work through. As I thought about his post I just thought I would touch on a couple of them, but after skimming over them one more time I decided that I would just throw them all out there and give a couple of thoughts on each one.

So, here goes nothing...

• To be sustainable, a farm must be environmentally sound and socially acceptable. --Taking care of the environment not only keeps other people happy, but it provides longevity for your farm in future generations. It just makes sense! Also, by building a farm that is socially acceptable some of the generalizations and stereotypes about farmers can be busted.


• Avoid debt. --Do you want my entire financial knowledge ... it is summed up in those two words! I don't know much about money, investing, or creating wealth. But, I do know that being debt free seems like a good thing whether I'm farming or not.


• Keep costs down. --Kind of piggy backs on avoiding debt don't you think? But really, if I desire to have a full-time farm I am going to have to lower my costs and create great products ... it all goes back to thinking outside of the conventional realm of agriculture.


• Try for low inputs. --It's all about sustainability, the less inputs the more the soil benefits and the more the bottom line is helped.


• Do things on time. --This may be the key to any successful business! If you are going to have livestock, crops, and a farm based business you need to do your things like baling, weaning, and harvesting on time and in time (with the seasons).


• Plan your farm to minimize work. --This principle is about the physical layout of your farm. Is your farm set up to maximize your effort without wasting it. I suppose I'm not going to tear everything down, but it is important to look at your entire farm with workload and a plan in mind.


• Develop a system of production that balances farm resources and available labor. --Let me sum it up for you ... make sure you have enough time to run your farm! Don't bring in 60 cow/calf pairs if you don't have the time to work them, rotate them, or feed them in a timely manner. It does keep coming back to planning doesn't it?


• Keep good records. --I'm going to lean on my wife for this one. She is the record queen, just take a look at her 4-H records someday! But seriously, it is important to know where you money is going and coming. What you are feeding your animals and what they are returning. How your rotations are working, and so much more.


• Learn basic veterinary skills and tasks. --If you can do it then you don't have to pay someone else to do it. It is that simple!


• Learn carpentry, electrical, and machinery repair skills. --See above!


• Learn stockman skills, and keep gentle livestock. --Gentle livestock are not only easier to handle, but they gain faster, are more calm on the day you take them to be butchered, and generally make your farming life more enjoyable.


• Take good care of your buildings, machinery, and livestock. --One word ... Stewardship! Be a good steward of the thins that you are entrusted with. You land, your family, your money, and you stuff ... plain and simple.


• Have a good water system, and save ever drop of water that falls on your farm. --This doesn't mean that you have rain collection troughs everywhere, but it does mean that you take care of your soils and build up the organic matter so that it can absorb that much more water. Oh, and think about a watering infrastructure for your farm instead of just buckets and hoses (at least it is something to aspire towards).


• Maintain or improve the soil fertility. --This one keeps popping up lately. I'm going to have to spend more time researching and learning about the topic.


• Let the animals do as much feed harvesting on their own as possible. --Make the farm work for you instead of you for the farm. There will still be plenty for you to do even if you pasture your animals and stockpile forages for winter, so let them do some work also.


• Use crop rotations. --They do so much to help that I can't even cover it all. But, let me say that there is a reason that rotations have been done for centuries!


• Have 2 years' worth of hay and grain in storage. --If weathermen can't predict the weather what chance do I have of controlling it? It is a good idea to have stockpiled hay and feed. You might not have 2 years' worth, but building up a years worth is a good place to be.

Remember, these are my principles ... they are Ron Macher's principles. But, I think they are great basics and get to the core of what small scale farming is about and how it can be done. Do any of those really stick out for you?

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 2 Book Report

Boy, I really have some catching up to do. I'm actually way past chapter two right now, but I think it was worth it to take a break from my normal blogging drivel to have a great interview like we just had with Kelli of Sugar Creek Farm. But, I actually do have some thoughts on the second chapter of Ron Macher's book, "Making Your Small Farm Profitable." Overall it was a pretty interesting chapter that threw out some good basic information to consider when you are starting a farm.

It doesn't matter if you come from a farming background or have never lived on a working farm in your life, if you are going to farm you need to attack it with a plan. Just as it is with any business you can't just run out and start doing things without having an idea of your needs, skills, and goals. Much of this chapter deals with the evaluation of your resources. In the case of a farm resources means: capital, skills, labor, land, soils, water, location, climate, and equipment. I won't take time to discuss each one of those resources, but I will hit on a few that were especially interesting.

Of course when it comes to beginning a farm you need a certain amount of capital and skills, but you can be creative with those. Yes you need money to buy land, equipment, and livestock and it is important to have some skills (but you can learn as you go if you go slow enough) ... but, I thought Mr. Macher had some good things to say about the resource of labor. First of all, I believe it is important to realize that your labor is a resource. Mr. Macher wrote about thinking of labor in the terms of not just yourself, but also in the terms of your family. I believe one component of having a successful small scale farm, especially a full-time farm, is that it includes the entire family in the fun, livestock, and the work! If the family is going to be included in the labor "resource" than it is important that the whole family is on the same page. Also, in this section there was a very interesting table that gave average times of labor needed for different livestock and crops. The table comes from the University of Missouri and gives information such as: it takes 14.8 hours of labor per acre of alfalfa hay, 40 hours of labor for 100 laying hens, or 40 hours of labor for 1 sow producing 2 litters/year and to finish those hogs. I'm sure the numbers don't reflect everyone's experience, but it was interesting to see some averages. Looking at things like this will help you plan you labor and see what you are able to do.

Another resource that was interesting to read about was soil. I believe soil is something that the beginning farmer easily overlooks. Not that soil would be an end all of my land purchase, but that we need to be looking at our soil and seeing what it is all about and what it needs. In raising pastured animals you soil is really one of your most important ingredients. You need to the know the condition of your soils and the natural fertility that your soil has. If you stick with me through each one of my chapter reports I'll talk a little more about soil when I report on chapter four of this book.

The last resource that I want to touch on from this chapter is equipment. Not so much because it had a lot of new information, but rather because it brings back to the surface one of the main keys to sustainable family farming ... it is important that you don't look at equipment as your only tool. In fact what we need to be doing is thinking about how we can replace pieces of equipment with animals or use smaller more efficient equipment to do our jobs. Things like rotating crops in order to build soil quality, using animals to harvest our pastures so we don't have to make and feed hay all of the time, or use ponds as water sources for our livestock (I do agree with others that it is best to keep the animals out of the pond, but bring the pond water to them). Also, when you assess your resources don't forget that equipment includes more than just your machinery, but also things like your fence and buildings.

So far so good with this book. I think it will be a good addition to my farming library and will give me plenty to think about as we do our farm work and plan for the future.

Making Your Small Farm Profitable :: Chapter 1 Book Report

Earlier I gave you a little preview of the first chapter in Ron Macher's book "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" on this post. Today I'm going to give my full on chapter book report. As I mentioned in another post I have heard mixed reviews of this book, but I must admit that after reading the first chapter and browsing through the table of contents I'm pretty interested to see what I will find.

The title of chapter one is, "Deciding to Farm". On one had I have already "decided" to farm, but on the other hand it is never to late to change my mind! Really, this is a good overview of some things you need to think about as you make the decision to farm, and why people want to farm.

One interesting nugget from this chapter is a report on why people chose to farm. In the 1950's the top three reasons were: 1.) I like to work outdoors; 2.) It's a good place to raise my children; 3.) I'll always have a place to life and food to eat (Mr. Macher points out that isn't true if you have a mortgage). At the time the 14th of the 15 answers provided by most farmers was because, "it provides a good income". Fast forward about 40 years and you will find that the first three answers were similar as the 1950's survey because they were all about lifestyle, but you will also find that a "good income" moved up to seventh place. Mr. Macher writes that income should be your number one goal ... but probably that isn't why you farm.

The chapter also gives some definitions from the USDA, IRS, and the author himself as to what a "small farm" really is. According to the definitions small farms make up 79% of all the farms in the US today, so small farmers are not alone. In fact small farm numbers are one the rise (possibly because big farmers are having to become small farmers due to the rising costs of farming?). Mr. Macher also throws out some definitions for "family farms" and "sustainable agriculture". I think almost everyone has different view points on these terms ... so, I'm not even going to touch this!

Another interesting section of the chapter was the pros and cons of full-time versus part-time farming. Let me sum it up for you... starting out as a full-time farmer (no off farm job) is really hard and starting out as a part-time farmer gives you a little bit of both. Jumping in whole hog to full-time farming is especially difficult (put totally possible) if you don't have much experience or capital. And, I would say that having capital is really the key because you need money to begin things, pay for mistakes, and buy food for yourself as you get things going. If I had capital I would be all over it ... But, there is something to be said for part-time farming. In the words of the author you can, "have your cake and eat it too." Of course when you are part-time farming you often have to tailor your farming schedule around your "town job" schedule. Oh ... so much to think about!

Overall, I think the best thing about this chapter is that it makes you think. I have been doing a lot of reading lately about the process of farming. Things like raising livestock, managing pastures, choosing forages, and raising crops are really good to help get a sense of the practical knowledge needed, but really it is good to take a reality check from time to time and take off the romantic farming glasses. Mr. Macher throws out some good things to think about without trying to spell out a step-by-step process. It is important that beginning farmers work things out for their specific passions, desires, and reality ... I think this book will be a good reality check.

Remember to check back regularly as I will be posting a book report for each chapter!

Something to Think About This Weekend

Last night I started reading "Making Your Small Farm Profitable" by Ron Macher. This isn't going to be a full on chapter one book report, but there was one little section of questions that I thought would be good food for thought for the long weekend. These are questions that I have thought about before in different ways, but having them laid out before me really made me think. Over the next few weeks I am going to be thinking through them ... then maybe I'll share some answers!

1. How much money do I need in order to live comfortably and support my family? $15,000? $20,000? $50,000?


2. How long will it take to achieve this level of income, and will I be happy when I achieve it?


3. Do I want to farm part time? Full time? Start part time and grow from there?


4. How much money do I already have in order to start farming, and how much do I wish to borrow?


5. What skills and resources do I have? Am I good wit livestock, or can I learn to be? Am I good with machinery, or maybe carpentry - to build hog houses or poultry houses? What skills do I have that I really enjoy? What skills am I weak in or do I really dislike?

Some of these questions are pretty straight forward ... how much is in the bank account ... while others get down to what you are willing to have and sacrifice and how much you really know. But, I think they are very good foundation questions as I work my way towards farming. It is important to put things into the proper prospective and not just look at farming from the "romantic" point of view. Farming will influence every part of your life so you need to look at it from every angle.

Just some food for thought this weekend...