Time For a New Boot

On September, 26th 2006 (wow ... almost exactly 6 years ago???) I wrote my second ever blog post. It is probably obvious from the post that I was pretty proud of the fact that I was able to wear out a pair of boots (even though it took about 10 years) ... it is also obvious that I didn't have a lot to write about! In case you are wondering I ended up trying a pair of Georgia Boots (they didn't workout) and ended up with a pair of Wolverine Boots (they were great). Now I've moved on to Red Wing Boots because I was able to get a great discount when I was working at the farm store.

But, just yesterday I purchased new boots ... errr ... a new boot. As you can see in the picture this is probably the most expensive boot I've ever purchased, but I'm very thankful to have a "boot" again on my right foot. I even get to wear a sock!!!

Honestly though, even though it is very very very painful to walk I am walking again and hopefully I can get to farming again. I realize not everyone has known about my wonderful achilles tendon tear, but I'm thankful for all that have been supporting through help and prayers. I still have a long ways to go and it's not like I can do much, but at least this is a literal "step in the right direction".

The Beginning Farmer on the Kindle (and more)

Sometimes you just need to try new things, and right now I'm thinking about trying some new things. I've been blogging on this site for nearly four-and-a-half years now and I've amassed nearly 750 blog posts in that time and I have gained a lot! I have learned a lot of things from all of the readers and lately I have been encouraged as the farm and I go though some changes. One thing that I've always be scared of doing though is throwing a lot of ads up on the site. You may have noticed a few from time to time, but for the most part I figured that I was receiving more than I could ever possibly hope to give just from the comments left by everyone.

Of course all that is just a lot of fancy talk to say that I'm now going to have some advertisements up on the blog ;) At least I'm going to try some out for now. I've added some ads and I'm going to try it for a while. I'm also going to be adding some Amazon advertisements (mostly for the books that I really appreciate and talk about). They way the Amazon deal works is that the blog gets a cut if you click through and make your purchases by going through the links on my site.

Which brings me to one other thing that I'm trying right now. If you are a Kindle user (which I'm not ... yet ... I think they are pretty neat though and with my book obsession one might come in handy) you can now subscribe to The Beginning Farmer blog for a monthly rate and have each post delivered directly to your Kindle. It may seem like a frivolous thing, but I'm just throwing it out there for anyone that wants to keep up-to-date on the blog.

As I've mentioned in previous posts lately I've mentioned trying to think outside of the box and come up with ways to work more creatively and at the same time in my areas of passion. Besides farming itself one of the things that I'm passionate about is sharing my farm story and encouraging and helping others along a similar path. As I try to think of these outside of the box ideas I keep coming back in my mind to "The Contrary Farmer" by Gene Logsdon. He wrote about the diverse farm that not only had a large variety of farm income sources (livestock, produce, etc.), but also other ways of making income (repair, wood sales, anything along those lines). I love that idea!

It's a Blog'iversary on "The Beginning Farmer"

"I am going to use this web log as a journal of my journey into the world of farming. I hope that it can be a source of information for other people that have the same dream that I have (full-time farming). Since I do not have any immediate family that is currently involved in farming I am looking into the potential of alternative farming that does not take as much land as conventional Iowa row crop farming. Some of the ideas that I am researching are berries, cut flowers, pastured hogs, free range broiler chickens, organic eggs, sheep, and goats. I want to have a diverse group of farming endeavors in order to have things producing income at all times of the year. I am not looking for a hobby, rather I'm looking at farming as a full-time job.

That was the very first paragraph of the very first post I made on "The Beginning Farmer" blog two years ago today. Since then there are been 362 additional posts (including today's) and for about the past year I have been committed to posting Monday through Saturday. Along with all those posts there have been hundreds of comments (I'm actually not sure exactly how many, but I know there are a lot). These comments have given me a lot to think about as you all have asked questions, shared your experiences, questioned my ideas or thoughts, and encouraged me countless times!"Even though I am two years further along, what I wrote in that very first paragraph still holds true for me. I continue to post six times a week because I want to chronicle this journey of ours and hopefully share some knowledge, experiences, and information with others that have similar desires as those of my family.

What really makes this blog great though is not me. I think this is a great blog because there are people all over the country and the world who share, debate, joke, and encourage all of the people who choose to read these words. In fact that is what makes communities great ... people willing to share and encourage others with their own experiences.

If you have stuck around for a while and read many of these posts ... thank you! If you have stumbled across the blog and have just been following a long for a little while ... thank you! If you subscribe and find my ramblings in your e-mail inbox daily ... thank you! And, if you have encouraged me and others through your experiences or lessons from the farm (this is a reminder for everyone to become involved in the commenting) ... THANK YOU!

P.S. I've been saving that picture for a while waiting for the right time to really make fun of myself. Becca snapped that shot this past winter when we were trying to get a picture for the Epi-Log. I wasn't quite ready when she took the picture!

This Beginning Farmer Needs a Website

Sometimes I feel guilty for doing it, but then I remember how much knowledge there is out there among those that read this blog. So, from time to time I blatantly ask for help and today is going to be one of those days where I need the help of those more in the know than I am.

Quite awhile ago I purchased the domain name www.stoneyfieldonline.com so that I would have it for when I was ready to add a website. At first I tried to use it as the URL address for this blog through some sort of pointing or something with GoDaddy/Blogger, but that seemed to slow things down so I canceled that. Now as a few more things are beginning to fall into place I'm really feeling the need for a true online home for Stoneyfield Farm and The Beginning Farmer blog.

That is where all of you smart computer people come in ... even though I'm young and thought I was somewhat computer savvy I have found that I can't really figure out this website thing. Right now I just want something very basic with a front page and contact information so that I can point people to the website (www.stoneyfieldonline.com) when they inquire about the farm, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting it setup so it works in a somewhat easy way.

I suppose that I should also mention that I have a Mac, but if need be I could access a PC to do the work. So, do any of you know what I need to do to get my website up and going? If you have some tips or suggestions or anything else just reply in the comments or click on the new e-mail link I made on the top right (that is one html thing I could figure out).

Following Up on a High Failure Rate

This weekend there were some great comments on my post, "A High Failure Rate", and I thought I would take a few minutes to follow-up on them because they really made me think (that is the great thing about this blog ... thanks everyone!). What I have done is taken the quotes (in italics) and then added my comments below. I would love to hear more of what you think on this subject, so keep the conversation going.

(JRG) "I would like to believe in 10-20 years, the 20% of concerned citizens will grow to a larger percentage. The more we do to tell the story of sustainable, local 'agrarian' agriculture at every possible venue we can, the greater the likelihood that 20% will grow to become a majority."

I do believe that you will see the number of people concerned about their food choices will grow. In fact I would say that 2 years ago I knew only a handful of people that cared, and now it seems like I'm finding more and more people everyday ... even some people that surprise me.

(Mellifera) "I'd love to hear more about the specifics of people's business problems, in the interest of not repeating history..."

I'm no expert, but I would say a lot of it has to do with getting too big too fast. And with this I'm not so much talking about small scale sustainable farmers, but commodity crop farmers who try to have an operation with their neighbors. I would also throw out unrealistic expectations as a reason ... but Mellifera alluded to that in her whole comment.

(Rich) "I seriously doubt if the odds of success are that low. What are the odds of having a professional sports career? 10,000:1? 1,000,000:1? I would think that the odds of succeeding would be closer to 15% or 20%, still low but not as dismal as 1 in a million."

I was curious about that also.

(Lance) "I was particilarly curious as this post, and still often wonder if my goals are achievable. Time will tell. Thanks for all the info."

Lance, first of all I'm glad you stumbled on the on the blog and I hope you stick around and get involved in the discussion. I do think you goals are obtainable ... but, it will take crazy work!

(Lance) "It would be nice if there was some kind of official club, at least then it might not seem like I am feeling in the dark so much."

I am totally with you there! I too felt like there should be some sort of official club, and that became part of the reason that I started this blog. I had read all about how Salatin did it and talked with a few others, but I wanted to know how a young guy with out land (Salatin had land) or money could actually make it work. I searched and searched, but couldn't find what I was looking for. So ... I started the blog and started to chronicle what we are doing.

The Value of Discussion in Learning

Some of the great discussions that have popped up in the past couple of weeks have really made me think about why this I started this blog. If you go back a year-and-a-half you will find THIS POST introducing The Beginning Farmer Blog. I said it then and I will reiterate now, the reasons I started this blog were to be a journal of my journey and to hopefully be a source of information for those with the same desire to farm. I have always been a person that gets the most out of something when I can write about it, so in a sense the blog is my opportunity to do that ... and possibly is a bit self-serving :) But, now that we are into it a ways I just have to thank everyone that has gotten involved in the discussion. I feel like I have been able to learn so much and have a better grasp on so many farming related topics because of what everyone has contributed.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has thrown in their two-cents or answered questions. I think reading is great, doing makes you learn, but in many cases you can't beat some good discussion that brings in many points of view. Through the discussion in the comments on different posts I have been pointed to other articles that give me ideas, shown another side of something that I had never considered, and even thought about changing my mind!

So, here is my challenge ... If you aren't even reading the comments on the bottom of the posts, get reading (you can also find new comments in the right column)! Often times there are better thoughts there then in my posts. If you are already commenting, keep it up ... I (err... WE) need the thoughtful insight, jokes, or contrarian point of view. If you have never posted, jump in the fray! Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we don't have anything to add, but I know there are a lot of great minds out there so help us out. And finally, share this blog with other like-minded thinking about, beginning, and practicing farmers. The more minds the better I say!

If you want to see some of the great discussions that have been going on lately check out these links and get involved:

The Joy of Work

How Much Land Do You Need?

Eating Local ... What is Local ... Why Even Try?