Wednesday, May 27, 2015

TBF 116 :: Fun Farming Questions, Electric Fence Upkeep, and a Hard Lesson Learned

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Do you know what? You don't have to feel guilty about your prices for the products your raise and produce on your farm! It is perfectly acceptable for you to make a decent living on the farm selling your products to farm friends that appreciate the way you raise things and the values your farm has. And, did you know that some of the listeners to this show have figured out a good way to get greens to their chicks in the brooder? Those are just a few of the questions that I attempt to tackle this week. There will also be questions about labels for meat products, minerals for livestock, and how we use our rabbit pens! Thanks to all the listeners who took the time to ask questions, and if I missed your question please let me know and I'll do my best to answer!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Sugar Mountain Pork Cuts
Modern Farmer Pork 101
Meat Pricing Farming from PFI (scroll down to the correct link)
Crooked Gap Farm Whole Hog Buying Guide

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Saturday, May 23, 2015

TBF 115 :: Dairy Goats & Cheese Making, Cattle on Pasture, and a Hard Lesson Learned

If you've listened to my "Hard Lessons Learned" over the past two years of "The Beginning Farmer Show" it would be very much aware of the fact that I am a beginning farmer. As you watch the video below it will also be painfully obvious that I am very much more a beginning YouTube creator! I had problems with video equipment, issues with audio equipment, and then there was the significant reality that I had know idea what I was doing ... nevertheless Lois Reichert of Reichert's Dairy Air is both a professional cheese maker and interviewee.

As you will hear in the podcast and see in the video the life of a small-scale goat dairy and cheese making farmer is all consuming, but you will also hear Lois' passion for both her goats and her cheese come out. Her dedication to producing the best possible product begins with great management of her dairy goat herd and follows all the way through her milking and cheese making process. The other main thing that is evident though is that it can be a tough row to hoe for a beginning farmer, and starting a goat dairy may not be the best choice for the a person looking to jump in to the farming world with both feet.

Are you involved in small-scale dairying? Do you know someone that is? What about a goat dairy, is that something that has been on your radar as you research farm enterprises? I would love to hear you thoughts and comments!

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Thursday, May 14, 2015

TBF 114 :: Technology and Homesteading, Moving Pigs, and a Hard Lesson Learned

I am a small-scale diversified livestock farmer who doesn't use GPS guided tractors, robotic feed controllers, or large amounts of bio-tech seeds. But, I do very much depend on technology for my farming and marketing. The rotational grazing would not be possible without the use of my polywire electric fence and hi-tech energizers with remote controlled on/off features. In some ways my plans are made every week based on the information gleaned from the weather apps on my farm. The Square App has helped make sales that wouldn't have happened if I was a cash only vendor. And, of course I am very thankful for the Podcast App on my iPhone and all the listeners that use it and other apps!

Technology and the farm go hand in hand these days whether it is online programs, phone apps, or even larger technologies that help keep the farm running or make things more safe and efficient for the farmer. And, those sorts of technology are just for large corporate farms, but also for small-scale beginning farmers like myself. I use technology to help make farming decisions, market, and stay true to my farming values.

Below you'll find a list of online and phone apps as well as other technologies that I find useful. Are there applications that are useful on your farm? What about applications that you wish someone would create? Let's brainstorm some ideas!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

TBF 113 :: "Despite What You've Heard", Grow Grass Grow, and a Hard Lesson Learned

"Despite What You've Heard, Small Farmers are Doing Just Fine". That is the title of a recent article by Brent Preston who runs an organic farm with his wife in Canada. What is so striking about this brief but compelling article is that it is completely opposite of the other articles about small-scale farming that have been making the rounds on social media over the past year. Those articles had titles such as, "Don't Let Your Children Grow Up to Be Farmers" or, "Has the US hit peak farmers' market?" (this one is actually a pretty decent read and very informative) and the most recent big splash, "What nobody told me about small farming: I can't make a living". Can an online article have a more depressing title than those! Thankfully Mr. Preston has taken some time to respond and he is offering a different picture of the small-scale farming landscape, one that I feel is a little more representative of the reality.

Obviously the statement that, "small farmers are doing just fine" paints a pretty broad stroke and there are farms out there that are struggling or having tough patches. But, the reality is that there are always some businesses (remember farming is a business) struggling or working to pull themselves out of a hole. A struggling restaurateur could have easily written an article titled, "What nobody told me about the restaurant business: I can't make a living". Thankfully Mr. Preston took time in his article to share some of the "common elements" that he has noticed on successful farms over the years. I could not have said them better!

What do you think about the latest installment of the, "how are small-scale farms" doing genre? Were you encouraged by the writing of Mr. Preston or deflated because even the success that he wrote about seemed difficult to obtain? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

TBF 112 :: The Kickstarter Special on Pigs, Quick News, and a Hard Lesson Learned

Pigs! I love to talk about pigs, and that is exactly what this episode is all about thanks to the generous Kickstarter backer's Paul and Delanie of Oak Grove Valley Farm. More specifically though it is a discussion of my thoughts about raising pigs for what I guess can best be described is a "niche pork" buyer (think Niman Ranch, Berkwood Farms, Organic Valley, etc.). This is actually something that I have thought about quite a bit though because it is a route that I have considered pursuing in the past and still think about from time to time. When I set it in my mind that I wanted to have a hoop building on our farm one of the biggest problems I had was what to do with the building when I had the pigs in the woods. I just didn't like the idea of spending quite a bit of money on a building that wouldn't be used for over half of the year! That led me to look at the possibility of raising one batch per year of hogs in the hoop building starting in May and then finishing those pigs before I was ready to bring up my pigs for the winter. My hope was that the building would then work for our farm all year long. In the end though I have not yet decided to go that route for a variety of reasons (herd health issues, infrastructure issues, profitability, etc.).

Of course just because I have decided that the time is not right for me to go that direction at this time it does not mean that it is a bad idea. If you are starting from scratch though, or at least just beginning to raise pork for a similar market, there are a few things that I would make sure to have planned before you begin. Actually I'm sure there are a lot, but these are the few that came to the top of my mind:

Will you be raising pigs farrow-to-finish? If so do you have the needed infrastructure?
If you will be getting in feeder pigs (some may come as small as 20-30 lbs.) do you have facilities to handle them depending on the season?
What will your feed source be? Pasture/woodlot can be a piece of the ration, but if you are going to be raising pigs for these types of markets they will want a certain amount of consistency and quick growth.
In my mind scale is a benefit with this type of market, do you have the ability/infrastructure to have batches of around 100 pigs that are finishing about the same time?

As if that wasn't enough pig talk the discussion also morphed into some more general pig raising talk about pasture structures, hog feeders, waterers, numbers of pigs per acre, and whatever else worked it's way into my mind. What do you think? Do you see any benefits for going selling to a "niche pork market" such as this? I would love to hear your thoughts, and I know Paul and Delanie would as well!

Links mentioned in this episode ...

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

TBF 111 :: Spring Updates & Goals, Locker Trips, and a Hard Lesson Learned

As much as possible we try to do our planning in the winter season, but there are just some plans and goals that can't be made until spring comes and you can get a handle on the state of farm. Spring usually uncovers some repairs that need to be made, projects that need to be tackled, and of course all sorts of other problems that come once the new enterprises are started. At least that has been the case on our farm. There are projects that I wanted to get done last fall that have been bumped to this spring ... like the shade wagon for the cattle and sheep. There are projects that need to be done because they didn't get finished before the ground froze ... like the new pig paddock in the woods. And, there are brand new projects that weren't even on the list last year ... like the possibility of building another chicken wagon so I can brood chicks in it. That is the life of a farm though ... ever changing goals and to-do lists!

On today's episode I share and update from each of our main enterprises and then talk about some of my short-term goals. This years short-term goals include building projects and marketing projects. I would love to hear what spring has exposed at your farm! What are you working on? What are your short-term goals? Are there any big projects you have starter or plan on starting soon?

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

TBF 110 :: The Snowball Effect, a Sick Cow, and a Hard Lesson Learned

Do you remember those cartoons where a character starts rolling down a snowy mountain and eventually a snowball is formed with the cartoon character in the middle? And then, as they are rolling down, the snowball gets bigger and bigger collecting everything in its path. Finally, there is the fateful end ... usually in the form of some sort of cabin that the snowball crashes into! That is the best description I have been able to come up with for the farm lately, and at this point I would almost welcome the crash into the wall at the end because at least it would stop the snowball! Of course now that I read that I realize I may be exaggerating the difficulties slightly, but the point is that things have been a little rough lately on the farm and even after six years of farming that causes me to wonder if I'm making the right choice.

So, the question then becomes, "How do you handle the things that knock you down on the farm?" Simply put I think the answer is that you press-on. Just like most things in life, when something goes sideways it doesn't mean everything else stops. Recently when I had a cow down that just had a new calf it didn't meant that I could focus all my energy and thoughts on her. Sure I did everything I could, I called the vet for help right away and checked with other farmers for tips, but in the end there were still literally hundreds of other animals that needed my care and attention (other cattle, sheep, chickens, pigs, and rabbits). So, I had to press-on and continue to attempt to do my best at the art that is farming.

This episode isn't my proudest moment, but it is real and raw. Sometimes real and raw can be a good thing ... I hope! So, when the farm starts to snowball on you how do you handle it? This would be a great discussion to have ... join in the comments below!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

TBF 109 :: Guineas No More, Beef in the Freezer, and a Hard Lesson Learned

Just when I think everything is chugging along like a "sort of" well oiled machine something comes along and seemingly derails everything. This time the "something" was our Guinea Fowl. In the past you have heard me say all sorts of good things about them: they have a good profit margin, they are great foragers, they do a good job of tick control, and they are generally a hardy bird. From time to time though you have probably heard me talk about how they wander too far, that they won't roost where I want them to, and they can sometimes be a general annoyance. All of the negatives have come to a head in the fact the Guinea Fowl won't stay on my farm and roost where I want them to roost, so they will no longer be a part of our farm. It has been a tough week getting to that point, but now we have most of them caught up and in a wagon with feed and water until they go to the processor (we also already have them marketed).

All of that has led to me rethinking my support of beginning farmers like myself raising Guinea Fowl. I'm not saying that it won't work in other cases, that there weren't things that I could have done differently, or that I don't have ideas that I would have liked to try. What I am saying though is for me they didn't work out and because of that I can't recommend them to other farmers. All of that being said, if you are having success raising your Guinea Fowl, keeping them on your farm, and getting them to roost in the spot you want I would love to here your thoughts and share them with others! Comment below ...

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

TBF 108 :: 5 Tools for Spring on the Farm, Pasture Seeding, and a Hard Lesson Learned

**As I transition to www.TheBeginningFarmer.com I am quickly realizing I'm not as web savvy as I had hoped! In the meantime I will be posting here as well for those of you subscribed through RSS ... and hopefully will have that fixed soon.**

Spring on the farm is often a rushed time because everything is coming to life all at once! On our farm that means projects that have been thought about all winter need to begin, new livestock are being born, work needs to begin in the garden, and so much more. To make matters worse it always seems like everything is a priority and there will never be enough time to accomplish all that we want to get done. That's where a good set of tools come in though. Of course that could mean "mental tools" like using your knowledge of the ground you are working to make decisions on planting or grazing. Or, it could mean "physical tools" such as my John Deere 4020 that is a fixture in most every project that happens on our farm. In the spring though there are often certain tools that shine, and while I may use them from time to time all throughout the year there won't be many days in March or April where you wouldn't finding me using one of them. Some tools make the work more efficient, some bring better quality to the work, and some even make the work more enjoyable!

Below you'll find my "top 5 tools for spring on the farm", but I want to hear what some of your favorites are. Comment below ...

Five Tools For the Farm in the Spring

Stihl Chisel Tooth Circular Saw: This is a blade that attaches to my FS130 trimmer and it makes prep work for the electric fences go much more quickly and take much less toll on my back.
Steel Post Pounder: There is nothing fancy about a post pounder, but I like one that has plenty of heft and no handles to cause me trouble.
Rear-Tine Garden Tiller: Even though our garden produce isn't something that we sell it plays a huge role in the viability of our farm. That's why a good rear-tine tiller is so important in the spring.
Weather App for my Phone: Tools aren't just for hitting, cutting, and building ... sometimes they help you plan your day or week! I've been trying to use the technology I already have for more than just funny YouTube videos (not to be confused with the super educational Beginning Farmer Videos that will be coming soon). Keeping tabs on the weather helps me plan my days, and if the forecasts are trustworthy, my week.
Family and Friends: I'm not saying that my family and friends are tools, but they sure are a big help and are more important than any of the other tools that I find myself using on the farm. Even more so than my tractor!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Monday, March 23, 2015

TBF 107 :: Educating Customers & Farmers, Crazy Times, and a Hard Lesson Learned

When I dropped our first batch of hogs off at the locker for processing I was completely lost. I didn't know where to drop them off, I wasn't 100% sure I could even get them off the trailer by myself (and I could tell they were too busy to help), and I was even clueless when it came to my cut selections (even to the point where I didn't understand where all the cuts came from on the hog). To put it simply I had no idea what I was doing, which has actually been a pretty normal part of this farming adventure! Processing at a local locker is just one of the many differences between the pork we sell and what our consumers may be used to purchasing at their local grocery store. There are differences in our animal care, differences in our feeding, differences in the space they have, differences in the breeds, differences in the cuts you can purchase, and of course differences in how they purchase our meat! All of that shows just how important consumer education is, and why small-scale farmers need to continually work to educate and encourage a growing customer base.

6 Points of Emphasis for Customer Education & Encouragement

Know Your Cuts of Meat (or whatever your product is)
Share Your Raising Practices & Livestock Husbandry
What to Expect With Frozen Meats
It's Not Packaged Like at Big Box Stores
The Processor Makes the Final Product
What Sets Your Product Apart (your elevator pitch)

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App.

It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail!

As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

TBF 106 :: The Nuts & Bolts of Our Meat CSA, Chicks are Happy, and a Hard Lesson Learned

When we began our Crooked Gap Farm Meat CSA in January, 2014 it was with the hope that it would replace our farmers market sales. In fact we were so hopeful that it would replace those sales that it was part of the reason we decided not to attend the market at all in 2014. While making that decision I realized it probably would have been best to do the market part-time at the beginning of the season to help our customers make the transition, but we were just so burnt out from the market that we jumped in head first to the Meat CSA! The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model is not a perfect fit for every farm, but it has worked well for us and it is growing. There is one thing I'm certain of ... like most other things in farming and marketing there is a learning curve (especially when you are offering a variety of products) when it comes to putting together shares and managing the inventory.

On this weeks episode of The Beginning farmer Show we are going to take some time (a lot of time actually) to answer questions about our Meat CSA model. The direction for this episode came in the form of a great e-mail from Kevin who asked:

How do you determine what goes in the box each week?
How did you price it?
Is the goal to have a customer at the end of the year end up with: for example, a 1/4 or 1/4 hog, an 1/8 beef and 10 chickens or do you do it based on what's in the freezer that week?
If not, how do you know if the customer is getting a balance of cuts (i.e. not too many chuck roasts and also not all steaks)?
Are there any cuts of the animal that you absolutely don't put in the box based on their value?

Along with Kevin's questions I also posted the topic to The Beginning Farmer Show Facebook page and had more great questions come in! I've done my best to offer my thoughts, but I would love to hear what you think about the Meat CSA model. Do you have any tips that I haven't thought of? What is working in your marketing efforts? Join the discussion in the comments below.

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

TBF 105 :: Do Chickens Work for the Farm, Thanks so Much, and a Hard Lesson Learned

Raising poultry on a small-scale beginning farm is a pretty common thing, especially when the birds are egg laying hens! There is just something aesthetically pleasing about seeing a flock of hens foraging through the pasture and farm yard softly clucking or chasing bugs. Plus, they produce eggs with dark orange yolks that have a flavor that most people are used to when it comes to the simple egg. But, is there really a dark side to the small-scale farm egg-laying flock? Maybe "dark side" is a little much, but the truth is for most small-scale beginning farmers the profit margin is pretty slim when it comes to the eggs. Once you factor in the cost of the chicks, the cost of the feed just to get them to laying age, their housing, the water, the labor, the costs of marketing the eggs, and all the other incidentals each carton of one dozen eggs has a lot of money in them! When I think about all of that I often wonder, "Why in the world did I just order 150 laying chicks?"

That is a valid question because if we've learned anything from over 100 episodes it is that the beginning farming journey isn't always easy! I do think there are some good reasons for having laying hens and egg production as a part of your farming enterprise and I would love to hear why you think it is an important piece of the farming puzzle ... comment below!

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Poultry Enterprise Budgets Farminar
"There is a Reason Farmers are Hungry" by Tim
"The Economics of Egg-Laying Chickens" Podcast Episode from Homesteady
John Suscovich's 2015 Pastured Egg Budget Video
"250 Laying Hens in Winter is Not Profitable" Video from John Suscovich

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

TBF 104 :: Farming Questions & Answers, Finding the Mix, and a Hard Lesson Learned

"The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign

Why in the world would you shave your beard in the middle of winter when snow is coming? What are a few of your farming tricks of the trade? How do you decide when you need to make price increases? Those are just a sampling of the questions that I'm going to attempt to address on this weeks episode. Notice that I was very clear there and I did not say I would "answer" them, but rather I'll just do my best to share my thoughts. Below you'll find a list of the questions that came in over on the Facebook page and the links that relate to those questions. One of my most favorite things about farming is the exchange of knowledge, so if you have any thoughts on these subjects please comment below!

Farming Questions From Listeners:

Guinea Recipes and Thoughts:
- Guinea Fowl with Sage, Celery, and Blood Orange
- One-Pot Roast Guinea Fowl
What Happened to the Beard:
- The Art of Growing a Beard -- Maybe I should have read this first
Managing Manure:
- Composting Hoophouse Manure: Is it Worth It? -- From PFI
- Manure and Compost -- Also from PFI
Insurance for Farm Sales:
- We use Farm Bureau, but check with other vendors in your area.
The Infrastructure for Eight Pigs:
- Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk Van Loon -- My most referenced book for beginning pig people. I can't believe I didn't mention it in the episode!
Tricks of the Trade:
- Expandable Hose -- I purchased the purple one because it was the least expensive!
- Simple Green Spray -- My go to for deep cleaning the chainsaws.
The Three B's - Balance, Budgeting, and the Business Plan
- FINPACK -- I'm working to get everything together so I can go through this with someone.
Determining Product Pricing:
- "Meat Pricing" Farminar from Practical Farmers of Iowa on March 1oth, 2015. Again, I can't believe I forgot to mention this in the episode.

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

TBF 103 :: Let's Be Positive About Farming, No Chicks Yet, and a Hard Lesson Learned

"The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign

It seems like lately there have been a rash of articles about farming and about how you just can't be a successful beginning farmer. Okay ... "a rash of articles" may be a little bit of an overstatement on my part, but there have been a couple over the last year or so. The first one that really grabbed my attention was, "Don't Let Your Children Grow Up to Be Farmers" by Bren Smith and published in the New York Times. I really appreciated Joel Salatin's response in a "Letter to the Editor" (although I will admit not everyone agreed with Mr. Salatin). Most recently the article that is making the rounds is titled, "What nobody told me about small farming: I can't make a living" by Jaclyn Moyer. I have lots of thoughts on both of these articles, but in someways I don't feel qualified to respond because I'm not making my full-time living on the farm.

The biggest thing I took away after reading both of those articles though is that I just want to be positive about the possibilities of farming. The work and business of farming will always be difficult and the margins will always have the possibility of being tight because there are so many variables that you can't control. Nevertheless I want to be positive and encouraging when it comes to the beginning farming journey ... all while telling the whole story (including the hard lessons learned).

Three Encouraging Books for Your Farming Journey:

You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon
Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

TBF 102 :: Plans for Chickens, Non-GMO Feed is Happening, and a Hard Lesson Learned

"The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign

Our "farm" began with six egg-laying backyard chickens before moving out to the 40 acres that is now Crooked Gap Farm. Somewhere and somehow along this farming journey though the poultry operation was pushed to the back ... and eventually to the way back! Once we began adding pigs, cattle, and eventually sheep to the farm I became less focused on the plans and managing of our poultry flocks. It's not that I didn't keep upgrading infrastructure or that we quit having birds, but rather it was just a part of our farm that I didn't put much thought into. That is going to change this year though because I have a plan for both our meat chickens and our egg-laying flock!

The Ultimate Crooked Gap Farm Chicken Plan for 2015

Our Egg-Laying Chicken Plans (Ordered ASAP):

Buff Orpington (15-25) - brown eggs
Black Astralorp (15-25) - brown eggs
Delaware (15-25) - brown eggs
Barred Rock (50-75 including roosters) - brown eggs
Araucana (at least 25) - blue/green eggs
Pearl-White Leghorns (at least 25) - white eggs

Our Meat Chicken Plans (Chicks arrive at the end of February)

Dominiques (25 cockerels)
New Hampshire Reds (25 cockerels)
Nacked Necks (25 cockerels)
White Rocks (25 cockerels)
Pioneers (25 straight run)
Freedom Ranger Black Broiler (100 straight run)

All total that means there will be a bit over 300 chicks coming to the farm in the span of a few weeks which does cause some issues when it comes to brooder space, especially when keeping them warm will be more difficult with winter still hanging on. My plan is to brood the meat chicks in my two 4x8 brooders that have lids and 2 inch styrofoam insulation that I put on top to keep the heat in. That means that I will be building a quick hover to put in the laying chicken wagon I built last year. Something along the lines of this maybe.

What I can tell you is that I'm excited to have a plan! I'm sure there will be some bumps along the way still and I know there will be some "hard lessons learned" to share, but at least I have something to start with. Do you have chick plans for this spring? If you're ordering chicks what will you be ordering? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

One More Kickstarter Support Option!

From now until February 12th at noon you can get nearly 50% off of John's eBook, "Stress Free Chicken Tractor Plans" just by using the code "kickstart" when you check out. That is a great deal, but equally as cool is that John will also be backing "The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign with the proceeds from the sales. Not only can you choose to support the campaign and receive some cool rewards, but for the next two weeks you can also get a cool eBook and support the campaign at the same time!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

TBF 101 :: Our Meat CSA, Beginning Farmer Videos, and a Hard Lesson Learned

"The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign

We just need to get this out of the way ... I am super excited about the awesome and amazing kick-off to "The Beginning Farmer Show" Kickstarter Campaign! We have blown past the original goal and are well on our way to stretch goal number one. All of that means two things ... Thing number one: You all rock! Thing number two: My excitement is pretty much overflowing and that means what begins as discussion of our Meat CSA pretty much turns into a "Beginning Farmer" ramble session!

But, it also shows how excited I am about our Meat CSA. We began our Meat CSA in January 2014 as we transitioned out of doing a farmer's market for half of the year. The biggest reason for this was because of time, not that the Meat CSA takes less time than the market (although it does take slightly less), but rather because the time is spread out more evenly. After experiencing the ups and downs of this marketing avenue for a year though I have come to love it. Although that doesn't mean that it is the perfect fit for every farm.

One More Kickstarter Support Option!

From now until February 12th at noon you can get nearly 50% off of John's eBook, "Stress Free Chicken Tractor Plans" just by using the code "kickstart" when you check out. That is a great deal, but equally as cool is that John will also be backing "The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign with the proceeds from the sales. Not only can you choose to support the campaign and receive some cool rewards, but for the next two weeks you can also get a cool eBook and support the campaign at the same time!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

TBF 100 :: Kickstarter, John Suscovich, and Lot’s of Hard Lessons Learned!

"The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign

We've done it! We've made it to Episode 100 of "The Beginning Farmer Show"! And yes, I do mean we because there is no way I wouldn't have made it this far without the encouragement of everyone who has listened, taught me, asked questions, and contributed to "The Beginning Farmer Show" community. Making it to episode 100 is a cause for celebration though, and I wanted to make this episode extra special. Of course there is the fact that the Kickstarter Campaign launches today, but on top of that I have an extra special (and longer) episode. Over the past 99 episodes it became evident that one of the more popular aspects of the show were the hard lessons learned that I share.

With that in mind I wanted to dedicate this episode to hard lessons learned. I didn't want to stop with just mine though, so I invited my great farming friend John Suscovich, of "The Growing Farms Podcast", to come on and share some of his hardest lessons learned. Over the course of nearly an hour John and I went back and forth sharing what some of our most difficult lessons have been and what we have learned from them. No matter where you are on your farming journey I know you'll find something in this chat that will save you a "hard lesson" in the future!

But wait, there's more ... Not only did John take time out of his busy farming schedule to chat with me, but he also threw out an offer for all of "The Beginning Farmer Show" listeners that is both humbling and awesome! From now until February 12th at noon you can get nearly 50% off of John's eBook, "Stress Free Chicken Tractor Plans" just by using the code "kickstart" when you check out. That is a great deal, but equally as cool is that John will also be backing "The Beginning Farmer Video" Kickstarter Campaign with the proceeds from the sales. Not only can you choose to support the campaign and receive some cool rewards, but for the next two weeks you can also get a cool eBook and support the campaign at the same time!

If you had to narrow down your top three farming hard lessons learned what would they be? Share yours in the comments below!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Farm Marketing Solutions Website
The Growing Farms Podcast
Farm Finance Challenge
"Stress Free Chicken Tractor Plans" eBook (use the code "kickstart")

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook! As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

TBF 099 :: The Kickstarter Video Project, It's Fixed, and a Hard Lesson Learned

It is pretty awesome to think that we've (you the listeners along with me) made it all the way from episode 1 of The Beginning Farmer Show up to episode 99 this week! In fact if you are really interested in digging deep you can find an episode 0, but I'm not going to give you the link because it's pretty bad. But, what I'm most excited about is heading into the next chapter of The Beginning Farmer Show heading into 2015. I'm excited to begin writing more blog posts, bringing more intelligence to the show in the form of listeners with farming/business knowledge to share, and of course the biggest news ... The Beginning Farmer Video Project Kickstarter Campaign!

You've heard me talking about it a lot over the past few months, but I'm finally ready to roll out the campaign, and if it is successful to begin producing Beginning Farmer Videos. I've been blessed to have a lot of help along my farming journey and I want to share what I've learned along the way as well as those hard lessons learned that I wish I could have avoided. There will be more details in Episode 100 of The Beginning Farmer Show, so stay tuned ...

What do you think The Beginning Farmer Show should cover in 2015? I'd love to hear your thoughts, or better yet ... hear you on the show raising the intelligence level!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

TBF 098 :: New Farm Goals, Broken Equipment, and a Hard Lesson Learned

For the past six years my plans for farm growth could best be described as, "Whatever hits Ethan's mind we do"! There is a major problem with that though as I have talked about in past episodes about my business plan (like this one and this one), and even though I've said it before ... this year needs to be the year of progress on our farm. I've had a lot of fun learning, growing, and experimenting on the farm and now it is time to get to business. I'm not sure if that means our farm will grow a lot this year or if it means we will scale things back at the end of 2015, but I do know that we need to get moving. With that in mind I wanted to share some of my goals and vision for this coming year. Some of the things I want to share are 100% going to happen (the pig woodlot fences being expanded) and other things are pie in the sky sort of ideas (expanding to a new niche or product). Then there are the types of things that I really want to do, but I'm not yet sure how they are going to flesh out. On the top of that list is on farm classes and I'm willing to take ideas, suggestions, and thoughts on that one!

What do you have on your list for the coming year? What do you think ... should I expand the sheep ... are the on-farm classes in the future of The Beginning Farmer Show and Crooked Gap Farm? Join the discussion below!

Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.

If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail!

As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...

Crooked Gap Farm

Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Pages

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Five Tools For the Farm in the Spring

Monday, March 23, 2015

6 Points of Emphasis for Customer Education & Encouragement

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Farming Questions From Listeners:

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Three Encouraging Books for Your Farming Journey:

Other Links Mentioned In This Episode:

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Ultimate Crooked Gap Farm Chicken Plan for 2015

One More Kickstarter Support Option!

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

One More Kickstarter Support Option!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Wednesday, January 14, 2015