TBF 142 :: This Farmer Has Questions, Cattle Sold, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Our farm has been a farm for eight years now, which I suppose means I have been a farmer for eight years as well. But, I don't want anyone to think that I'm still not "The Beginning Farmer" ... sometimes it seems the more I learn about this farming art the more I feel like a beginner! With that in mind I've always tried my best to share the ups and downs because I know that I learn from my mistakes, so hopefully someone else can learn from them as well. Along the way (over almost 10 years of blogging/podcasting) you all have come along side and shared your experiences as well! That is why I knew that I could turn the tables a little bit and ask you the questions ...

:: Five Questions From a Beginning Farmer ::

1. I want some concrete! Should I feel bad about that as a grass-based farmer?
2. What can I plant this fall for my pig pastures next spring?
3. Maybe it is finally time for turkey. How can I raise them without losing my mind?
4. Should we invest in a walk-in freezer?
5. What would you like to see from "The Beginning Farmer Show"?

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

TBF 141 :: Quit Buying Herefords, Meat Chicks, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

In many ways our farm began before the farm even began. I was reading books, talking to farmers, dreaming dreams, and making plans. All of that lead to me thinking I had it all together before I even stepped foot onto what would eventually become Crooked Gap Farm. If you've heard me talk about the beginnings of the farm before you will know that in my mind the centerpiece was going to be Dexter Cattle raised for beef. It should be noted though that when I was thinking that I had never even tasted Dexter beef! What I have not talked a lot about before though is that when I was in that planning stage I thought the other main enterprise on the farm would be our Tamworth hogs.

Now, if you are familiar with the farm you will be thinking to yourself, "Tamworth hogs? What about the Herefords?" The reality is that in my reading and planning stages I had completely settled on Tamworths being the perfect breed for us. When I couldn't find enough Tamworths I moved on to the Gloucestershire Old Spots, but I never found any of them either. So, I just got pigs and I learned how to raise those pigs. It was sometime after that first couple of batches of pigs that I ended up with the Herefords and now that is what we love and what we are known for. That is why I say today, "Quit buying Hereford hogs!" It's not that  I don't think they are a great breed with lots of positive points, but rather I don't think it is the only direction to go.

In the end I think there are three pieces of advice I wish I would have followed when I was selecting livestock for my beginning farm:

1. Do What Works on Your Farm!
2. Start With What is Readily Available in Your Area!
3. Raise Your Livestock with Care and Husbandry and in an Exceptional Way!

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

TBF 140 :: Applying Farm Knowledge, Farm News, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Earlier this month I was able to take a long drive to northwestern Iowa and visit Seven W Farm during their Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day. This was the second field day at the Wilson's farm that I have been able to attend (along with watching their Niche Pork Webinar from 2009) and I am very thankful they are willing to open their farm, and share their experiences! Seven W Farm consists of 660 acres, seven Wilsons (plus kids), organic grains, hogs, organic dairy, pastured poultry, grassfed beef, and grassfed lamb. To say that there is a lot going on would be an understatement for sure. Behind the diversity of enterprises though is a great wealth of knowledge that comes from multi-generational family farm. In fact Dan has been pasture farrowing hogs for 50 years now!

What I'm trying to say with all of that background information is that I learned a lot. I mean I really learned A LOT!!! And, the great thing about some of the knowledge I picked up from their experiences is that it is stuff I think that I can still apply to this growing season. Here are four things that I hope to apply in the coming weeks and of course a bunch of links that I mention in the episode:

What I learned and will be (hopefully applying soon) ...

1. Burst Proof Water Line for Pastured Pigs
2. A-Fram Farrowing Sheds are the Bomb
3. Premier1 Pig Fence is Worth a Try
4. Three Words ... Apple. Cider. Vinegar.

The pile of links mentioned in this episode ...

• Seven W Farm PFI Field Day Recap
• Seven W Farm Website
• High Density Polyethylene from Powerflex
• A-Frame Farrowing Hut Design (and other pasture farrowing info)
• Premier1 Pig Fence
• Apple Cider Vinegar Research from Frantzen Farm
• Apple Cider Vinegar Stories (Will Winter)
• ACV for Pigs from The Vinegar Guys (you can buy vinegar from them too)
• Grass Farmer Supply (ACV for sale along with other minerals, vitamins, healthy stuff)

:: Practical Farmers of Iowa Recap of 2016 Field Day ::

If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now!

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

TBF 139 :: Field Day Follow-Up, Cattle Sale, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

More questions have rolled in from our Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day, and the folks at PFI have even put up a blog post that recaps the day. The great thing about the blog post is that it contains a lot of audio from the event, so if you weren't able to make it to the field day you can at least listen (now that I mention that I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing). On today's episode I'll be fielding questions about recording video, using the vet, farm names/brands, beginning marketing, and even some of my thoughts on how we do our sheep. It is definitely a hodge-podge episode with plenty of rambling, but they are great questions so hopefully I'm up to the task with my answers!

:: Practical Farmers of Iowa Recap of 2016 Field Day ::

If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now!

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

TBF 138 :: Questions, Answers, Farm Tours, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Over the past two weeks we have hosted well over 100 farmers and farm fans out to Crooked Gap Farm! That has meant a lot of time getting the farm ready, preparing food, and planning the tours and talks. In the end though we love the opportunity to share our farm with other farmers, and more importantly ... learn from other farmers! Even though I love to talk and I love these types of events they do make me a bit nervous right before they start and for a little while after. It's not talking in front of people that makes me nervous (I typically do that every Sunday), but rather it is that I'm worried about what people will think about our farm when they see it and hear what I have to say about it. I mean I'm just a beginning farmer! Hopefully over time that is something that I can grow out of, because there is a lot of benefit from having other farmers to the farm to share information and learn! 

In other news ... let's attempt to answer some questions! Here are the topics for this week:

1. Now that we've done chickens, what is next?
2. How do you handle watering systems with far away pastures?
3. When do you suggest starting your laying chicks?
4. Are you applying holistic management practices on your farm?
5. What about WOTUS? Does it matter for beginning farmers?

If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now!

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

TBF 137 :: Changes on the Farm, Farm Visits, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Changes are often difficult to make, even if you love change and moving forward. I find it difficult not so much because I don't notice that there are things to change, but rather because I become stuck in the rut or, even more often, I am overwhelmed by the steps of the needed change. As 2015 came to a close though and our family and farm embarked on 2016 it was painfully clear that there were changes that needed to be made on the farm if it was going to continue. If I wasn't willing to make those changes then it was time to move on to the next thing ... as in it would be time to end the farm. I've spent enough time talking about that in the past couple of episodes though, so today it is all about the practical steps that I've taken in 2016. Even if those steps haven't been completely successful or enough.

Practical Applications for Moving Crooked Gap Farm Forward in 2016:

1. Planned Farm Meetings
2. Shifting the Focus of Our Farm
3. Being Ruled Less by Fear and More by Truth
4. Making Capital Improvements for Efficiencies Sake
5. Raising the Level of Communication
6. Selling More Whole/Half Hogs
7. Not Quitting

If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now!

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

• Crooked Gap Farm Field Day on Friday, August 5th 2016
• The Best Field Day :: Seven W Farm on Saturday, August 13th 2016

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

TBF 136 :: Former Farmer, Vet Visits, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

My career as a "beginning farmer" has always been as bi-vocational something or other. Along with trying to learn how to farm I've been a youth pastor, worked at a farm store, helped out at another farm, and currently I'm loving my job as pastor of Christ's Church. But, wearing all of those hats as well as the hat of husband and father has made things less than ideal at times (or most times). For the most part I've tried to just push through things and act like nothing was amiss, but the reality was that I should have been doing a better job of everything ... especially being a husband and father! Near the end of 2015 I finally admitted to myself that things needed to change and that may mean that they needed to change drastically ... which led to the end of Crooked Gap Farm ... almost! This episode is my attempt to vocalize what was going on in my mind and heart and through some of the discussions with my wife.

It's not just all head stuff though, because our farm is a working farm with plenty going on still. Of course the biggest and coolest news is that we finally had the vet out to work the cattle and now I'm completely ready to sell some of our grassfed Dexter cattle. By some I actually mean something like 10 to 15 head, so shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in some cows or cow/calf pairs!

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

TBF 135 :: It's Not a Comeback, Lots of Updates, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

What happens when The Beginning Farmer disappears for months on end? Well, actually lots things happen! Just recently I've been to Arizona to talk farming and finances, we've been making small square bales of hay, a new building project is in the planning stages, and of course we've even made some time to take the boat out (yes, we are a boating family now ... more about that in future episodes). Basically, what I'm trying is that it wasn't for lack of things happening that I haven't been podcasting, but rather there has just been a lot on the mind that has made it difficult to sit down and record something remotely coherent!

Honestly the farm is moving along just about like it was last time I released a podcast, but we are starting to make some shifts on the farm to better serve our markets and what our farm does best. The biggest changes have probably come in the form of mindsets and reality checks. I'll be spending the next few episodes talking about some of the changes that are happening from a physical and emotional standpoint on our farm. In the meantime I do hope you can find the time to listen this episode as I ramble about my dream of professional fishing (that dream hasn't completely died just yet)!

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

TBF 134 :: Super-Duper Farm Q & A, Farm News, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

I asked for questions and you listeners came back with some great questions! The only bummer thing about all of those great questions is that I'm not sure that I had equally great answers. So, take a listen to the episode, check out the question topics below, and then I'd love it if you'd chime in with your thoughts. I'm guessing with the vast array of knowledge in this group there will be some great thoughts!

Question Topics:

1. Do you assist in your hogs' farrowing?
2. How is the family doing?
3. What is your favorite part about chickens and how about having them in the winter?
4. Improving efficiencies when raising pigs (both time and money).
5. Am I getting ready for spring?
6. Do you AI your livestock? Why or why not?
7. Oats in the hog ration?
8. Do you speak French?
9. What about loans when it comes to farming?

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Hog Production Alternatives
• Formulating Swine Rations
• Feeding Small Grains to Swine
• Feeding Trial: Succotash Swine

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

TBF 133 :: Handling Hogs on Pasture, New Life, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

When it comes to raising pigs on pasture and in the woodlot one of the most frequently asked questions is about how you handle the pigs in that setting. If you've ever been around a more conventional hog operation you know that there are lots of pens, gates, panels, chutes, and concrete that all aid in the movement of pigs. On the pasture though it can sometime seem like getting the correct six hogs on the trailer is more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack! At least that has been my experience in the past.

Over my very few years of working with hogs in the pasture and woodlot setting I have learned that the number one tool is patience, and that is followed by sorting panels and some good planning! One thing that has worked best for me has been building a corral around my feeding area so that I can lock them in when they come to eat and then do the sorting or work that needs to be done. While I'll admit there are better solutions this is what has worked best for me and for my scale. If you're looking for some information from the pro's though I would suggest checking out the links below:

• Tom Frantzen Farminar (loading facilities are discussed starting around 18:00)
• Dan Wilson Farminar (loading facilities are discussed starting around 25:00)

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

TBF 132 :: Merry Christmas from The Beginning Farmer!

**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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

The Christmas season would not be complete with out some reflection on the season and a reading of one of the best Christmas stories I've ever had the chance to hear. My memories of Christmas (and winter in general) on the farm are something that I look back on with great joy and my encouragement is for all of us to make those types of memories this year regardless of whether or not our holidays are spent on a farm. Enjoy the season, look for the blessings, make memories, and leave a legacy! Which I believe sums up, "Our Best Christmas" by Clarence S. Hill.

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

TBF 131 :: Five Farm Successes in 2015 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Last episode was all about the failures from 2015, but this time we are going to keep it positive and we are going to talk about the successes that we had on Crooked Gap Farm in 2015. I'm not going to lie, coming up with five successful things from the year was much more difficult than coming up with the failures. When I was compiling a list of failures the difficult part was picking the top five. As I was putting together the list of successes on the farm the difficult part was getting past number two! That is often how it is though, it is easy to think of the ways you have dropped the ball and more difficult to think of the things that are going well. In the life of a farmer though it is very important to grab hold of those successful things because there is so much that goes on that is out of your control

Help me make a list! What were your success this year? I think it would be good to see a great big list and be encouraged by all that was accomplished in 2015! Comment below and let's build the list ...

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

TBF 130 :: Five Farm Failures in 2015 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Sometimes admitting that you have failed is difficult because you don't want to think about the fact that you haven't accomplished a goal or something that you are passionate about. Other times admitting a failure comes all too easy because you are just looking for a way to put yourself down. In my seven years on the farm I have had more failures that I could count or even would care to remember, and in that time I have both found myself unwilling to admit failure or just the opposite ... looking for a way to accuse myself of failure.

When I look back on 2015 I recognize many failures on my farm. Some came from lack of planning, some came because I didn't follow through, and some even came because I was just plain negligent. But, my reason for looking back on my failures is not because I have a desire to, "feel sorry for myself" or even have you feel sorry form. I want to look back at some of the "highlights" of my failures so that I can look forward to the coming year on the farm. By looking back on my failures I can see potential changes that need to be made, but more importantly I can see areas in my farming life where I need to watch myself extra carefully so I don't fall in to the same traps.

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

TBF 129 :: Thanksgiving on the Farm, Lots of Farming, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Thanksgiving :: Farm, Field, and Fireside :: Nov. 27, 1897

With corn so low how can I be thankful? So says an Illinoisan. With transportation so high what ground is there for me to do anything but grumble? So thinks the farmer of North Dakota. I have no wheat to sell at the high price, says the Iowan. Hog products are low, join in a chorus, the farmers of Iowa, Missouri, and other parts of the Northwest, while those in other States declare all that they have to sell brings small returns. 

Our answer is, be thankful for the prosperity of your neighbors, even if in another State; be thankful for health; you have no yellow fever. Be thankful for the frost which has at length arrived to kill the fever germs. Be thankful for a brave heart and faith in God. Take new courage and look forward and upward.

---

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

TBF 128 :: Our Wood Burning Workflow, Goodbye Grass, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

When we began looking for a place to start our farm we quickly realized that we could either have roughly 40 acres of land or a house and about 20 acres of land for the money we were able to scratch together. If you've been listening to the show for awhile or reading the blog from the beginning you'll know that we went the 40 acres route which meant we were going to be building a house ... as inexpensively as possible! One way that we saved money in the construction (and during the cold months) was by forgoing ductwork and central heating. Now that I think about it though we do have central heating, it's just in the form of a centrally located wood burning stove. Heating with firewood has been a learning curve for us over the years, but the further along this journey the more we learn and the more efficient we become.

Over much trial and error I have become much better at cutting, splitting, stacking, and of course burning firewood. I now have tools that I enjoy using and trust and I feel like I'm not only being more efficient, but also more safe! Check out the links below for great resources related to cutting/splitting/burning firewood and if your looking for some good equipment (safety or otherwise) follow the links below and you can help support The Beginning Farmer Show.

Wood Burning for the Farm:

• "Does Firewood Make Sense for the Homesteading or Farming Life?" Homesteady Podcast Episode
• Wrangler Star YouTube Channel
• The Beginning Farmer Show Episode 23 (thoughts on equipment ... including chainsaws)
• Chainsaw Safety Chaps (You must have a pair if you cut firewood ... in my humble opinion)
• Safety Helmet or one with Eye Protection or a Cheaper One
• Eye Protection or Eye Protection in the Glasses Style
• Pick a Wedge, any Wedge ... There sure come in handy though!
• Brave Log Splitters

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

TBF 127 :: Buying Grain Brings Profit, Too Much Dark, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Sometimes I say things that I forget about, sometimes I say things that should be forgotten, and then sometimes there are the things that I say that need a bit of clarification. The latter of those is the case this time in regards to me saying that the pigs are the most profitable enterprise on our farm (or at least I think I said something along those lines). On the surface it would seem that the cattle or sheep would be more profitable, and that may be the case on per animal basis, but when it comes to the whole enterprise the pigs take the cake for use. The simple answer for that is "scale". Because of the limited size of our pasture the number of ruminants we can have is much lower than it would take to be "full-time" farm, or even a profitable part-time farm. There are even economies of scale that we have by raising a larger number of pigs, even though it is still at a very small scale.

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

TBF 126 :: Farm Crawl, Being on T.V., 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

October 4th, 2015 was the 9th Annual Farm Crawl, and the 5th that our farm has been a part of. This is an amazing event that was begun by some farmer friends of ours in the area and we have been blessed to be a part of it's growing future! Each year after the Farm Crawl we try to decompress a little bit and then look back at the event to see what needs to change or what we can do better. One thing I know for sure though is that on-farm events are a great thing no matter how big or small they are. With that in mind I thought it would be beneficial to share my take-aways from the day and what we think is important for an event. Farm Crawl 2015 Take-Aways:

1. You need help: Don't try to handle that on-farm event alone, even if it is a small one. It is important to have some help so that you can share the story of the farm and make as many connections as possible.
2. Have plenty to do: I'm not talking about the farmers, of course they have plenty to do, but rather I'm talking about having something to engage the people visiting the farm so that they feel a connection to the farm.
3. Make sales easy: If you have people on the farm you should be able to sell them something (and make it as quick and easy as possible). Not just because of the income, but rather because if they are making a connection to the farm then you probably want them to have a connection with your product!
4. Have flyers and information for people to take home: This is pretty self-explanatory. Have something that quickly shares your story and how people can purchase products from your farm.
5. Share as much as you can: One of the main reasons that we farm the way we do is because we think that it is important for people to have a connection with their farmer and the farm. So, share as much of the farm as possible when the people come visit.

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

TBF 125 :: Adding & Subtracting on the Farm, Updates, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

Have you ever had a moment when someone asks you the exact question that you have been spending a lot of time thinking about? Well that is what this episode is all about because a while back Dan asked me a question via Facebook that I had been considering for quite some time. The question: If you could add one enterprise to the farm what would it be, and if you needed to take one thing away what would it be? That is probably a question that you need to ask yourself yearly, but now that we are almost seven years into the farm it is a question that I need to probably be taking some serious action on ... if that is what is needed.

I would love to hear your thoughts! After listening to me ramble about getting out of the cattle business and increasing the pig business what do you think? Is that too big of a move, just right, any other ideas? Let me know 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

TBF 124 :: Crop Failures, The State Fair, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

If you spend any amount of time at all as a farmer (full-time, part-time,  or any amount of time) you are going to have crop failures. On our farm we've had failures with our livestock, garden, orchard, pastures, woodlots, and now I can add to that list ... commodity crops! The 20+ acres of oats I planted with my uncle this have not gone exactly as planned thanks mostly to an abundance of rain at just the wrong moments. Too much rain right before harvest. Too much green grass going through the combine and plugging it up. Too much rain when we needed the straw to dry. Then there was even too much rain when there was already a lot of rain! If that wasn't enough, the sales were slower than I was hoping. Despite the downsides to this first foray in to the world of "crops" I do think there are some things that I can take away, and hopefully will be a helpful reminder for others.

1. There Will Be Crop Failures :: No matter how much planning you do or how great of a farmer you are, there will be crop failures.
2. Be Severely Realistic :: Make sure you are grasping the full reality of what you are getting yourselves into and don't sugarcoat it at all.
3. Recognize the Emotional, Physical, and Financial Risks :: You maybe able to handle a complete loss financially, but that doesn't mean you can handle it emotionally. Think about that as you make your decisions.
4. The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow :: At the end of the day the truth is that there will be another day coming, so you must be able to shake it off and get on with the business farming.
5. Ask Yourself, Was That Really a Failure? :: Sometimes a failure is just a lesson, so don't forget that.

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

TBF 123 :: Heritage Meat Chickens, Harvesting Oats, 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.**

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!

There have been a lot of "happenings" lately on the farm that I have been wanting to share on the podcast, but I just haven't made the time. On this weeks episode I'm making the time to talk about the heritage meat chickens, my first foray into grain farming, buckets of rain, and grinding feed. The most exciting thing though is that instead of just telling you about my "Hard Lesson Learned" this week, I actually am able to show it to you because I had the forethought to hit record as I worked my way through another lesson here on the farm! You really do need to watch the video to see and hear the whole story, but let me just sum it up for you :: Put everything way when you are done using it!

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