Self Sufficiency - Small Steps

[BoFuller]

BP,

Your thoughts on power generation within the farm. Solar, Small scale wind? This is 1 of our largest costs..

Cheers Zac & Judy

Our 40 acres are way off the grid. I have been pricing solar systems and I believe a system that cost 10K will be plenty adequat for us. It will be about 2-3 yrs before we get the cabin built, so it may be lower than that by then.

 

[Taylortractornut]

THats a great start, Slowly but surely we are aiming that way. Dad grew up in a poor part of rural MS on a small farm but later they eneded up with a biggertractor and did custom work to. A few years ago somehow I just took up farming after a wild streak. I use almost no chemicals except on the squash bugs. Market gardening did great this year on the squash and I have picked up another restaurant on that deal.

Im workin on a smell permaculture et up on one acre of the 10 I have. I have also gathered alot of special equipment for the tractor. I got a free 300 gallon towed sprayer, My Mini round baler for baling hay, and mulchin straw, a Mechanical transplanter for planting tomatos and cucumbers and other items.

Im working on siting a new barn and a small pig parlor and a new chicken area and also a rabbit set up for fertilizer production. Plum Im builing it all from the landfill lol.

 

[bp fick]

Bp, have you ever thought aboot grazing a couple of beef on the neighbors 4 acres?:

Yes, neighbor JB and I have discussed what is best to range on that 4-5 acres for a year or two now. The issue is that the soil here is so poor that nothing much grows until it is amended heavily and irrigated constantly. This is 100% sand and gravel moraine, as the glacier took the good stuff down to parts farther south.

It a catch 22, because some cattle manure would improve the soil somewhat but there's nothing native feed on, really. Price of hay being so high, it kinda of defeats the self sustaining cycle a bit. We can pump out of the creek, get that acreage fenced properly and work toward that. It's gonna have to be JB's pockets, though, not mine!

 

[Gio]

We have 5 acres, a 120x120 garden (60 beds) and 25 hens.

We have owned the property for a year or so and it has been a ton of work. Our goal was working towards self sufficiency and a peaceful, cheap retirement someday.

We decided to operate it as a small business for now to help cover the costs. We don't make much but it covers our projects and gives us some tax relief.

This is our site if you want to see our work

The Farm at Long Lane, llc | Heirloom Vegetables & Herbs - Kitchen-Garden Workshops - Farmstand - Gluten-free Baked Goods - Serving Lincoln, Nebraska and Omaha, Nebraska

Like I said it is a ton of work but the way things are going it may be worth it.

 

[Lloyd_E]

We have 12 acres. 6 cleared, a couple of acres of alders being converted back to pasture and hopefully garden or growing land - interested in Hops and grapes as a possibility.

I have been doing an organic garden for the last 3 years. All from seed. This season we will be trying to save our own seed. The irony to all of this is that 2 generations ago (my grandparents) this would have been the norm - small scale farming. We are growing meat birds for sale - lost 50% to a weasel, and are growing two pigs - Heritage breed/Berkshires.
Both are pre-sold. Actually we will be keeping a half for ourselves. We have layers as well.

You guys should be looking up Helen and Scott Nearing. They were the first/early back to the landers - out of NY to New England in the early 30's.

Good Life Center :: Home

I have many of their books - very interesting. In fact there are many similar outfits up here
using their model.

All very good...

 

[OldMcDonald]

I was led to this thread through another one that TBN flagged up in this month's Newsletter. It is a pleasant change to read so many enthusiastic posts. As a family we have been living on a low income for several decades (admittedly when younger taking paid employment when things were really tight) and managed to farm in several countries, big acreages sometimes too.

The thread has been quiet for a long time though. Anybody who posted care to update us all on progress or lack of it? If it failed, perhaps you would be good enough to give other "newbies" the reason(s).

 

[BoFuller]

We are still plugging away. The county has been, and still is, a major pain in the rear about getting a permit for a cabin. Otherwise we are still building driveway and doing other projects to get ready.

 

[electrarc]

Hi Again,

Well the wind generator is up and running. What a great thing it is too. Along with 400 watts of solar it keeps the house running. We have mains power as well, but the cost is going through the roof.

The alternative power is feed to a battery bank so "Blackouts" are a thing of the past.

The hydroponics is also going great guns and tastes fantastic. The farm is coming to life now with Kangaroos, ducks, water hens and a lot of birds. We are also stocking the dams with fish.

But I am sick of the snakes. If only I could sell them!!!!

 

[Ed of all trades]

We own 2.25 ac and take care of three more. Our gardens add up to 160 x 21 and a 10 x 20 strawberry patch. My wife picked 16, 5gal buckets of peas this spring and her sister came and picked 5 more. The green beans were doing well but we only put up about 50 qt when her back went out and my health went down hill so we tilled in bushels of them, we plant them both in squares, peas 21 x 40 or so this year and more green beans. The rest of the garden did fair, do to heat, lack of h20 and lack of work on my part. Plan to start 2 chicken tractors this spring, one with 75 eating chickens and one with laying hens. We will see how and if that goes. Good to hear what everyone else is doing. helps me look to spring.

 

[Redneck in training]

Hi Again,

Well the wind generator is up and running. What a great thing it is too. Along with 400 watts of solar it keeps the house running. We have mains power as well, but the cost is going through the roof.

The alternative power is feed to a battery bank so "Blackouts" are a thing of the past.

The hydroponics is also going great guns and tastes fantastic. The farm is coming to life now with Kangaroos, ducks, water hens and a lot of birds. We are also stocking the dams with fish.

But I am sick of the snakes. If only I could sell them!!!!

Eat them. Poisonous or not they all taste good. I think. At least rattlesnakes do.