Recent content by OldMcDonald

If you were sensible you would have asked yourself "Why would I want to buy land?" Then you would not need to ask the world what to do with it. It always amazes me the number of people out there who buy land without knowing what it is capable of producing. I retired from farming a couple of...

Problem is most countries change their notes and coins every now and again and put a time limit on when you can exchange the old for the new. After that the old are worthless.

Many years ago I had a mallard nest on open moorland about 600' a.s.l. and no water within several miles. More recently, in Portugal, we had a river as the boundary not far below the house. Mallards, maybe half a ozen a year, nested in thickets within probably about 20 yard of the river...

I hope not. It amuses me to look in now and again.

I have previously posted on TBN that I farmed up to 3000+ acres with another 2000 share farmed in several countries and never had the need for a FEL, briefly owning one in the late 1970s, but a link box was essential on all of them - the last 18 years in Portugal (until I retired 2 years ago)...

I will not repeat the above sound advice by several posters. Use the rate suggested on the label, ALWAYS and for every product. Using less can cause a build up of resistance in plants. Be aware that soil affected will extend beyond the area sprayed. Do not use it near any waterway - it kills...

I posted I have never found it necessary to buy a vice. I did not say I have not improvised, because there are many times when it is essential to hold something steady. I am not trying to be smart, and I reckon you are a person who will improvise too. I am certain you can come up with other...

I have spent over 50 years of my adult life taking on neglected land, 5 farms in 4 different countries – England, Australia, Scotland and Portugal. It was all good experience. Four had a run-down house and buildings, one was bare land. I too had to build roads –my wife became quite adept at that...

Why do you need to turn? Is your tractor not capable of backing up such a short distance and cultivating over your tracks? Why do you have a FEL? It seems to be a compulsory attachment in USA. I have only ever had one on a tractor that was bought used and with the loader attached. I sold that...

With the correct tractor and implement you can work almost any area without the need for turning space - i.e. wasted space. My very first tractor was a"little grey Fergie". I first worked with it about 65 years ago, but did not buy it until the owner sold it to me in 1972. They do not make them...

The only way to do it for anything other than temporary relief. Professional companies use them in Europe and Australasia.

I hope the heat lamp did not also provide light. Most folks never think about it, but could you sleep with the bedroom light on all night? It many countries it is illegal (for commercial famers) not to give any livestock a light free period of a varying number of hours.

I retired from peasant style farming last year (and am 2 years younger than you) and thankfully no longer need firewood, but prior to that I split entirely by hand. I had 14 years in Australia so am familiar with your big old eucalypts and their "spiral" growth; also the last 18 years was in...

Sorry I missed this earlier. Anything to do with wine intrigues me. Apart from averaging more than a bottle a day for well over 40 years, I have lived in wine growing areas in Australia and Portugal for about 30 of that time and grown and produced on a small scale. My first line is that nobody...

Just be aware that Elephant Garlic can cross with Leeks if you decide to produce your own seed. I bought some leek seed last year of a variety I have grown all my life - Musselburgh, and about half the plants are a cross between garlic and leek. Never experienced it before, but they grow like...