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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.

No, I was born in 1944 and was full-time farming until a heart operation made me retire two years ago in May and just turned 77. When younger I worked behind a desk to make enough money to get a deposit on a farm. As I posted, I expect any white collar worker to put in at least 50 to 60 hours a...

I agree I do not know your wife or her work. As I said, I expect you to believe your wife. However: That has to include your wife from what you posted. Nobody, but nobody, works consistently for 4 hours straight without taking some sort of a break (ignore essential toilet breaks), and to not...

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...

THAT is one of the problems. People. Why was she wasting time socialising? And why was she and her colleagues allowed to waste such time? Does she actually put in a full 8 hours or whatever at home? No, I thought not. Morning coffee break? Lunch - really just 60 minutes and no more? Afternoon...

How do you know? Are you one of them? I cannot speak for USA, but that was most definitely not the case in either Portugal or the UK. Responses from government departments in both countries virtually ceased. Only hearsay evidence but I am told the same happened in other countries. People...

The declining working population is a worldwide problem, not just for the USA. I am coming up to 79 so an old fuddy-duddy that knows nothing. When I was young the best thing that could be said of someone was "he is a good worker". That applied to both blue and white collars. Now, across the...

Who pays them then? Somebody has to foot the bill. There is always either a fee, or they are paid in some manner by the places where the money is invested.

So called "Financial (aka Investment) Advisors" invest client funds in whatever they think is appropriate. To continue in business they need to obtain a better return than the opposition so will always include some higher risk investments - in addition to making sure that their payoff for...

Any question to which you do not know the answer is a sensible question. The only dumb one is that to which you do know the answer. You are correct in being scared of the future. I know nothing about USA pensions and the regulations. What I do know is general finance. I am now retired, but was...

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...

Like I said, wimp. Real men try anything edible and then decide whether or not they like it. What sounds disgusting? What is disgusting about edible sheep meat (or goat if in some southern European countries) and oatmeal?

AFTER you have tried something you can decide whether or not you like it, not before.

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

WIMPS!!! I have farmed in England, Australia, Scotland and Portugal, in that order. Wherever I farmed I ate what the local peasants (i.e. someone who farms to sustain himself and family) ate. Not everything that peasants eat is pleasant - I do not like tripe, I do not like boiled peanuts, I am...

Today, 25 January is the day anyone with any Scottish connections has to have Haggis. Accompanied by neeps and mashed tatties. Fair fa' your honest sonsie face Great chieftain o the puddin race etc........... I could have typed more, but it would not be understood by most.

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...

It was obvious you do not pick up by hand as I did, but I am curious whether you run the auto collection on a time basis so as to collect any late laid eggs, or are your houses always at an internal temperature that you do not have eggs freezing? Just curious. I had sheds holding only 80 or...

That is the reason hens stop laying in winter - lack of light, although I do not like lights on after dusk. Although not on as big a scale, I have relied on hens for my income from time to time over the last 60+ years. They need to be dry and not in a draught. Never experienced worse than about...

Never used the wheel method. I have a Sylvester. Sylvester’s Pullers It was my father's before me. Note the remark about safely pulling out the timbers in coalmines. That was my father's job for 25 years - officially called a Colliery Timber Drawer (it says so on my birth certificate). Dangerous...

@Creamer Giving just a "like" is not enough for such a knowledgeable and well written post. I had to tell you too. I have no USA experience but where I was in Australia 30 to 40 years ago they were the only breed that sold well. As you point out, white eyes were their biggest problem and brown...

Armed with the practical experience and theoretical knowledge of responders from several countries on different forums, I have reached the conclusion that my idea is feasible. Whether it is economic is a question that needs a great deal more thought. Given all the uses of the shed, the most...

After 17 years a member of TBN you would think I should have learned to ask here first!!!! Thanks for the responses so far. I have skimmed through them because it is getting late here and will give it more thinking time later, but I am fairly well committed for the next couple of days. I will...

I have a wooden garden shed about 6m x 4m with walls and ceiling reasonably well insulated. I use it for several purposes – seed house, vegetable production, 8 stacking wormeries, wine cellar and some general storage. It is quite full, so little empty air space, or spare floor space. I...

Nice story, but a bit far fetched - like the contents of the site from where your photo originated, unless it is used on more than one. I do acknowledge your smiley face. I was born a few miles north of The Wall and many of us from there, but below the political Border, do not consider...

Knowing that you do not know things is the best starting point. I am sure your life experiences will get you there quicker than most folks. I do note you are doing the right thing regarding the estate. I reckoned you would be, but some following this thread might not have been aware of the...

I agree with you in general terms about starting small. I was in my 20s when I first kept breeding cows (lots of experience with smaller stock and other species) and started with 4. AI'd them when the times came. Two gates tied at one end with baler twine (no headgate) and simply squeezed them...

All of the cows? Why, partiularly since you know Eddie has no handling facilities at either property. Why keep the steer until he is big enough to cause problems without the ability to handle him? What is the purpose in putting on a bit more weight? Genuine question. Gaining experience of...

I would hope all posters on TFF are honest, and after sharing some 17 years on this forum with you, I think you appreciate blunt over bulldust. No point in men pussyfooting about.

That is so true. Daylight saving is almost universal around the world, and the time zones are + or - from GMT (British time). If one country changes then it throws that country out of the universally recognised times for everyone in the world who needs to work around different time zones in...

You cannot justify keeping a bull for 6 cows. Why do you say it will be a good starter herd? You are going to produce crossbred calves from a bull of very doubtful quality. As I already posted, he is all front end and no back end. Definitely not what an AA should look like. Apart from...

@EddieWalker I retired last year at the age of 77. I was brought up from a baby on my father’s horticultural/agricultural holding. I farmed on my own account for 61 years in 4 countries in both hemispheres. I have kept farm animals of most descriptions – pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and...

I totally agree with you about ensuring the machine suits you. My wife and I spent the first 50 years of our marriage farming around the world, retiring to Orkney last year. I was provided with free supplies under the UK National Health Service whilst living in the UK around the turn of the...

You are typical of those who deny they have a problem. There are many threads on this and other forums around the world with similar people to you all saying the same thing. Stopping breathing can be fatal. Do you believe that? If you actually stop breathing long enough it is fatal...

I am amazed at the number of people who turn up at funerals these days who have no direct relationship or contact with the deceased and did not really know them or had not seen them for many years. How many will have ascertained that the object being buried/cremated actually contains the remains...

This clip from Dave Allen might just supply the answer as to why they did it. Worth watching the whole lot, but the scene in question is from about 8min35secs to a bit after 12 mins

Just to throw a spanner in the works, the first solicitor (if living in anywhere but UK read lawyer/attorney/what you wish - a solicitor in some countries is a second rate person) I worked for was an extremely competent one - held the post of Town Clerk (look it up if you must) in a substantial...

Total waste of time starting such a thread. You have already seen from this one how different people view the situation outlined in the OP. Without knowing the law on succession (especially intestacy) in a given locality it is most likely that any view is wrong. @Chewwy at #172 gives a good...

Perhaps I should have clarified that response. They are, strictly speaking, self-fertile. Yet because of the way the male catkins mature first a single tree (or even a grove of a single variety) is unlikely to produce a reasonable quantity of nuts because so few of the female flowers will be...

Yes I did. Growing Corylus commercially is a complicated business. In all varieties the male catkins and female flowers develop at diferent times. Some varieties are better suited than others to give or receive what is required for pollination. It is essential to have male catkins' pollen...

I know of a filbert by the name of ... surprise, surprsie "Red Filbert". It was not one of the varieties I chose to plant on a commercial scale. I understand the leaves turn green a while after opening although the nut casings are reddish (as are some others) but I have not seen one growing so...

Sorry, but whilst the link does show the origins of the word, I can assure you that all three words are indeed in modern usage. As I posted, Google the 3 words and you will find them all used by numerous sites.

It is not that simple!!!! How about calling them cobnuts? The naming of the kind of nut we all know is the subject of the thread is not straightforward. You could even throw in Macadamias if you want to confuse things further. There are different forms of the nut. Start off with the varieties...

I think that answers my question - thanks for the response.

How did you manage to live BEFORE you had a mobile phone? I still do not have one. I understand young folks know no better, but when did all you older blokes decide you had to have one to survive? Why must you have one? Serious questions, because I have never found it essential to have any...

I know nothing about the intestate/inheritance law where you live, but I do have more than a little knowledge in several countries and since they are all similar I cannot see them being much different in the basics. I have only read the first three pages, so may have missed later posts. The...

OK. Now I understand.

Why was a visit from your neighbour's bull a problem with steers? Not trying to be picky, just curious. I am well aware of some bulls that just want to beat up everything that is not a cow in heat. I once had one attack a horse I was riding. Not sure if he wanted me or the horse. On a more...

Do you know Ally McCoist or Paul Gascoigne? As someone who has owned land with houses up to about 700 years old, I can tell you that it is generally accepted by such owners that the smell goes away in about 8 to 10 days depending upon the ambient temperature and the size of the rodent. The...

My wife and I have been married 51 years. In that time we have had farms in England (2), Australia, Scotland and Portugal, retiring last year from Portugal to Orkney. When you move so many times there is a limit to how much you can transport around the world, but I have a small tin that once...

Not pertinent to USA, and this is an International forum, but we moved to Orkney (look it up if necessary) just over a year ago from Portugal. We have ordered numerous things online and everything has been delivered quicker than the supplier advised - everything. Drivers here are obviously...

I hope I did not cause you any stress. Your posts come across as a young thinking mature man, so I expected you to be younger. You did not seem either haggard or frumpy in the photo, just older than I thought you were. As with a lot of us who post on here, I wish that you can reasonably enjoy...

I do not believe all these scaremongering stories about ag chemicals and supposed ill health effects. I retired last year at the age of 77 after farming and using all sorts of chemicals for over 60 years. To me (farming at a subsistence level on poor ground in 4 different countries) Glyphosate...

I am a wee bit surprised at your photo - I imagined you as being younger and somewhat more conservative. I would never wear a shirt like that - even in private, nor a pink one! I do remember Roy Rogers though, and Trigger, in Saturday afternoon films, but cannot recall ever hearing about his...

The very reason for my post at #7. I would like to know. Anybody able to adivse me?

I received an email this morning from "John Jones" (seedslelah@outlook.com) addressed to me as OldMcDonald Tractor by Net. Is it spam?

Scotch pies!!!!!!!!! One of the things I missed whilst 18 years in Portugal, but now.............. The other was hearing a curlew (Numenius Arquata). Fortunately there are thousands of them year round on Orkney, despite being on the UK "Red List" as endangered. I was in my 40s before I tasted...

Somebody who knows what he is talking about. My brother started what you would call a "paver" laying business about 40 years ago. He always refused a job if the client wanted to lay them on anything other than concrete. His son took over when Bill died 12 years ago and continues with the same...

I am 78 in a couple of weeks and, being British, will be forever grateful to those young Americans (and others of course) who gave their lives when I was just past a year old. Also those who died elsewhere in WW11 and those who lived to tell the tale. All wars since then where the US has been...

Mozambique produced a Black Panther. His name was Eusébio. On topic, there were a few Pumas around the Inverness, Scotland area (esapees or establishing aliens, no natural population) in the 1990s. The one that killed a large number of my commerical flock of free range hens was the more normal...

@Furu I like your response and can see your reasons for wanting to do it yourself, but I still think the risks involved would lead me to paying somebody else. All jobs have their own expertise requirement to do them easily, more importantly safely, and involving another person, no matter how...

Why do you worry about sleep? Serious question. Why not just accept that you sleep as you do? I normally wake twice whilst in bed, sometimes once, and can be awake for a couple of hours, not always, can be awake just a short time. I reckon I still get a total of 9 hours most nights - in bed up...

It is about 40 years since I had to lift pipes and the pump from a well in Australia and I lifted the lot with a Sylvester. These things can move anything that the chain can hold. Sylvester, coal mining jacking | Science Museum Group Collection shows a photo of what one is and I still have it...

This thread is being led even further away from the OP's starter. Of course there are atheists. It is a word used to describe people like me who do not believe in any gods or spiritual beings. The word itself actually means someone without belief in god or gods. In other words someone without...

I am a peasant, or at least was. Also an atheist and do not believe water can be made into wine. For most of my life I have exactly fitted your definition - which is just about word for word that of my "English" English language dictionary, with the exception of the word uneducated...

I am an educated peasant. I suspect you know gey few farmers for many others are also educated peasants. I know more than a few who can match my aged 11 scholarship to a government free grammar school specifically for those who achieved that scholarship; a University degree, in my case majoring...

I agree that I took it a bit off thread - but really no more than others posting about being woken/kept awake by extraneous noises. That is not insomnia either. I did not sell grapes. Just had enough to make my own wine. I am not particularly good at it, and did not have enough to warrant...

I am retired as of 21 May 2021. I have previously farmed in Northumberland (officially England but north of the Roman Wall) - 2 farms; south of Moree, NSW, Australia; the Black Isle, Scotland and near Castelo Branco, Portugal. An interesting life and probably unique owning and working five farms...

Delivery today. £95 for 47kgs. Check my maths, but 1kg = 1.8 litres and 3.785 litres = 1 U.S. gallon, so I make it that 47kgs = 84.6 litres = 22.35 gallons, so £4.25 per gallon. Xrate about £1=$1.35 so about $3.15/gallon. Small quantity, offshore island and UK fossil fuel prices are always a lot...

It's OK with me too. I cannot understand those who want to change their natural body rhythm/clock/DNA/whatever. Enjoy the short time we have. Many thanks for posting the article - pretty much a re-run of what my wife read quite a while ago - guessing pre 2003 when we moved to Portugal. Unlikely...

Why do you think you need to sleep for several hours without waking? Why do you think you should only sleep during certain hours - e.g 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.? Do you know any other animal species that complies with those rules? We are animals whether you like it or not. Many years ago my wife found...

I thought that was a harsh reply, and downright ignorant. The man has no idea of my financial circumstances. I chose not to mention it in my response, but now you raise it consider I should. I have enjoyed farming around the world for a very long time, owning 5 farms in 4 countries in both...

I did not say that. I queried why you would not want to eat fresh food in preference to store bought canned.

Because, bonnie lad, I retired from farming at the age of 77 in May. I have owned and worked my own farms in the border area between England and Scotland (2 farms), Australia, Scotland and Portugal before finally calling it a day. Am I to be barred from TBN now I am retired?

From your avatar (owned equipment - very modern) it sounds like you are not short of spare cash. So why load your gut with such cheap inferior food? Do you not particularly like to eat good food? I note the admission of being lazy. Are you also fat? I also note your admission of having a pea...

Genuine question.....Why do you all have lawns? I suppose I am different in that I have farmed around the world for 60 odd years and never seen the point in growing grass unless it is to be eaten by livestock. How much money would I have spent in, say, 65 years, of cutting even a quarter acre...

Are there any TBN members in South Africa? I know it is basically a USA site, but also have seen posts by people from various other countries. The link at the end is to the website for the sale of my small farm and I have been told by several people originally from SA that many who are still...

Yet another request for your advice folks. We are having problems getting good quality smoked salmon. Not easy even to get mediocre stuff at a reasonable price sometimes. Fresh salmon is easy to get and a lot cheaper. I have a small smoket set-up - lidded pan and rack inside that I want to try...

I know there will be different opinions, especially from different US States, but you will all like the way you do it. I am in Portugal and the most common way to get peanuts is already roasted. Sunflower oil is always used for this purpose and the taste of the oil is not good. We prefer them...

I was 33 days old. I do not remember it in real time, but I never forget it. So many young men lost, and many of them no doubt related to at least some of the older members on here because there was a big American contingent. Please spare a moment to reflect. You all know the line "Lest we forget".

I have posted this here rather than the Shibaura thread because I think it does not really matter what the brand of tractor is. I gave the make and model so that other TBNers would know. I need to replace the battery. It is not holding charge. I switched batteries between it and my NH45TCE and...

I have come to know a newbie, both to Portugal and land owning. He bought about 7 acres a few months ago. A lot of olives and grapes, plus hay/grazing. He has a neighbour who appears very willing to do general cultivations with a large Ford. I have seen videos of his work (but not close enough...

Four weeks ago today I had an operation to replace a valve in my heart and to bypass three partially blocked arteries. Prior to this my knowledge of human medical matters was zero. After a few tests in a general hospital before being transferred to the specialist heart hospital, the head...

I was 75 four weeks ago. This week is the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Every year around now I try to apply some of my "thinking" time to those events, but as I become older tend to let my thoughts wander too much and not concentrate on the effects of those landings. This year I am...

I have not posted for quite a long time because I have had nothing of interest to say. I do lurk from time to time though. I have been slowing down for a couple of years due getting older (74 now) and some old rugby and horse related injuries - I can remember some of them and where it hurt at...

I am storing a D23F Stiger Deluxe and some equipment on a long-term basis whilst the owner is overseas. Note Stiger is not the brand Steiger but a model description of this D23F. I will be using the tractor as a dedicated spraying rig along with my ag sprayer. Can anyone give me some basic info...

Has anyone built their own? A neighbour and I want to make a pto driven machine. There are lots of YouTube videos. Search almond huller or smallatrici mandorle to see the size of machine we need. They are between about 6 and 10 feet long, and mainly electric motor driven, but that is not a...

I have little experience with outdoor tomatoes, basically a few plants in the garden for the last 12 years. Most years we have had problems keeping a regualr water supply to them due to other demands on time and available water, but this year I have been able to irrigate right through the...

I do not know if anybody is familiar with the way corn, beans (mainly fava), chickpeas, etc. are cooked in various parts of the world in such a way that they just swell with air in them, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoy them. Unfortunately we do not know how it is done, and I know that a lot...

Why has this thread been closed?

Has anyone ever used them for growing small fruited melons? I have used them for quite a few years for tomatoes and also (in a bigger size) for small winter squash, but not yet for melons.

The dogs that protect little penguins - BBC News

I want to build a 3point hitched pto driven chipper. I have searched TBN to see if there was a thread about somebody else's build, but the result was a very long list of just about everything except chippers. I only want to chip prunings below about 1" diameter. Anything bigger goes for...

US man sets petrol pump alight over spider - BBC News How stupid can some people be?

I think this seems to be the best thread for this. I have drained quite a few acres in different countries over the last 40 years with plastic drainage tubing - mainly 3" or 4", running into 6 inch over some bigger acreages. I have always used tubes without a filter and then put small stone...

On another forum in another country, I was asked why I was so cantankerous. The following is part of my reply, the remainder of it being pertinent to the particular thread. Quote:- "I do not know why I am a member of COMA (Cantankerous Old Men's Association) but I am. There have always been...

Well, we all know that, so let your mind wander a little. I have prunings from 500 olive trees, 100 grape vines, fruit trees, ornamentals, shrubs, bushes, as well as corn cobs, corn stover, etc. A limited amount of leaves and smaller twigs are consumed by my livestock, but there is still a lot...

Garden shredders do not have the capacity for the amount a neighbour and I want to shred. Has anybody built their own pto driven machine. It will be small diameter stuff and twigs with leaves attached. We had in mind free swinging hammers to do the business.

This is not a critical question to answer, but I have been on and off the tractor many times today and idle curiosity made me wonder whether people always mount from the left as they would a horse. If I approach the tractor from the left or directly in front or behind then that is what I do, but...

I have just read an article on an English farming magasine site referring to huge stock losses in South Dakota due to blizzards. it was vague about places and numbers. Any further info?

69 years ago today, when I was 4 weeks old, the invasion of Normandy began the "end" of WWII. For as long as I can remember I have been grateful that I have been able to enjoy farming in several countries around the world due probably solely to the success of that invasion. Many thousands of...

I am considering a modification to a home made seed drill that currently has the seed plates mounted vertically on a drive shaft and they are cut into small seed boxes, supplied by a larger hopper above, to pick up seed. I sow a wide range of seeds from vetch through to large fava beans and the...

I am considering buying this old book (reprinted) by J Brownlee Davidson and Leon Wilson Chase, but wondered if anybody can tell me whether the blueprints etc. in the book are good enough to allow me to build the equipment. The book itself is not expensive, but by the time I add shipping and...

I know I could Google this or ask some tame Medic, but I believe I will receive better answers from TBN members. Is it possible to be "burned" to give a skin reaction similar to sunburn from the light or fumes emitted when welding? I am not talking about heat, but light or fumes. On Thursday I...

I noticed an advert on this site for a company that makes pellet presses. They are expensive, although a single press could be used for both wood burners and making animal feed pellets from farm-grown ingredients. They are also used to make fish food pellets - used as ground bait by some...

I have searched the Web in vain for several months to find plans to guide me in building a small thresher. I have found photographs of treadle operated ones in China and small motorised ones in India, but not enough detail to let me proceed. I realise this is an unusual request but, can anyone...