Combine Melt Down

You know, if you have equipment, it will break down.  You just hope that it isn't at a critical time.  But it rarely breaks down when it is good for you.  For us, it has been the combine.  Two years in a row actually.  Prior to us taking over the farm, all the machinery was on what I like to call the "differed maintenance program".  Rig it then fix it later.  But the problem was, later never came.  Later was years down the road when a tiny problem was so big, there was no more rigging it.  So, this time, the insides fell out.  I know, not likely, right?  Well, I wish!  The back end literally dropped and all the sifters and what not's inside were out on the field.  I even have proof, an empty back end to a combine!

People always ask what we do with our kids when we are working on stuff or in the fields.  I never understood that question.  The obvious answer, they are with us.  They love learning about the equipment.  My 6 yr old can tell you more about most of it then I can.  You have no idea how much help a little one can be.  Especially when something is dropped in a small place that you cant get to.  And they love being helpful.  Here, when equipment needs fixed, it is a family affair.  Even grandpa still gets in on it.  

This is our International 1440 Combine.

So anyway, the combine is old, and now, most everything is replaced.  New insides, new auger (from the previous year), and hopefully, it is good to go for a few more years.  We hope.  

Heli-bales?

Well, this past year we had someone approach us for large round bales of straw.  They were working on a restoration project in the marshes about two hours from here.  They were going to spread the straw on top of the marsh to allow for new growth.  According to the deal we would haul the bales to a local air strip.  It is not really in use anymore, but that was the delivery location.  Turns out, the only way to get the bales there, because of the marsh, is by helicopter.  We used the tractor to load a net, one bale at a time, for them to be air lifted and dropped at the restoration location.

As you can see, the day was not great for flying, but this guy did pretty good.

The helicopter coming in to get hocked up to the line for the bales.

This is the net that the chopper would use to lift the bales.

Our tractor and the straw bales we already unloaded off the bale wagon.

The chopper with the netting attatched.

The guys are adjusting the nets for the bales.

They would hold it in place and guide Dan in with the tractor.

He would place the bale in the middle of the net.

The chopper would come down and the netting would be attached to the line.  They had two nets, so one was being loaded while the other one was in flight.

The pilot said our bales were heavier then we said.  We of course did not realize this, but he was able to lift and manage them very well.

Up, up, and away!  I have to admit, watching it, in the storm, freaked me out.  Everyone else was really cool about it, but then again, I hate to fly.

You can see how bad the weather really was.  Raining and he was flying into some pretty nasty winds.  But there he goes, with the bale.

Him returning with an empty net.  He would drop this one and then go to attach to the other one.

Fueling time!

And away he goes with another bale.

As much as I hate flying, watching that chopper getting pushed around by the bales a bit in the air, makes me never want to get in a helicopter...  EVER!  But it was so cool to watch.  

And who says farming is just riding a tractor back and forth every day?  Farming is an adventure and it is only as big as you allow it to be.  I have learned over my three years here that farming may be hard work, tedious, and at times draining.  But it can also be a really cool learning experience and one that you will never forget.  I for one cant look at a helicopter the same way again.  I don't know.  Maybe when you lead a simpler life, things like this are pretty awesome.  But maybe things like this are always awesome, but most are too busy to see it.  For us, it was awesome.  And the kids loved it too!

Double Blow Out

One of the things that people hear about, but don't really think too much on is blowing out a tire.  Not that big a deal, right?  Well, what if it is a double axle?  A bit bigger deal, but still not bad, right?  Now imagine that it is a grain truck, fully of freshly cleaned wheat, grade 2, just picked up from the cleaners.  A bit bigger deal.  Well, imagine that both back tires blew with in seconds of each other and you are on a road with no real shoulder.  Well, this past year it was one of our big events.  It took us two days to clean it all up with a grain vac, shovels, grain bags, and a small grain hauler.  A lot of our equipment is older then we are.  Purchased by either our grandpa or great grandpa.  When I got there, this is what I see.

Hubby was trying to jack up the truck, but the weight was pushing the jacks into the ground.  Just sinking.  MIL was carrying the wood to put under the jacks.  When that didn't work we decided to try this.

We got the tractor and tried to hold up the truck to take some weight off so the jacks could work.  Yeah, that didn't work either.

The weight of the truck was so much that the tractor started to slide backward down the incline and it was no use.  The whole thing tipped.

All the nice clean, higher quality wheat, now lay all over the ground.  

Finally we got a semi hauler to come and lift the truck.  They hauled it home for us.  Thankfully all of this happened within about 4 miles of the house.

This photo was taken the next day.  You can see the box is bent up.  It was beyond repair as supports broke and the metal was bent in the all the weak places.

By the time the clean up process was well under way it was too dark to take more photo's.  We didn't write if off as a loss though.  We just fed a high priced wheat for feed.  At least it was only one truck load.  That was some expensive eggs and bacon, but we still got our money's worth from the grain.  Just goes to show, even a flat tire isn't just a flat tire when it has to do with a farm.

Looking Forward to 2014

We would like to share with you our goals for this next year.

1. We are aiming at making our heritage laying hen flock bigger. This way we can keep providing our customers with fresh eggs on a more regular basis.
2. We got a new boar this last summer and are hoping to have more pork available this coming summer from our pastured pigs.
3. Our meat chickens were such a hit this year that we will be doing more come spring.
4. We are building our new garden boxes for a larger veggie garden to continue providing fresh veggies that are free of sprays.
5. Our fruit garden is getting a make over. This last year we had issues with water. This will be resolved come spring so that we can provide more fruit this coming fall.

And by far, our largest project since we have lived and worked here at the farm!

Farm fresh dairy.

• Milked and bottled daily.
• Fresh soft cheeses made daily.
• Fresh cream daily.
• Fresh butter daily.

This is a very large undertaking and we are hoping you will be patient with us as we work hard this year to get this up and going. We would like to be able to have it running smoothly by the fall 2014.

Our cows are Jersey's and Holstein's. Most of the cheese and cream are from the Jersey's. The bottled milk and yogurt is mostly from the Holstein's. They are on pasture year round with access to their barn year round. They have hay provided also. At milking time they are fed a mixutre of grains that are grown on our farm. They are all halter broke and hand tame. They love to be brushed and rubbed. 

Once everything is complete and the new buildings are approved and running we will be having an open house and inviting all of our customers out to see the farm. Of course you are always welcome, until complete you will just have to look past all the construction going on.

Thank you, from our home, to yours!

Frozen Water

Everyone has issues in the winter.  I can deal with most things, even repair minor fencing issues in the winter.  But the big thing for us, frozen water.  Hauling water for a herd of cattle, a group of horses, 100 chickens, several goats, and several pigs everyday, a couple times a day, takes more time then I have in a day.  Caring for three small kids, DH off at work half the day, hauling water to everyone is not an option.  So, of course we turn to deicers.  Now, this may sound like common sense, but I don't think you get just how cold it is here.  You see, here -60 C (-76 F) is not uncommon as lows a few times during winter.  Thankfully, most years -50 C (-58 F) is the normal low.  Although, -70 C (-94 F) is not unheard of, but thankfully very rare.  So, add in some wind, and you have colder then some of the deicers can even thaw.  Now imagine the power goes out for a few hours.  It happens a couple times every winter.  Right now the floating deicers work the best for us.  The sinking ones tend to still freeze on top.  When you have four troughs though, the power can really add up.  So, then, what do you do?  We have looked into some other ways and found something that we will be trying this next winter as we have to have it set up prior to the snow falling.  We are thinking of using system that recirculates the water by shear heat rising and cold falling.  The tank will have a line that leaves the bottom (cold water) and enters into a wood stove or metal barrel.  As the water heats it will rise to the top.  The line will be coiled inside to allow the most heat (without getting the water too hot) to come in contact with the water in the metal coil so that as it heats and rises it will then flow out the top and back into the trough.  With a good sized log and a system designed for long burning (controlling how much air enters the barrel can do this) we should be able to keep it defrosted most of the day.  I obviously cant tell you how well this works til next winter.  But we are always open for alternative ideas to keeping water defrosted.  I also have heard of using fire brick, putting it in the oven for a couple hours in the morning, then setting a ceramic crock on that to keep rabbit waterers defrosted for a few hours.  As it stands, anything we haul water to that does not have a heater will freeze in about an hour.  Lets hear some of your ideas!  Oh, and just as a side note, here trying to break the ice open on top, does not work as the whole thing freezes solid.  So what have you tried?  What worked and what didnt?  Any changes to your system you would make?

Location Importance

This is one thing I find not everyone actually takes into account.  Your location can be your savior or your downfall.  So, lets break this down a bit.

1.)  Climatic location:
This one is not thought of often.  If you could have a farm, were would you want to be?  Well, lets really think about this.  Dream of a place that is warm, but not hot year round.  Green and little irrigation needed.  You can grow your own stuff when ever you want to.  Yeah, that place with the creek running through so that you don't have worry about water.  Trees to provide shade.  Yeah, that dream place, you are picturing it now.  That place, does not exists.  Once you realize that, you will be ahead of the game.  Realize that you if you decide to purchase new, you have the world (or your country) open to you.  So, realize that nothing is perfect, unless you figure out how to make it so for you.  For warm climates you may have to dig extra wells for adequate water.  For freezing climates you may have to find a way to keep water defrosted.  Coastal climates you may have to have buildings that will stand up to a hurricane.


2.)  Location to city:
The location to your nearest city can be very important depending on the type of farm you are going to do.  If you are going to grain farm and sell to an elevator, then it wont matter as much if you are close to a city.  If you are going for a mixed farm and sell the products of your farm to the general public, then being close to a city will be the best thing for you.  It gives you the outlet you need with out traveling long distances yourself.  On the other hand, you don't want to be too close to a city.  Closer you are, the higher your chances of violence occurring on your farm and towards your animals.  Also the closer you are to a city, the higher your taxes usually are going to be.

3)  Location of your farm buildings:
(a)This is just as important as the other two.  Your farm buildings need to be located where you can access them.  May sound easy, but think of this.  It is winter, you live where it snows, and you just got hit with a snow storm.  Getting to your farm buildings may not be as easy as you think.  Or the opposite.  You are in a very hot climate.  When the weather is 100 F and you have 90% humidity, just walking 500 feet to a barn carrying bales of hay can really over heat you.  So think of your climate and weather when you are planning your buildings.
(b)Another thing you need to take into account is the smells.  It is a farm, and they are animals, and they do defecate.  So, if you are going to have them enclosed for any reason, you may want those buildings a bit farther from your home so that there is not an unpleasant smell if you choose to open your windows.
(c)Also, if you have a water source you may think that having your barn close to that to water animals would be logical.  But think of your average rain fall or snow run off.  Be sure to not place it within a flooding area or an area lower then the surrounding land so that your barn will be dry.
(d)Do you plan on moving animals from one pasture to another?  How will they access the barn?  The water source?  All of these things, plus a lot more has to be considered when you are looking at locations for your farm buildings and fences.

Your locations, climate, buildings, and closeness to a city, are all things you need to consider when you are wanting to start a farm.  If you are buying and starting from scratch if you consider these things carefully that can be your first success, or your first failure.  These things can all be overcame, but it is not easy.  There is hope for those, like us, that inherit a farm and you have to figure out how to get around every one of these.  But if you are starting new, do it right and do it in a way that works for you to start with.

How to choose your chickens

When we first got chickens we thought we did a lot of research.  There is nothing like trying them and seeing what works for you.  But where do you start?

1.  What do you want from your chickens?
      This is going to be the most important question.  If you want a breed that is great for laying eggs, then you do not want something that lays very little eggs or very few eggs.  If your reason is meat, then you do not want something that will not give you what you want.

2.  How are you going to house them?
     How you are going to house them really makes a difference.  If you are in the city or a small urban acreage and they will be confined in runs or huts, then you need a chicken that will do good in that situation.  If you will have free range or pasture birds, then you need something that will fit in that environment.

3.  What do you want to do with the chickens?
     Will your chickens be pets, show birds, a backyard flock, or there for production only?  Some birds are very flighty and not suited for pets.

4.  What type of environment do you live in?
     This is one people often forget.  If you live in marshy areas where it rains a lot and is wet, then you need something suited to that.  If it is very hot, you do not want something with a lot of feathers.  If it is very cold, then something with a smaller comb is good.

5.  Color of egg matters?
     For some people it does.  So, knowing the color of egg is something to be looked at.  Eggs come in three primary colors.  White, brown, and blue.  There are varying shades within this group, but those are the primary three visual colors.


There are so many variations inside each of these questions that it would be impossible to narrow it down to one breed great for you.  Personal opinion will always be part of it.  So, how do you narrow it down?  Well, that is where the questions help.  Once you have the answers to the questions above I suggest you visit Henderson's Chicken Bred Chart.  This is an excellent chart to narrow down your choices.  Once you have an idea of what breeds you are looking for you can then source them out.  My suggest on that one is highly dependent on where you live, but in general you can either purchase from a hatchery or breeder.  If you look for a breeder you can Google it, look at local charters for that bred, or attend poultry shows.  Information on hatcheries are readily available online.  I hope this helps for those just getting started.