Winters end is near.

We have been blessed with a mild winter. Here are some pictures  from last winter. Things don't change much but they change some. 

-->

Small Farm - Big Profits (Sometimes)

Diversity is the name of the game when it comes to small farms. the list of products is pretty long.

• Asparagus, Baby vegetables, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Chinese water chestnuts, Cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi), Corn, miniature, Fenugreek, Edible flowers, Garlic, Gourds, ornamental, Gourmet vegetables, Greenhouse production for out-of-season crops, Heirloom varieties of any vegetable, Herbs - culinary and medicinal, Horseradish, Luffa gourds, Mushrooms- agaricus, shiitake, oyster, morel, etc., Onions (transplants, shallots, sweet, early), Organically grown vegetables of all types, Oriental vegetables, Peas and pea shoots, Peppers - specialty types (purple, hot, etc.), Pumpkins, Red beets, Salad greens - mesclun, Sprouts (alfalfa, bean, etc.), Squash, Sweet corn, Sweet potatoes, Tomatoes - specialty types, Truffles, Wasabi ,Apples, esp. Heirloom varieties, Asian pears, Brambles - blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, blackraspberries, etc., Blueberries, Cranberries, currants, Elderberries, Gooseberries, Kiwi, hardy, Lingonberries, Melons - specialty types, Paw paw, Rhubarb products, Strawberries, day neutral types, Table grapes, seeded and seedless, Wine grapes for home brewing market

I stole the above list from a couple of sections from http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/altlist.shtml

which is the USDA's website that lists possible agricultural land and property uses.

Monoculture farming (where you see acres and acres for miles and miles of corn, soybeans, or melons) works for megafarms but, for the homestead farmer, limited resources and land necessitate a wide variety of crops and livestock

 Another consideration is that when you eat what you grow you want to make sure you grow a wide variety. If you find you have an affinity for growing a certain crop and have a market for it, by all means- grow it. But most small homesteads need more than one cash crop or revenue source. You don't have to sell $30K in one main crop if you pull in $3K from potatoes $5k from plants for transplanting, $6k from apples, $11K in potatoes, $15K in feeder calves, $4K in Christmas trees and wreaths. The disadvantages of keeping the physical capital and means of production for these multiple crops is offset by the stability that having multiple crops offers. If heavy spring rains drown out your potatoes you still have your other crops.

Same can be said for animals and poultry multiple products living in synergy = bigger profit from smaller acreage. You have to have a plan and then be fluid enough to adjust your plan to make the necessary changes to optimize return. 

Spring is near!!!

The irises in my yard are sprouting up through the ground. The geese have started to lay big wax coated eggs again. The warmer rains have melted the snow off the vacant pasture which thus emerges a brighter green that when it was covered. The small pond runs over and is clear and clean dispite the best efforts of the geese  and ducks to keep it muddy.

How much do you know about eggs?

When you collect your eggs is it good to wash them before storage?

No, In fact washing eggs is a bad thing, it only forces bacteria into them, and makes them unhealthy to eat. Washing eggs also weakens the shell, therefore it shortens the time the egg will stay good while in the refrigerator. The only time an egg should be washed is if it has blood or feces on it. Water slightly warmer than the temperature of the egg is the best way to clean the eggs. Most agricultural stores such as Tractor Supply or Southern States sale egg cleanser. It’s not good to even use cleaners because it also goes into the egg through its pores; therefore you are eating chemicals plus the bacteria.

Wintertime

This little 8x8 barn was built for $18 in nails and a bunch of scraps that had been laying around the farm since I used to tear down houses. It is not doing me alot of good as it is full of lots of junk. But then again every farm has to have a place to store junk, rainy day projects, parts and rarelly used tools.

The Goats are very happy in their barn. It is very small but cozy and built well with little expense. A too tight barn harbors dampness and disease ventilation and plenty of fresh bedding helps with parasites and foot rot. The little pond catches all the run off from the roof and some springs feed it from below. The cickens and ducks and geese clean up any grain that makes its way through the goats or they overlook at feeding time.

I wish I had rotated before I uploaded this tree.

A rooster and hen stand out in the road . The fence is like a frosted spiderweb.

Winter time is here on the farm and its been a very mild one, which is good. we finally had our first significant snowfall , 8 inches or so last week. I have been hibernating and feeding out lots of grain and hay, we lost our alpaca a couple of weeks ago. he must have been quite old.