The Beginning Farmer

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The month of July (which to my surprise is almost over) has been quite possibly the busiest month on the farm since we moved here five years ago. Between our own growing farm, my job in town, and working for our neighbors there have been many times when I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. I’m not going to say that it has been a great time, but I do know that I am learning a lot and that our farm is growing!

On today’s episode I wanted to take some time to talk about a topic that I never have really spent much time discussing … on my blog or on The Beginning Farmer Show. The topic is “how-to raise livestock”, and the reason that I have never really covered it is because I’m just a beginner! I have also said that raising livestock is an art form … I think it is an art that most people can learn, but it takes time … experience … mistakes … and lots of patience to learn the art of raising livestock on pasture and in the woodlot and I know that I’m not an expert so I haven’t really wanted to claim to be one by talking about it very much. With all of that in mind though I have created …

Five Simple Steps to Raising Livestock

1. Read about it …
2. Talk about it …
3. Think about it …
4. Buy livestock …
5. Then learn out to raise them

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

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To say that it has been a little crazy on the farm lately would be a bit of an understatement. I have raked hay, mowed hay, staked hay, feed animals, watered animals, tried to make animals comfortable in the heat, attended the county fair, and broke lots of things! All of that led to this weeks episode becoming part of next weeks episode … if that makes any sense! Nevertheless I did sit down (over the course of a few days) to share some updates from the farm, my hard lesson learned for the week, and a few thoughts on “big farmers” and “little farmers”. There used to be a time in my farming journey when I may have titled this section “big farmers” vs. “little farmers”, but I think there is so much that can be learned and shared between all farmers, no matter their farming methods!

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

You’ll hear about it when I finally get around to recording this weeks episode (which will happen this week), but for the time being let’s just say it has been one of those weeks on the farm (and on my neighbors farm that I work on). On top of my all around grumpy mood and tired self I also took Tuesday morning off and am taking this morning off as well to spend some time at the fair with the kids. My oldest will be joining 4-H next year so we have to scout out the competition … I mean it will be nice to know who it is that will be beating us! But, just to prove I am working on the episode I have a sneak peek …

• Of course there will be some time for farm updates … which include the fact that I took a step up and drove the big boy John Deere equipment this week (okay … maybe not the big boy … but it was big for me)
• “Big Farmers and Small Farmers” … when I was a “beginning” beginning farmer as opposed to just a beginning farmer like I am now I may have said, “vs.” instead of “and”. I have a lot of thoughts on this topic.
• Oh … the hard lesson … let’s just say that it is about the need to do what you think you need to do even if you don’t think you need to do it. Hopefully it will make more sense when I talk about it!

So … tune in soon … for the next episode of “The Beginning Farmer Show!”

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If you missed last weeks episode you might want to check it out before listening to this one because it is the first half of my interview with Luke Gran the Next Generation Coordinator with Practical Farmers of Iowa. PFI is an organization that I have been involved with since almost the very beginning of my farming journey and their staff, field days, on-line resources, and “Farminars” have helped me along the way.

In this section of the interview Luke and I talk about everything from the 100 Days, 100 Beginners campaign that is currently running to raise funds to help beginning farmers to balancing the town job with the job on the farm. If you are a beginning farmer (which is someone who has been in charge of farming for less than 10 years) I would encourage you to get connected with PFI and their wealth of information!

You can learn more about Practical Farmers of Iowa or Luke Gran by checking out these links …

• Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Practical Farmers of Iowa on Facebook
• Table Top Farm (the farm that Luke and his wife are partners of)

If you have an input on the topic be sure to leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

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With the exception of the first episode (because I was excited to finally get The Beginning Farmer Show going) this is probably the episode that I have most looked forward to releasing. Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Luke Gran of Practical Farmers of Iowa. Mr. Gran is the “Next Generation Coordinator” for PFI and has his hands in organizing a lot of great learning opportunities for beginning and experienced farmers! On todays show we have a wide ranging discussion covering everything from the definition of a beginning farmer to what the most identified needs of beginners are. If you are not familiar with PFI I would suggest you get over to their website today and check out the great information they have available … whether you live in Iowa or not!

You can learn more about Practical Farmers of Iowa or Luke Gran by checking out these links …

• Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Practical Farmers of Iowa on Facebook
• Table Top Farm (the farm that Luke and his wife are partners of)

If you have an input on the topic be sure to leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

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Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What in the world am I doing?” From time to time that is a question I have asked myself on this farming journey, and this past week was one of those weeks where that question kept bouncing around in my head. It wasn’t the first time that I have tried to answer that question though … way back in October, 2006 I wrote a blog post simply titled “Why FARM?” You can click on the link and take a ride on the way back machine if you would like to read about my positives and negatives of that question. Keep in mind though as you read through that post that it was one of my first posts … I wasn’t even close to farming … and I was just a kid compared to the old guy that I am now (or something like that).

This week I took to not only think about and write out some of my reasons for farming. As I worked though my thoughts on paper I was encouraged by my reasons and even excited about the future of the farm. On this weeks episode of “The Beginning Farmer Show” I share my…

“Six New Reasons I Farm”

1. I really do love what I’m doing when I’m working on the farm.
2. It is a great place to raise my kids.
3. I’m a dreamer.
4. I would enjoy making a living as a farmer.
5. I like to raise animals with their created purpose in mind.
6. I love being around people.

If you have an input on the topic be sure to leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

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Anyone who raises livestock and produces more than their own family can consume will at some point have to consider how they are going to sell their products (or even how they will barter it). For many small-scale direct marketing livestock farms the question then becomes are the going to only sell whole/half animals, only individual cuts in some sort of retail setting, or a combination of both. In our case we do almost an equal amount of whole/half sales and individual cut sales when it comes to our pork, but in the future I would like to see that scale take a major tip towards mostly (or even only) selling whole and half hogs.

In this episode I spend a little time talking about how we sell pork on our farm and what the positives and negatives are with our method at this point. This is a topic that I’m very passionate about, but because of that I have a tendency to find myself rambling a little and possibly repeating myself. In fact you can read this post … or this follow up post from two years ago on this very same topic. What I would love to hear about though is your thoughts on how to sell the animals that you raise!

• Do you only sell whole/half animals?
• Do you only sell individual cuts or small bundles?
• Do you sell retail or wholesale or even to convention markets?
• Do you do something crazy cool like a “Meat CSA” with a variety of meat cuts each week or two?

If you have an input on the topic be sure to leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.

As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

If you are a beginning farmer like I am there are plenty of things that can be intimidating. I mean if you’re raising animals for the first time … managing breeding for the first time … raising crops for the first time … marketing for the first time … and so much more, it can be very intimidating. Then you have to factor in ol’ Uncle Sam and the rules and regulations for selling meat off the farm and in retail settings. Those can be very scary if you don’t know what you are doing … and when we were starting out it meant many phone calls to various governmental organizations.

On this weeks show I take some time to answer a couple of listener e-mails about some of the legal issues surrounding meat sales and why we decided to go to an “official” poultry processor instead of doing it ourselves on the farm. For some farmers on-farm poultry processing is the only option, but we are blessed to have both a poultry processor and an “everything else” locker so near the farm. My biggest piece of advice when it comes to questions like this is to find farmers in your state that are doing what you want to do and pick their brain a little bit … the begin calling the state offices of Inspection and Appeals … and be ready for a little confusion 😉

If you have a question for The Beginning Farmer you can leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.

Beyond all of that it has been a very good week on the farm. Thanks to our amazing customers we had a great week at the farmers’ market. For the first time this season we have our pasture raised whole chickens in the freezer. And, on top of all that … we were able to pick up some nice Hereford feeder pigs from a farmer in Illinois who met me when I took the chickens to the processor. Sometimes if feels like everything is falling apart on the farm and then sometimes it just seems to be working like a well oiled machine. Even though the “well oiled machine” weeks seem few and far between they are awesome when they happen … and this was one of those weeks!

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: Because iTunes and Blogger were not playing nicely I now have a different feed for the podcast episodes. You can find a The Beginning Farmer Show specific feed at this link if you use an rss reader. I hope this also helps with some download problems others had been having as well.**

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Just because another farmer in your area sells many of the same products as your farm and farms in a way that is similar to yours does not mean that you need to look at them as competition. What would happen though if instead of seeing those farms as “competition” we saw them as partners in farming, marketing, and our community? On our farm and in our community we have experienced a lot of benefits from building relationships with other farms in our area … even if we could be considered “direct competitors” with them.

On todays show I share five reasons why I believe it is important to build those relationships and how they can benefit all of the farmers in your community. I would love to hear about how you have built relationships with your farm neighbors and what the benefits have been. Join the discussion and leave a comment below!

Five Reasons to Build Marketing Relationships

1. There is Room in the Market :: It is my belief that the local food movement is a market that is still growing, so there is room for more great farms to become involved in their community.
2. Learning is Important :: The knowledge that farmers in the same area can share is so much better than things you can read in a book because you are farming with similar variables.
3. Cooperation Can Bring Growth :: When a group of farms in an area join forces they can have an impact that is larger than any one of them could have done on their own. (Check out our Farm Crawl)
4. Marketing Friendships Have Benefits :: Having other farmers at a market pointing potential customers your way is about the best advertising you can have.
5. Your Tummy Can Benefit :: Farmers that raise great tasting food sometimes share that food! And really is that type of community one of the values of most small-scale farms?

• Crooked Gap Farm
• Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook
• Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

**Special Note :: Because iTunes and Blogger were not playing nicely I now have a different feed for the podcast episodes. You can find a The Beginning Farmer Show specific feed at this link if you use an rss reader. I hope this also helps with some download problems others had been having as well.**