The Beginning Farmer

Expanding What’s Working

by Ethan on October 1, 2010

As I think about expanding on the farm and adding more livestock the most obvious enterprise for me to grow is the one that is working the best. Right now there is no doubt in my mind that my most successful venture has been the hogs. When the first thoughts of farming started flying through my mind I always envisioned grass-fed beef being the centerpiece of the farm. The realities of growing a herd of grass-fed beef and getting everything up and running have made me realize that maybe that my Dexters will have to take the back burner for the time being. The pigs (and the pork the provide) have been filling their traditional role as the “mortgage lifter” on the farm, and to tell you the truth I really enjoy raising them!

As I work through the process of adding more pigs to the farm I have decided that I want to attack it from two different angles. I would like to add more breeding stock (sows), but also add some feeder pigs so that I can have more finished product when the next farmer’s market season roles around. Doing both of these things helps me build not only for the near future, but also for seasons down the road. Of course there is always the option to just buy feeder pigs and finish them, but I like the idea of having control of my livestock from farrow to finish and I think my customers appreciate that as well.

This past year I sort of committed myself to the Hereford breed. Right now I only have one Hereford sow, but my boar is a Hereford and he will share the benefits of the Hereford breed (good mothers, great taste, easy going, etc.) with the entire swine herd. I would like to add a couple of more Hereford sows, but I’m also interested in exploring other breeds and trying different crosses. That is where the above picture comes in to the equation …

Those three are Tamworth gilts and I will be bringing at least one to the farm in the near future. The Tamworth is a lean bacon-type of hog that I have been wanting on the farm since I started, so to say that I’m excited about bringing a gilt to the farm is a bit of an understatement. I plan on experimenting with some Tamworth x Hereford crosses and also using AI to add a few more purebred Tamworths to the farm.

Plus … don’t they just look extra cool with those “stand-up” ears!?!

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Expanding on Expansion

by Ethan on September 30, 2010

Yesterday I wrote about my desire to see the farm grow and expand in the near future. Right now I’m in super planning and thinking and figuring mode. I’m trying to plan what needs to happen on the farm in a physical sense as far as structures and fencing goes. I’m trying to think of ways to expand the farm and what I feel comfortable adding in a short while. And, I’m trying to figure and pencil out what this all looks like on paper financially as I build up and then what sort of sales can and need to happen if I do build up. On one had it is very exciting and I’m kind of just having fun with the idea of throwing myself in a little deeper. On the other hand though the task seems nearly impossible and completely daunting!

One of the ways that I’m trying to contradict that is to try and rekindle some of the early passion I had for the farm. It is not so much that the passion has dwindled recently, but rather it has been pushed to the back of my mind with my new and improved busy work schedule (at least 60 hours of town jobs per week). I’m still passionate about raising animals on grass and connecting with customers how are also passionate about the food the use to fuel their lives. But, that passion has been pushed to the back burner for a while now.

The field day that I hosted back in August (you can read about it here) was one of the first things that helped bring that passion back to the front of my mind. Having others here on the farm that are farming or are thinking about farming really got me excited, and telling them about my farm helped me remember some of the reasons that I started in the first place. It was encouraging to talk to others and hear what they thought of the progress the farm has made up to this point. It helped me focus on what has been accomplished rather than on what hasn’t been done.

Reading and blogging (and tweeting) are things that I’m doing again to help me keep that focused passion for farming. About the same time that I stopped blogging is about the same time I stopped reading about farming. I don’t know how much those two are related, but I do realize that it was probably about the same time that I began to feel a little overwhelmed by what wasn’t done … and sometimes overwhelming feelings paralyze me!

But, I’m reading again and I thought it would be a good idea to start out with the first farming book I read … one of the ones that really made me think that a farm was a realistic possibility. So, I grabbed “You Can Farm” by Joel Salatin off the shelf the other night and started in. It is good to go over some of the ideas that I had one I was just starting to think and dream about a farm and also evaluate whether or not I’ve strayed from some of those original thoughts and ideas.

Of course all the passion, dreams, and excitement don’t add up to a successful business. That is why I’m trying to look at things from every angle I can possible think of as I look at the ins and outs of expanding Crooked Gap Farm. Oh … and I’m praying 😉

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Expansion …

by Ethan on September 29, 2010

When I first had the farming dream I began the best way that I knew how … by reading! And I tried to read as much as I could … books, magazines, online articles, research papers, and internet forums. I tried to gather as much information as I could and I started to plan and dream and dream and plan! As I look back on this farming adventure I realize that was an important step … not only to help me gain a little bit of “book knowledge”, but also to help give me the courage to jump in. Eventually though I just needed to jump in and start instead of talking about it and writing about it … that is how I ended up on the farm. I just jumped in!

Now, I feel like I’m getting to the point where I need to jump again. I pleased with the progress that I’ve made and I like the direction the farm is going, but I’m beginning to feel that I’m at a place where I just need to jump again. Either jump back from the farm a little bit (do more homesteading rather than “for sale” farming) or jump a little deeper in and up the ante. I’ve spent much of the past year or two writing about and thinking about the “next thing” for the farm and now might be the time to take those steps … to jump in like I did a few years ago.

With that in mind I’m looking at expanding the livestock operation on the farm by adding more pigs and hopefully hair sheep in the very near future. I would like to stick with the Hereford pigs for the most part so I’m looking along those lines, but with the sheep I’m going to have to really look and see what is available (Katahdin, St. Croix, etc.). More livestock will also mean that I will need to make more sales, so I’m beginning to plan for that as well.

Just as there was a lot of work to do when I jumped in there is a lot of work to do if I want to take the next step. I’m in the process of putting together my new work list and getting the farm ready for an infusion of more … more everything! I’ll take some time over the next few weeks (as time allows) to detail some of those steps that I’m working on. One thing is for sure though … I’m not going to bring anything to the farm unless I’m ready to have it at the farm! That is one lesson that has come through loud and clear.

Okay, I’m sort of back to blogging again (on an “as possible” basis), but if you would like to keep up-to-date on the farm and my farming misadventures be sure to follow me on Twitter @crookedgapfarm. As for the blog … make sure to subscribe on the right to receive the latest post in your e-mail inbox.

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A New Worker …

by Ethan on September 20, 2010

Last Friday I picked up a new worker for the farm … she’s a hard worker and goes most places that I ask her to go. And, on top of that she is my favorite color! I call her the 425 … and she’s a Polaris four-wheeler. She’s a bit older, but is a huge help getting around and getting things done quickly (which means a lot with my new schedule).

So far I’ve only had her four a couple days, but I’ve used her to build fence, move the water wagon, feed hogs, move the chicken trailer, check for shorts on the fence, and even ride around for fun! I’m thinking this will be one of those things that I’ll wonder how I ever lived without! Plus … did I mention the 425 is blue!

Now, if You didn’t know that I bought this four-wheeler then you should subscribe to me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/crookedgapfarm

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Big Day :: New Chainsaw

by Ethan on September 11, 2010

To say I’ve had bad luck in the chainsaw department is a bit of an understatement. So far I’ve had two auction special saws die on me and now fall/winter is coming. So today at work I bought a saw … a Stihl MS260 with a 20 inch bar to be exact. As you can see from the video below it really does work! It just took a little to get it going for the first time.

Captain, who works on the Stihl side of the store, was nice enough to take the video for me. As I mentioned in the video, I think this saw will get me through the winter, and many more to come.

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What Can I Say?

by Ethan on September 10, 2010

Things will always change. Sometimes they will change because you want them to and sometimes they will change even if you don’t want them to. In the end the consistent reality is that things will change. Lately my life and the life of this farm have been changing and because of this my drive and passion for writing (and in some senses the farm itself) has waned a bit. Now though I’m beginning to feel that the writing aspect of the farm needs to and can begin to make a reappearance again. Since the beginning of my blogging experience the writing has a done a lot to help fuel my passion and creativity on the farm and that is something that I would like to recapture a little. So … we will see what happens next.

A good place to start though is to catch up a little with the on farm activities and life changes ::

Throughout the summer Crooked Gap Farm was represented at the Living History Farms Farmer’s Market. Although the market didn’t quite have the numbers I would have hoped for it did provide a great place to learn about selling and working with customers at a farmer’s market. I was able to meet a lot of great new customers and learn what does and doesn’t work when you are running a frozen meat stand outside. I’m not sure what is in store for the farm next year when it comes to farmer’s market, but I think it’s safe to say that I will have some sort of presence at a market in Des Moines … at least part time.
Rotationally grazing the Dexter cattle has been wonderful and having the chickens follow behind has been really cool to watch. I still have a lot to learn about rotational grazing and because of some of the life changes I’m not able to do it exactly as I’d like to, but the results so far have been great. The herd (small herd) is being moved at least once per day and I can already tell a slight improvement in the pasture as the grass grows back. The overabundance of rain though this summer did hurt things a little and make it difficult on the ground that I seeded in the spring, but all in all I’d call it a success.
I’m loving the pigs. When I started out a few years ago I pictured the Dexter cattle as the centerpiece of the farm, but now after living it out for a couple years I really love the idea of having the pigs be the focal point of Crooked Gap Farm. I like working with the pigs and am really excited about the possibilities that are out there for pasture/wood lot pork. Right now there are three sows and a boar and I think there is room for some slow growth as the demand grows (and it is growing faster than I can keep up with).
Changes are happening. Recently I began working only part-time (20 hours) at the church that I have been working at for the past six plus years. This was a huge change in my life and it required some big changes on the farm and more. The biggest thing is that I now have a 2nd “town” job working on the NAPA side of the local farm store in town. So now I’m working 20 hours at the church and roughly 40 hours a week at NAPA. I’m still fleshing out how all this can work with the farm as well, but I’m confident we can survive the changes.

Those are just some quick hits from the farm lately. Of course a lot more has happened in my absence from the blog and I’m sure more will come out as I continue to get back into the writing swing of things. But, there are also some farm ideas and thoughts that I’m looking forward to fleshing out in thought and words … and hopefully if anyone is still out there reading … in interaction with you!

Thanks for your patience if you wander across this post 😉

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The Living History Farms Farmer’s Market

by Ethan on June 1, 2010

Another big development since I last blogged as that we have begun the Wednesday night market at the Living History Farms in earnest. As a side bar … if you are not aware of what the Living History Farms is then I encourage you to check out the link … it is a really cool place! So far we have set up for the “Market Preview” on the opening and and three Wednesday evenings (two of which had great weather and one that had some serious storm action going on so we were inside). Here are some of my thoughts after just a few weeks …

Probably the thing I love most about setting up at the market is the chance to interact with people. Not everybody I talk to purchases something (it seems like I chat with a few vegetarians each time), but it does give me the opportunity to share the farm and the reasons behind the way I farm. Plus I figure that each person I talk to gives me just that much more experience.
Setting up a display that catches peoples eye when all you are selling is frozen meat (that is hidden away in coolers) is a bit difficult. I think that we have a nice table with plenty of pictures and information, but we have a lot of people just wander by or others that stop but don’t realize we have pork for sale! Hopefully some of that will be remedied by a new ten foot long vinyl sign that I’m having made. I am open for suggestions though!
Farmer’s Markets have a lot more crafts than I would have guessed. Our market is small and in only it’s second year, but there are a couple knit/sewing vendors and sometimes even three jewelry vendors. Plus, you have to remember there are only 17’ish vendors set up now. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just something I didn’t realize.
I think I’m coming to realize that garden produce is important. So far there hasn’t been much available at the market and I think that keeps some people away … even though I have great pork for sale each week! It will be interesting to see how things shake out as the garden harvest begins.
The Living History Farms is a very cool place featuring the agricultural history of Iowa in a hands on sort of way and with small-scale working farms. With that in mind I think this market has the potential to be equally as cool. Because they have staff on site they are able to offer pretty cool demonstrations and there has even been live music on two different Wednesdays. One thing to look forward to that I believe the blacksmith will be making an appearance this summer.
The biggest thing that I’ve come to learn so far is that I have a lot to learn! A lot to learn about marketing and setting up, but also just about the best way to go about things at the market. The best way to fill the coolers … the best way to add up the purchases … the best way to handle the transactions quickly … and so much more. Plus, I’ve also learned it’s nice if you don’t forget stuff :: I’ll work on that 😉

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Hello My Friends …

by Ethan on May 31, 2010

This morning some one said to me, “May 7th!” With a look of confusion on my face I admitted that meant nothing to me, but then they were quick to point out that was the last time I made a blog post. (Oddly enough it was about me wanting a truck and wanting to sell my Expedition … I still want a truck, but haven’t sold the Expedition yet.) I wish that there were just tons and tons of things that I needed to catch people up on, but really things have been rather mundane … and very busy all at the same time. I will try to take some time this week to share some of the changes that have been happening. The most exciting one though is probably the fact that I’m now making three moves per day with the cattle.

I’m not sure what to call it because it really isn’t Mob Grazing because of the limiting factors of the pastures, but it is at least spreading out some nutrients and getting the cows on fresh grass often. The limiting factors that I’m talking about are the very thin and not super lush stand of grass that I have right now. After 14 years of no management and plenty of weeds and brush taking over the stand of warm season grasses is not very thick and it doesn’t take off very quickly in the spring. Because of that I end up putting the cows in smallish areas, but they eat off the grass very quickly and then need to be moved. Also, as you can see in the picture above I started off feeding a little hay to keep them in a small area longer, but I just found it was too much hassle and didn’t help the way I wanted it to. There isn’t a large concentration of manure being put down … but, it is a start!

I’m also beginning to get an idea of just how much grazing is possible on the farm and I’m liking what I’m seeing especially as the pastures begin to improve … which has to happen at some point. Tomorrow I’ll try to post a picture of what the ground looks like after the cows have been moved and then what it looks like a couple weeks later. Like I said, the warm season grasses don’t take off, but there is some regrowth happening and I think over time the clovers will come back and more.

So far the down side has (besides the thin pastures) has been the watering. I have a large tank on a hay rack that I move around with them and a waterer that I drag to each paddock, but I don’t like how it’s working out so far. I do have some plans though and I’ll share them as I think through them.

Hope this counts as a post 🙂 And, I’ll share a little more as the week goes on.

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Selling and Buying …

by Ethan on May 7, 2010

It’s been busy lately around the farm, the church, and with the family. Because of that I’ve fallen off the blog map. But, while I was gone I was keeping up with the good discussion going on in my post about farm decisions and purchasing a truck. I’ve been wanting to jump in on the discussion, but just haven’t had the chance until now, so I decided a whole new post would be a good idea since I think there has been a lot said … and I’ve had a lot on my mind. If you want to catch up on the original post and the discussion thereafter just check out this link.

The general consensus is that I need a truck … in fact some people are surprised to hear that I’ve been farming without a truck for the past few years. But, sometimes reality is that you can’t have everything that would be nice to have and that you certainly can’t have it at once. That has been the case with a truck, and I’ve been making do. Instead of a truck I’ve been using a variety of trailers … borrowed from family and friends. Now I’m ready to make the plunge though … if I can make everything work out.

But, there are some realities that I need to face if I’m going to get a truck. Right now I have a 2000 Ford Expedition with about 140,000 miles on it. I’ve had it for about 5 years and during that time have had some work done on it that should help it keep going for some time to come. This vehicle can pull the stock trailer with no problem and I’ve used it to haul as many as three large bales (round and square). On top of all of that everyone in the family can fit in it and it is paid for of course.

With that in mind I need to purchase a truck that will replace the Expedition and still work out for my needs. It will need to be an extended cab with a bench set up front and in back if possible. Since I’m selling the Expedition it’s going to need to be 4×4 (it just makes sense). A long box would be a plus and I’ll even admit that I wouldn’t mind a topper (even though I hate the looks of them).

The issue (as always) is finances. I believe I mentioned that I wasn’t going to buy a truck until I sold my Expedition. I think that just makes sense not to have two big vehicles sitting around and have money tied up on both of them (one of which I won’t be using). I also have to look at other priorities on the farm and look at where to spend the limited resources I have. With that in mind I want to sell the Expedition and purchase a truck for pretty much the same amount …

I realize that won’t get me the biggest and baddest and that it means I may have to compromise in some areas, but this farm is only a working farm it it can not break me financially! If I went out and got a new truck … okay that won’t happen! Let’s just say that if I went out and got a $12,000 truck I would have to eat into money that could be used for other things on the farm … like buying hay, putting in more fence, getting temporary fencing supplies, adding sheep, installing water and electricity to the shed, and so much more. That truck might be nice and wonderful and be able to do a lot, but I might not be able to afford to do the things I could use it to do 😉

So … sell the Expedition and then get the best truck that I can with the money I have in hand. It won’t work out perfectly, but not much else has so why would I expect this to? That’s just the way it works on the farm sometimes 😉

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Green!

by Ethan on April 29, 2010

So, it’s not very often that people get excited about a couple of blades of green grass. But … I’m beyond excited … I’m ABSOLUTELY excited!! Each time I drive into town it’s like all the other pastures with their thick cool season grasses are laughing at my acres full of warm season grasses that are not growing much now as they wait for the … warm season! I was excited to drill in the new grass seed, but I’m a “right now” kind of guy and it’s been killing me not seeing anything growing out there. But, if you look closely at the picture on the right you can see a few thin blades of grass poking through the ground and even some clover in the front! Needless to say, I’m excited …

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