by Ethan
on December 4, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I talk a lot on the show about the importance of getting out there and learning from other farmers because there is so much knowledge to be gained from those real life experiences. But, there are times when your life just dictates that you can’t get out there and do some on farm training. That was my case when I began this farming journey and I scoured the internet looking for resources that would help me along the way. The great thing about a lot of the links and resources I found was that it came from famers who were doing great on-farm research through comparing systems, feeds, structures, and so much more. I found links to videos, research bulletins, articles, spreadsheets, and so much more that gave me some of the information that was useful to a beginning/dreaming farmer. On today’s episode I share “8 Great Online Resources for Farmers (Beginning or Experienced)”
Links Mentioned in This Episode …
What are your favorite online resources for farmers? 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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on November 27, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
How long will it be until I am able to be a full-time farmer without the need of any off-farm income? That is a question that I have heard quite a few times in the past five years of being a beginning farmer and writing and talking about it on-line. It is a very valid question though, and even one that I have thought about a lot during this farming journey. There are two important things to think about though when you are looking at that question though I believe. First of all I think it is important to realize that a majority of farmers in the United States have off-farm income, and secondly sometimes people who want to be farmers don’t always want to quit their job in town. That is the case with me at this point in my life. I very much enjoy my work in town and it is something I could see myself doing for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think we could make the farm go full-time. There are some limiting factors to think about though …
- Mortgages can be killer and be something that holds you back from farming full-time.
- There are a lot of expenses that are variable depending on your family situation. For example in our family health insurance is a huge expense … bigger than the mortgage!
- How much capital do you have to spend and live off of until the farm starts making money. You know the old adage … you gotta spend money to make money.
- And on, and on, and on!
On today’s episode I take some time to answer a listener e-mail all about that question … How long until I become a full-time farmer. I do my best to answer the question, but in the end it seems like a non-answer. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. If you were starting from zero how long do you think it would take you to get to full-time?
Links Mentioned in This Episode …
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on November 26, 2013
If you are a Beginning Farmer Show podcast listener or blog reader and are itching for more farm updates or thoughts on setting up a beginning farm, you can now follow The Beginning Farmer’s Wife on Facebook, where I will have additional personal peeks at building a family farm, along with posting notifications of when my new Beginning Farmer’s Wife blog posts come out.
Since I’m not the speaker that Ethan is, you’ll be hard pressed to get me on the podcast, but I will try to share my thoughts and perspectives through my blog and Facebook page. 🙂
~Becca
The Beginning Farmer’s Wife |
{ }
by Ethan
on November 20, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Diversification is one of this “big words” when it comes to the small-scale farming community. On our farm we raise pigs, chickens, cattle, sheep, and rabbits on the pastures and in the woodlots. Part of the reason we raise such a diverse amount of livestock is because it is just plain fun, but it also because there are benefits for our farm and land by being diversified. The animals work together and compliment each other in a way that build organic matter in the soil, helps with parasite control in the livestock, helps increase the fertility of our pastures and woodlots, and they even help us manage our woodlots and control erosion! That is not the only type of diversification on our farm … lately I have been thinking a lot about diversifying our marketing in order to help the farm grow and protect our farm from little hiccups that may occur along the way.
Right now the Downtown Des Moines Farmers’ Market and our whole/half hog sale are absolutely the top of our marketing outlets, but as we slowly grow our farm we are finding and researching different places and ways to sell our pork, poultry, and lamb. Of course we have a new Meat CSA that will begin in January, but there are also a couple of other ideas that may become part of our marketing toolbox.
Links Mentioned in This Episode …
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on November 13, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Food, water, shelter … those are all pretty important things when it comes to raising animals (or people for that matter), and they are also things that I talk about a lot on the podcast. But, it seems like the most expensive and difficult to figure out sometimes is feed … especially when it comes to pigs on my farm! There is always a struggle to get the feeders set so that the pigs have to work just hard enough to get feed, but not too hard. There is the question of how much feed value they are getting from the pastures and woodlot. And, of course there is always the question of organic … non-GMO … or conventional feeds. With all that in mind I’m also always looking for ways to get the feed costs down and keep the efficiencies of raising our pigs up … it is a fine line.
That is why the e-mail I received from Claudia about organic and alternative feeds for pigs caused me to think about so many different things. Questions like these have been running through my head all week …
- How can I switch over to organic feed and keep my costs down?
- What plants should I be planting in my pig paddocks?
- Is non-GMO most important for me now … or organic … or a certain price point and doing the best that I can with the feed?
- Should organic feeds cost as much as they do?
- Why am I so confused!?!
Claudia posed a great question, and while I do have a lot of thoughts on the subject I’m not sure if I have a lot of answers. Because of that I’m including some great links below to articles and research reports about a wide variety of hog feed alternatives. In fact I saw one even mentioned potato chips … I would strongly disagree with that option though!
Alternative Pig Feed Links …
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on November 6, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Projects have slowed down a little bit lately on the farm because of a some rain lately, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t be getting a lot accomplished! This past weekend we held our first ever on farm class and it was a day that we enjoyed very much. I am very passionate about the farm and about the values we have that impact how we run the farm so it is always great to share some of that passion. Hopefully those that were able to come and enjoy the day were able to get a “peak behind the curtain” of life on Crooked Gap Farm. We tried hard to give a realistic picture of the decisions that we have to make and the ups and downs of starting a farm business from scratch. I will say though that we were very much blessed by those that came and learned a lot from everyones experiences that will help our farm going forward. Stay tuned because I think there will be more farm classes in the future!
On today’s episode I wanted to take some time to answer some listener questions that have been coming in lately. Here are the topics that I will be talking about …
- Breeding and raising Katahdin sheep
- Selecting beef breeds for a grassfed farm
- And, a question about our house
Links and Books mentioned in this episode (some of the links are affiliate links) …
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on October 31, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It is the time of year when I feel like I can breathe a big sigh of relief. There is still plenty to do and I don’t feel like there will be any less going on in our family life or our farm life, but it does feel like we can at least check one thing off the list … Outdoor Farmers’ Market Season is done! I wanted to take a little bit of time today sharing some of my thoughts on this past market season, which was our best by far, and what some of the good things and the bad things were. There are always things that I would like to do better and while I feel confident in the workflow of making transactions with customers I do wish I had a more visually appealing display to draw in potential customers. I also spend some time talking about the importance of having diverse products at the market in order to reach as many customers as possible, and of course how thankful I am for all of our farm friends that support us week and and week out during the market season!
I also spend a little bit of time talking about an interesting quote that I stumbled across from Joel Salatin this past week which interestingly enough fits perfectly into a discussion about farmers’ markets. The basic takeaway from Mr. Salatin’s comments was that you would be better off spending time marketing in other places than spending your Saturdays tied up at a market. While I will say that not all markets are created equal and I do think we have the best market out there for farmers and for customers I will also concede that I don’t completely disagree with what he says. If you would like to listen to the whole interview and specifically his thoughts on marketing check out the links in the list below. In fact I greatly recommend you listen to that episode … especially if you are a young or beginning farmer!
Links mentioned in this episode …
Interested in signing-up? Just shoot me an e-mail!
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on October 23, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
While we were in the middle of the summer and I was busy mowing and raking hay, taking care of the farm, and doing the farmers market (as well as a few other odds and ends) I thought maybe things would slow down in the “off-season”. Well, we are getting closer to the theoretical off-season and I have to say that I don’t think things will be slowing down that much! I’m choosing to be encouraged by that though because on many levels it means that things are working … and when they are working it means good work! On today’s episode I spend a bit of time updating the various happenings on the farm which include both good and bad things … which is life on the farm. But, I also wanted to take some time to answer a question that came in on e-mail from a young man with an interest in farming.
Last week I received an e-mail from Barrett who basically said, “I have wanted to farm since I was ten, but I don’t know how to farm”. That statement that I related to on so many levels that I just felt like I had to share some thoughts on the subject … because there are plenty of times still where I think, “I want to farm, but I don’t know how to farm”! My answer can simply be summed up by one word … Apprenticeships! Knowing what I know now if I could go back to the time when I was 17 and getting ready to enter college there are a few “apprenticeships” that I would have included in my summers, weekends, and free-time in general. There are so many “hats” that a farmer wears each day and if you can go into your farming journey with at least a little experience in each of these “hats” then I think you have a leg up in the game!
Here are the apprenticeships I would consider …
- A Farm – This is the obvious one, and it is very important. Work on a farm … any farm … even if they don’t do everything how you would do it, because you will learn a lot!
- A Mechanics Shop – It doesn’t matter if it’s a tractor shop, a car shop, or a mower shop … a background in mechanical things will help any beginning farmer.
- A Welding/Metalwork Shop – I don’t know how to weld and this is one of the things I most wish I knew how to do … it literally could save me thousands of dollars over the life of the farm.
- A Meat Processor – You may never have your own on-farm official processing facility, but the knowledge you gain can help you not only in your processing for your own use but also in marketing and working with customers.
- An Electrician/Carpenter/Construction in General – There is always something that needs to be built, plumbed, or wired on the farm. Having the knowledge on how to do it … at least the basics … will always help.
I’d love to hear your thoughts … what apprenticeships would you recommend to a young beginning farmer?
Links mentioned in this episode …
Interested in signing-up? Just shoot me an e-mail!
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on October 16, 2013
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This past Sunday when I walked outside to head to church I was mildly shocked to see my windshield covered with frost. Not that it was too early for a frost, but rather because it really hadn’t been forecasted and I was still basically in summer mode mentally. That chilly reminder did quickly bring into clear focus though the reality that winter will be here before I know it … and I don’t have any wood cut/split/stacked! Besides making a big woodpile there are plenty of other things that need to be do to get the livestock and their winter quarters ready. I have been spending a lot of time the past few episodes talking about my plans for the hoop house (winter housing for the pigs), but there is still plenty to do for the chickens, guineas, cattle, sheep, and rabbits. On todays episode I’ll share what my winter plans are for each species and then talk a little bit about the difficulties winter brings to the farm … and even a positive or two that I can take away from the winter season!
Links mentioned in this episode …
Interested in signing-up? Just shoot me an e-mail!
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
{ }
by Ethan
on October 9, 2013
With the Farm Crawl behind us for this year we are very excited to announce our new farm event coming up on Saturday, November 2nd 2013 called “Crooked Gap Farm :: How Do They Do That?” Hosting an event like this is something that we have wanted to do for a long time, but no we finally feel that we are at a place in our farming lives that we have some great information to share and a lot to talk about on our farm. If you have ever wanted an in-depth tour of the farm, the chance to ask detailed questions about our farm enterprises, or wanted to see up close how various things on the farm work then this is the perfect event for you. This event will give you a “peek behind the curtain” at Crooked Gap Farm and we will take time to answer as many of your questions as we can to the best of our abilities. Check out all of the details below …
Cost :: $65 ages 13 and up … $20 ages 4-12 … age 3 and under Free
What Will the Day Look Like?
- 9:00 Am until Noon — Intensive farm tour of each of our enterprises
- Noon until 1:00 PM — A Crooked Gap Farm lunch featuring our woodlot raised Hereford pork
- 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM — A frank discussion of beginning a farm from scratch and balancing your family, that job in town, and of course your farm dreams
- 3:00 PM until 4:00 PM — A look into Ethan’s toolbox … what books, articles, resources, people, websites, and more does he utilize in this farming journey
- 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM — Your chance to ask that question that you’ve been dying to ask, or we can even head back out to the pastures and take a little closer look at certain things
- 6:00 PM to until we’re done — A Crooked Gap Farm Supper and lots of connecting and discussion around the tables
Interested in signing-up? Just shoot me an e-mail!
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!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an
e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
**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.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother’s record label, Historic Records)
Join the Community