The Beginning Farmer

After my post earlier this week on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) I decided it has time that I took heed of my own advice (along with the advice of the comments) and made sure I stayed up-to-date on the happenings surrounding NAIS and all of it’s cronies. The first thing I did was to read through some of the posts I missed at NoNAIS.org and make sure I’m following it daily. It was my daily reading that lead me to this post and this link from the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association. If you don’t ever read another link I offer up on the blog you MUST read this one!

It would be great if I could file this information in the, “Crazy … Unbelievable … No Way This Could Happen in America File”, but with the money of large corporations behind it I fear that it is an all too real danger. When you combine the information in this “White Paper” from the NICFA with the very real legislation in our government right now (HR 875 check out that link … there is commentary on the bill and a link to the bill itself) you can see why there are so many small farmers outraged at what is going on … and I hope there is just as many consumers that are outraged!

Here are a few tidbits form the NICFA “White Paper”. Tell me why I shouldn’t believe this and why I shouldn’t be outraged … please tell me (it would be so much easier if I didn’t think this was a problem).

“During this economic downturn, when small farms are the fastest growing agriculture sector, these expanding sources of employment and local food production would fail. At the same time, taxpayer burden would increase to pay for government agencies to oversee and enforce NAIS.”

“The monetary and time costs to implement NAIS are prohibitive for any but the largest industrial livestock producers. Small farms, that make up the vast majority of agricultural holdings, could not comply and sustain their operations.”

“The USDA’s claim that “modern” technology will enable 48-hour traceback during disease outbreak is untenable. In reality, NAIS will not prevent disease because it does not address the cause of disease. Traceback can help track the movement of disease, but if a cataclysmic foreign animal disease outbreak occurred, NAIS will not improve on the current system for containment and quarantine.”

“Anyone who is serious about outdoor production should focus on breaking the pattern of dependence on the practices and products that have cast such a shadow over animal agriculture of late. You cannot make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, nor can you create quality pork out of a stress-laden and severely driven confinement situation.” That is what Kelly Klober had to say in the opening paragraphs of chapter seven (Herd Health) in his book “Dirt Hog”. It may not be a popular statement in some circles (each to their own and stuff), but I think it is very thought provoking and even a bit insightful.

In this chapter Mr. Klober tackles many issues related to swine herd health and what a hog farmer should know how to do, but I thought that it was interesting (and encouraging) that he began the chapter by discussing the overall (almost holistic) benefits of raising hogs outdoors and like people used to. He is not opposed to advancements in medical care or knowledge, but he it does seem to think that those needs can be greatly lowered when you take the pigs outside again. I tend to agree and experienced many of those same things with our first batch, and was also able to see it on other farms through the recent online farm tours that I was able to watch.

I should also point out that Mr. Klober seemst to think the middle of the road (yet natural) way of production is best. He writes that he is not sold on “organic” yet (although he doesn’t define it so much), but part of that is because he wonders how “organic” acres of cropland can be in the Midwest. Also, he cites the lack of availability of feed as an issue. I agree those are both points to ponder, but it doesn’t write off organic.

That discussion is not all this chapter is about though. I found a lot of good information in the sections on necessary skills (castrations, injections, taking temperatures, processing baby pigs, and knowing when to call a vet), simple restraints, health care supplies (having them in one place and close by), and what to think about and watchout for through the life of a pig on the farm. All in all, I think a book expanding on the basic ideas in this chapter would be worth its weight in gold (and gold is pretty pricey now).

…Jilann… She selected “Making Your Small Farm Profitable” by Ron Macher. This is a book that I read a little over a year ago and enjoyed very much. Here is what I wrote about the book after finishing it (you can find all my chapter reports at this link),

“As I have mentioned in some of the “chapter reports” it is a little different than some of the books by Gene Logsdon, Wendell Berry, or Joel Salatin. While all three of those writers include many practical tips and advice in their books they also include many philosophical thoughts behind the reason to do things certain way. Mr. Macher doesn’t get into some of those areas and sticks with the basics. Things like what livestock or crops to choose, what to consider when buying machinery, how to set goals, and so on.”

Congratulations Jilann! Send me an e-mail through the link on the right and I will get your book sent out to you.

Let me also just take this opportunity to again thank everyone for following the blog and getting involved in the conversation. Your help and encouragement has been invaluable! Over the past couple of years I have gone from dreaming about the farm while sitting in an office to attempting to “do farming” and all the joys and struggles that go along with it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world despite the set-backs and difficulties.

I set out to make this blog a little journal of my research, events, and questions… It has become so much more than that thanks to everyone he has taken the time to comment and teach. Again, thank you so much and stick around for the next 500 … I’ll probably be here!

**Don’t forget to go and sign-up (by commenting) on my 500th Post Book Giveaway contest. I know way more people read this blog (and participate) than have signed up, so get on over there and have a shot at winning a free book. It’s just my way of saying thank you to everyone who has taught me, encouraged me, corrected me, and helped me along the way!**

Now, for the farm update. As you can see from the image above I went with a stock rain picture. That is because I have been spending as little time outside as possible because it is just plain awful out there. I don’t have any numbers to back this up, but I would guess since Friday we have gotten at least two inches and probably more like three inches of rain … with more to come. That is a bad deal no matter where you are, but in our muddy construction zone it makes it almost unbearable out there. We are getting the kind of mud that steals your boots when you go for a walk!

The one nice thing about the rain is that the temperatures have stayed above freezing for a while now. This is great because it means I can use a hose again to water the cattle without having to drain it and because we have been going through way less wood. One fire a day is about all we need anymore if we keep above or close to the freezing mark for our low (although I see that is supposed to change).

But, there is big farm news! Except this news is happening inside the house. Thanks to the help of my father and mother-in-law we now have about 99% of the trim up inside (except for something that can’t be done until we build a bit more). Windows are trimmed out, baseboard is down, and the upper closets have one-of-a-kind doors. This is all wonderful and makes the house feel like it is about finished.

Beyond that I finally got around to do a few electrical projects that I have been putting off. I put in a couple outlets that were missing and put up some lights that I had been being lazy about. All of this adds up to one great thing … we are just that much closer to closing the loan! What a relief that will be.

From a philosophical standpoint though, the work that was done here the past few days has really encouraged me. The help we have had from family and friends is what has made our farm possible, and I believe it even gives a glimpse of what we sometimes call the “simpler” times. In fact, listening to the rain without the distraction of the television (we still don’t have one) as I sit in a house that I know is only here because of other people humbles me and gives me great hope … hope for my family and hope for the future of this farm.

I have received e-mails from multiple people asking me to write about the proposed/being forcefully implemented National Animal Identification System (NAIS). What I am somewhat embarrassed to admit is that I really don’t know much about NAIS or what is going on with the bill other than what I read when I pop over to NoNAIS.org. The thing about it is that the NAIS legislation is coming from many different directions (from what I can understand) and that there are farmers (big and small) all over the board on the issue (most likely because not everyone understands what it is all about.

So, this is what I would like to do. Since I’m not really up-to-date on the ins and outs of NAIS and how we can help prevent it (because I do believe it is very harmful to the small farms and the rights of Americans) I would like to hear from you. Can you share any insight into the NAIS fight or the current events surrounding the issue? How about suggesting someone to interview on the subject (Mr. Jeffries???)? Is it being implemented in areas around the country to some degree? I would love to hear personal thoughts and information!

In the meantime I suggest you head over to NoNAIS.org and read up (just as I’m doing). This is one of those deals where we need to work togother to stay informed on the issues and take a stand for each other (farmers and consumers alike).

**In case you missed it, you should check out the previous post for information on the 500th Post Book Giveaway**

Lord willing this Wednesday will be my 50oth post on The Beginning Farmer blog. These posts have spanned almost two and a half years and for over the past year or more I have been posting six times each week. My posts have covered everything from our hopes and dreams to the struggles of starting our farm and learning as we go. But, in the midst of all my words something great happened … people started reading and then they started sharing and commenting. I have learned so much from everyone who has taken time to e-mail me or comment on the blog and I am very thankful for that.

So, in honor of the 500th post I have decided to give a book away. I know that the people who read and comment on this blog are all over the place in terms of being farmers, wanting to be farmers, and there are even some consumers that just want to be me informed about the food they eat. With that in mind I’m doing a giveaway with a choice … a choice of which book you would like to receive (I should also disclose that it will probably be a used book, but still in good shape).

What you will need to do is comment on this post (if you receive this through a feed you will need to click over to the blog) and tell me which book you would like if you win. Then on Wednesday morning around 8:00 AM I will use a random number generator to come up with the winner from the comment list.

Here are your choices (take the link to read about the book):

• All Flesh is Grass by Gene Logsdon
• The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon
• You Can Farm by Joel Salatin
• Small-Scale Livestock Farming by Carol Ekarius
• Dirt Hog by Kelly Klober
• Harris on the Pig by Joseph Harris
• Making Your Small Farm Profitable by Ron Macher
• Grass-Fed Cattle by Julius Ruechel
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
• Small-Scale Pig Raising by Dirk van Loon
• A Bountiful Harvest (Pete Wettach farm photos)

Really I should have probably titled this post, “The Exchange of Knowledge”. But, since I want to make it easy to find my chapter reports I left the “Plain Jane” title up there. This chapter really was a good chapter though … especially from the standpoint of encouragement. The author, Kelly Klober, dealt specifically with the marketing of the dirt hog in everything from direct to to the consumer to seed stock. I say that it was encouraging though because Mr. Klober was very upbeat about the opportunities out there for the outdoor producer. Just don’t go to this chapter looking for specifics because it is just one section of an entire book … the ins and outs of marketing dirt hogs could cover a book in and of itself.

Anyways, the reason I thought, “The Exchange of Knowledge”, would be a good blog post title is because that is what popped into my mind when I was reading one of the little vignettes in this chapter. This particular one dealt with a few of Mr. Klober’s reflections from some of the first hog sales he attended and how the youngsters (as he was at the time) tried to pick out a gilt that would suit their goals. The words painted a neat picture of the time and place, but there was a single question lingering in my mind…

Where am I going to learn to have an eye for “just the right gilt” such as the one that he was developing at the time with the help of his family and neighbors? I believe the ideal path for a beginning farmer, similar to me in background, would be to pull up stakes and just apprentice at a farm for a year or so. Of course you would want to work with someone that is farming as you would like to farm, but the main think would just be to gain as much of that “art” that an experienced farmer has.

Of course that “ideal” situation of aprenticeship is much more difficult when you have a wife and three kids to support. Because of my family (and I wouldn’t take this journey without them) we have decided the best way to learn is to do, and then pick up as much “old timer” information as we can along the way.

I may have mentioned this before, but I think it is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Last year we bought my dad’s family a subscription to “Countryside Magazine”. After reading a few issues he commented on how some of the how-to articles were doing things the hard way, or that they took so many trials and errors to get to and end that he could have told them about. My thought was, “This is exactly what I’m talking about!” Of course they took a long time to solve a problem that an old farmer could have done in a jiffy, but that is because there isn’t enough knowledge being transfered…

Anyone have the magic bullet to help keep the knowledge surrounding the “art” of farming alive?

Our fencing alongside the road is easy (a relative term I know) and pretty much straight forward. It is mostly a straight line, except for around the corner, and the slope isn’t too steep most of the time. The problem that I’m having run through my mind right now is how I’m going to do what I’m calling the interior/perimeter fence (the stuff in red above). Ideally we would just do the high tensile all the way around our 40 acres (there is the remains of a fence left), but that would require a bulldozer … fill dirt … and more money than we can afford. On top of that it would also mean there would need to be some cooperation with the neighbors.

With all of that in mind my idea is to have something semi-permanent going along the tree line. I would like it far enough away from the trees (I think) so that I can get a tractor along the outside for wood cutting and I would also like the ability to flash graze cattle and hogs inside the woods. That would mean some sort of access through the “semi-permanent” fence.

When I e-mailed back and forth with the guys at PowerFlex we talked about using a three wire fence. I think that is a good idea, but I’m wondering about posts and such. If I followed the general contours of the tree line there would be lots of bends … which could equal lots of wooden posts. The idea of putting in a bunch of wood posts down there when I only wanted it to be semi-permanent didn’t excite me.

I guess the other option would be to put in wooden posts and make as many straight runs as possible. Then put in some gates and we are set. Anyone have any thoughts on this or have you worked through a similar situation? I open to all ideas.

After listening to and watching a few virtual farm tours of various swine operations here in Iowa over the past three weeks I have have seen and heard quite a bit about hoop buildings. These particular farms were using them for winter farrowing in huts, bred gilts, and finishing pigs for market. In most cases bedding was used (sometimes deep bedding) and there was even one farm featured that had in floor heating running under the concrete where he placed the huts for winter farrowing. Everybody seemed to have a slightly different design within the basic hoop framework, but I would say that everyone was pretty well pleased with the hoops.

All of this led me to think, “What is the skinny on hoop buildings?” I assume there is some initial cost savings involved because there is less steel and wood involved and maybe there is something to the design that makes it work well. But, why else are so many hoop buildings popping up … especially for livestock feeding? Is money the main issue here?

I tried doing a little google research, but I didn’t come up with a lot in the way of price differences. I did find this .pdf file about the cost of putting up a hoop building for cattle feeding, and this article about the cost comparison of a conventional confinement hog building and a hoop building. In the case of the cattle feeding hoop it was really big and seemed really expensive to me, and when it came to the confinement building vs. the hoop building the research used concluded it was almost a wash.

The reason I ask all these questions is because we are looking at building a livestock feeding building (as you probably know). Should a hoop building be on the research list? I’m not so sure because I don’t know how it would work out as a multi-use building, but I want to make sure I cover all of my bases.

I would love to hear any thoughts…