The Beginning Farmer

Okay, the credit for this one goes completely to Steven, who is a regular reader and commenter on The Beginning Farmer Blog. He pointed me to a recent “King of the Hill” episode that aired on Fox titled “Raise the Steaks”. I believe you can watch the episode by clicking here. You will have to select the episode “Raise the Steaks”. If you can’t get it to work that way just surf over to www.fox.com, click on “watch full episodes online!” in the upper left corner, then select “King of the Hill” and the episode. If you are having problems just let me know. As Steven mentioned I’m not completely sure who long it will be posted, but you should check it out. If you only have 15 minutes then check it out anyways, it is worth it … as much as watching TV is worth it …

The question my wife had while watching the episode was, “who paid them to make this episode?” So true, so true! I doubt anyone paid them to make it, but it is one serious plug for grassfed beef and naturally grown produce. They talk about the superior taste, the better life for the animals, the poor conditions of feedlot cattle, and so on. If you remember my post about “The Meatrix” it will seem like they used those movies as research material for the episode.

Another great thing about the episode was that it was fairly clean. Only one curse word I believe and really nothing else bad. They farmed was shown to be very intelligent and caring, but the people that ran the co-op were stereotypical hippies. I felt like the treated everything well for the most part and I do believe this will be some good advertisement on some level.

So, make sure you check this out if you have the time and let me know what you think!

As I mentioned the other day, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. So, today I thought I would just take a moment today to remember what I’m thankful for.

• I am thankful for my God who has given me the promise of eternal life not because I have done anything, but because he has drawn me into His love.
• I am thankful for my wife who has stood by me for over six years and has supported me in all that I have had the opportunity to do. She supports me in my ministry, she supports me in my farming endeavors, and she supports me in our marriage.
• I am thankful for my children who are a wonderful source of joy and a beautiful picture of childlike faith. They help me see the wonders of God.
• I am thankful for my parents and family. They have helped me become the man that I have become, the parent that I am, and the passionate follower of Christ that I strive to be.
• I am thankful for my church. The body of believers worshiping and working together for the glory of God is an awesome thing.
• I am thankful for my friends. For the enjoyment that they provide, the support they give, and the example of followers of Christ that they are.
• I am thankful for my cattle, my chickens, and all my hopes and dreams of the farm. I pray that I will be open to where God moves us as a family.
• I am thankful for my country that allows me to worship in the open and not hidden in fear. For the soldiers and others who have and are protecting my freedom and life.
• I am thankful for the snow that is flying as I right this and the wonders of God’s creation.

type=”circle”>We have so much to be thankful. My prayer is that you will take time today to recognize how much we truly have to be thankful for. It is a tradition at our house to read President Washington’s first Thanksgiving Proclamation. I encourage you to check it out.

With Thanksgiving less than one day away my thoughts have turned to the holiday. I must admit that Thanksgiving is probably my most favorite holiday. As a Christ follower I sometimes question whether or not Easter or Christmas should be my most favorite, but I realize those should be celebrated each day. With out those two we would have no hope, but I digress… So, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. As much as our culture tries to commercialize every holiday they have had the most difficult time with Thanksgiving. About the only thing they have been able to add to the holiday is a parade and some football. Really, Thanksgiving is mostly an afterthought with most retail stores. Yes, Thanksgiving is great!

We all know about the Pilgrims … we have been taught since our childhood that they are the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is almost as if we were taught that every November there has been a Thanksgiving celebration since their first little meal, but that is not the case. For some decent information (not perfect information because it does come from the internet) check out this LINK. And don’t forget the first national Thanksgiving holiday proclamation made by George Washington:

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country…for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed…and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually…To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.”

But, enough of the history. Let’s talk about the Thanksgiving meal! I’m a pretty plain guy when it comes to food. I’m not a big fruit or vegetable guy, but I am working on it. My perfect Thanksgiving meal would consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn (or preferably corn casserole), fresh bread, green beans, and pumpkin pies. If you wanted to get fancy I guess I would take some stuffing and maybe some carrots and celery, but not much more than that. Oh, except for maybe a ham if a lot of people were going to show up! So, as I was thinking about the good meals I will be eating in the days to come I realized there is quite the possibility that we could raise/grow most of our Thanksgiving meal. How rewarding and tasty would that be?!? So, I did some searching and I came up with some links to get me (and you) thinking about a home raised/grown Thanksgiving meal.

Lets start out with the TURKEY because it is the main deal. Click on the link to read an article about heritage turkey from the New Farm website. I was wondering if I could raise a couple in the back yard next year … hmmm, I wonder how much poultry my yard can support? If nothing else I guess I could try and persuade my dad and family to raise some for all of us down on the farm. Just some poultry fencing, feed, and water. I think I even could find a good local source for heritage birds!

Next we have to look at the garden stuff. The corn, potatoes, pumpkins, and green beans. This will be the easiest to do because we already have the garden, we just need to make room for the goodies. This year we had success with fall green beans and slight success with the pumpkins. We can easily build on that. We did not plant corn or potatoes this year, but could do so if I really wanted to. The key with those is that we keep them mulched and composted to combat the walnut tree problems in the soil. The only question I have is, how do you make cream corn? I need cream corn for the corn casserole (along with butter and sour cream and corn bread mix, but we can sneak those in from the store), and I think the corn casserole is very important. Here is a LINK on growing good sweet corn. A LINK to an article about growing organic potatoes. A LINKto an article about bean varieties. And finally, a LINK that tells you how to make a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin not from a can.

What is a Thanksgiving meal with out some bread or rolls to sop up the gravy and to use for sandwiches at supper time? I used to be a store bought white bread only guy, but since my wife has begun making our own bread I must admit it is growing on me. Check out this LINK on baking whole grain bread.

Now, I realize that I might have to buy some sour cream and butter (I’ll get the egg from the chickens) to make my corn casserole. Of course I could always start milking the Dexters … But, I started to wonder what else would make this meal from the “farm”. How about some whole grains for all the breads and possibly for the stuffing? Check out this ARTICLE by Gene Logsdon from an issue of Mother Earth News circa 1978! If you are really serious about raising your own grains you can even try and find an out of print copy of his book Small-Scale Grain Raising.

Will it happen? I guess you’ll have to check out the blog next Thanksgiving season to find out … I for one hope we can make it work because I see it as another step in the farming direction.

There is an article in this months Stockman Grass Farmer that gives the four cutting-edge tools for the grazier who is interested in making a profit. So, since I figured that was most graziers I thought I would list them along with a few thoughts today.

#1. Year-Round Grazing
This seems to really be a hot topic right now in grazing circles. Since I’m new to the scene I don’t know exactly how long it has been out in front of the public, but I know that it is being written about a lot in various periodicals, taught at the seminars, and discussed on the message boards. One year ago, as I began my research, I thought year-round grazing was for some people, but it was not needed to run a great grass-fed operation. While I still won’t go as far as saying it is needed, I am beginning to come around to see all the benefits to the farm running a management intensive grazing operation. One interesting fact from the article stated that Canadian graizers have found that beef cattle will dig through 16 inches of snow to find forage. I don’t know when the last time was that we had 16 inches around here, but it wouldn’t happen that often. Plus, there are alternative crops and methods out there. I believe this is another tool that the farmer can use to reduce his production expenses and grow his income.

#2. Grass Finishing
Okay, I thought this one was not as much “cutting-edge” anymore. I realize that it still hasn’t met wide acceptance, but frankly I don’t know when or if that will ever happen. If it did happen it would mean there was a large social (what people will accept for their meat) and political (the big farm lobby) shift in America. But, even thought it is not widespread I still don’t know if it is as cutting-edge as the other “tools” mentioned in the article. That being said, I do believe it is the only way to go if you are going to run an unconventional farm … and if you desire to run a farm that will support you family. One thing I really agree with from the article is this quote, “No, it is not easy to finish cattle on grass; and yes, you have to be an aggressive marketer to sell your product.” It’s not a slam dunk thing, maybe that is why it is still considered cutting-edge.

#3. Irrigate Pastures

This one may be a more regional “tool”, but I do hear of an increasing number of people that are doing it in all parts of the country in order to combat dry spells and keep high forage quality in front of their animals at all times. I think possible it is more of a factor with people that are going to finish their animals year-round, and I’m not convinced yet that that is the way I would like to go. What it does do is all the farmers to concentrate their stock in smaller areas because the forage is always at an even quality of growth and nutrition. My biggest problem with irrigation is the monetary investment that it will take. I believe that you really must be grazing and grass finishing on a LARGE scale in order to make it pay, and that is not the way that I desire to go.

#4. Ultra-High Stock Density Grazing

I hear more and more about this each week as I read and research, and I’m just beginning to learn all of the details and ideas. When I first started learning I thought that normal management intensive grazing stock densities were “ultra-high”, at least when compared with conventional wisdom, but now they are taking it a step further. Many compare this to what the American Bison would do on the plains before their near extinction. Basically you jam a lot of animals into a small area and let the mow it all down. In theory they will eat every plant around because it is what is available, and then you move them out before damage is done and don’t allow them to return until the plants have had time to recover. The people that are using this method, sometimes called mob grazing, are finding that they have, “healthier soils and plants, increased soil organic matter, and most of all, a phenomenal increase of carrying capacity of the pasture,” according to the article. Maybe this is something that needs to be combined with irrigation? I don’t really know, but I would call it “cutting-edge” there is no doubt about that.

So, there you go … four cutting-edge tools for the grazier. What do you think? Would these tools take your farm or the farms around you to the next level? Well, the author Bob Scriven seems to think so and he does throw out some good ideas!

On Saturday I posted a quick little summary and link to an article about Misty Brook Farm in Massachusetts. The article came from the New Farm website, which I check periodically to see if they have any articles of interest up. I don’t know exactly what it was, but this article really struck a chord with me and got me pretty excited about farming possibilities. Maybe it was the success they have had, maybe it was the way they were doing things, maybe it was the type of things they are doing, or maybe it was something else. All I know is that the article made me pretty excited so I thought I would share a few things that I really appreciated.

To me, the opening sentence speaks volumes. “To start with something small and build it up is a skill that many possess but few have the will to cultivate.” I have never really thought about it exactly like that before, but it does seem to make a bit of sense. Many people have the tools and skill to get something going and grow it into something great, but what they don’t have is the will (passion, desire, strength, faith, whatever…) to see it through to that great growth. Brendan Holmes and Katia Clemmer started out with some great things. They had an education (I’m working on that), experience (slowly finding some), and a pitchfork … wheelbarrow … and pickup truck (got it, got it, and would love to have it!). But, the greatest thing that they had was the perseverance to stick with their farm, set attainable goals, and work hard. Those last three things are not always easy for everyone to grasp. As we contemplate a transition to a farm life and work, I believe those intangibles, perseverance, goals, and hard work will be the most important thing we can have.

Another point that came across loud and clear to me in the article is that this couple did not start out as “landed gentry” wanting to make a move back to the land. They began by renting land, losing land they had rented, finding more land to rent, and then adding rented land as their herds and operations grew. So often I hear people putting down authors like Joel Salatin, Allan Nation, or Gene Logsdon because they believe the only reason those people are able to make it work is because they have large outside sources of income or they inherited all the land that makes it possible for them to land in the financial black. But, this couple didn’t have any of that to begin with. In fact if you read the article you will see that they had to persevere through a few land difficulties. They were able to do it, and they were able to succeed.

One of the last things that I really took away from the article is how diversified they have become in a short while. Their farm produces beef, veal, raw milk, raw cream, pork, lamb, and vegetables. Plus, at their on farm store they sell another local farm’s poultry. They have a small hay operation to provide for their livestock, they use a couple Morgan horses for some of their equipment work, and they are doing all of this while adding a new baby to the family. While this all seems like a romantic picture of the farm life, I think it is an equally beautiful picture of what is possible when you tackle a farm business in the correct way. I have a feeling they will continue to succeed because of the intangible that they possess and because of the way they have diversified their farm and not put all of their eggs in one basket.

If you want to find out more about their farm, or if the pictures on this post and the one below intrigue you, I encourage you to check out this LINK. You will have to scroll down to until you see “Misty Brook Farm” listed, but then you will find their address, number, and e-mail address. If you are in their part of the country I think you should check them out!

I don’t have much to say other than … You Must Read This Article! Basically it is about a couple that desired to farm and went about it in the right ways. Because they decided to take it slow and not encumber themselves with debt they are starting to see their farm and provide a living for their family. It was a very inspiring and at some levels practical article that you should all read.

So, check out the article titled, “A vision of Misty Brook : Positive perseverance enables a young couple to live out their dream.” over on the New Farm website and let me know what you think.

I finished up chapter four of Gene Logsdon book, “The Contrary Farmer”, the other night. So, I thought I would give you some of my thoughts on the chapter titled, “The Peaceable Kingdom of the Barnyard”.

In this chapter Mr. Nation kind of gives a run down of animals that the cottage farmer (his phrase) should consider, and how they should consider raising those animals. He points out that chickens should probably be the first choice (was for us), then maybe some sheep, a family cow, some pigs, and then maybe some sort of specialty animal like raising pets for sale or focusing on a minor breed. He has a few practical tips and antidotes in each section of the chapter dealing with the livestock, but it is not a how-to, beginners guide, or production model type of chapter at all.

A couple things I appreciated from the chapter were his mention of minor breeds (I have a place in my heart for our historical minor breeds) and his thoughts on a new type of family cow. Mr. Nation proposes that there is a alternative to the historical family cow that was mostly used to supply milk and possibly labor for the family. He realizes that milking isn’t something every cottager (again, his phrase) will have time to do because he is assuming that the farm is just a piece of the puzzle, possibly even a small piece of the puzzle. So, he feels that the family cow should now become a vessel for raising beef for the freezer. Mr. Nation’s cow calves in the spring and then the calf is butchered in the fall. He never weans the calf, never cuts it if it is a bull calf, and never has to worry about stored forages because the cow and the grass will supply all of the feed needs.

That is a pretty interesting concept and something I think would work out great for someone who was trying to add some self-sufficiency to their life, but the barnyard tips and thoughts in this chapter seem like they are most intended for someone who maintains a full-time job, but lives in the country.

Last chapter Mr. Nation talked about gardens being the proving ground for farms. And, I believe that is how I view this book. It puts forth a lot of great ideas that he is doing on the small scale of his 30 or so acres, but it isn’t providing the nuts and bolts, or even the philosophy, behind a full-time agricultural farm. Mr. Nation does not refer to himself as a farmer as much as he refers to himself as a cottager (I thought those were people who stayed at lake houses in the summer). He writes at home and does a few small-scale farming things on the side to provide for his family and add some extra income. Which always makes me think … I wish I could write!

To be honest I was a little less impressed with this chapter, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it. I just think that I had higher hopes for the book after all of the positive reviews I read. That being said, the next chapter about water does seem pretty interesting and I’m sure will have lots of good thoughts.

Yesterday I wrote some of my thoughts on Allan Nation’s editorial from the November, 2007 issue of “The Stockman Grass Farmer”. It was a long essay on the issue of scalability in the business of farming and it really made me come to two conclusions. First, I realized that this was an important issue for the farmer that wants to make a profit in the every changing farm economy. And secondly, I was reminded how important the “business” side of farming is. Farming is not just a romantic pastime (at least the way I would like to do it), but rather it is a business that takes thought and planning so you can come out ahead. In fact, it is a business that possibly takes more thought and planning because you have all the things going on in the business side and all the things happening on the livestock/crop side. I’ve got a lot to learn, but I feel like I am truly on my way now.

But, scalability wasn’t the only topic he wrote about in the article. He also brought up a book that he had recently read titled, “Small Giants” by Bo Burlingham. This is not a farming book at all, it is purely a business book. I decided I really respect farmers (or farm writers) who branch outside of just the nuts and bolts of agriculture and try and bring in new ways of thinking from the business world.

According to Mr. Nation the gist of the book is that most advice on running a business is, “written by and for employees of public corporations, which have low capital costs and a stockholder mandate to grow as fast as possible.” It is all about growing quickly and then selling off parts of your business because you have grown so quickly.

The alternative according to the author of the book are businesses running at what he calls the “human scale”. Businesses who decide to grow slow and concentrate on their profit margins run on the “human scale”. Businesses who do not require outside investors, mega-lenders, or stockholders run on the “human scale”. Businesses who want to keep their business private and under their control run on the “human scale”. And when I think of the ever-changing agricultural markets these days and the corporate structures creeping (or busting) their way into farming I think the “human scale” is the only scale that successful farmers can work with.

Check out this quote from Mr. Nation. “But, if your goal is a pleasant life in the country, you need to concentrate on creating as much margin per unit of production as possible.” Think about that! If you have a wide profit margin on a few units produced you will be able to self-finance your farming business and expand (or not expand) according to your desires.

The way you get those wide margins is by combining low production costs with higher sales or marketing prices. I have always understood this concept and it is why I have put so much effort into researching grass fed beef, year around grazing, alternative crops, u-pick fruits and vegetables, and so much more. If I wanted to farm like everyone else in the state, even if I found a farmer that would let me transition into his farm, I would have to work the off farm job so that I would have enough money to be able to get the loan that would allow me to buy that piece of equipment that I needed to keep up with the ever-changing agricultural world. Did you follow that? Well, I barely did and I wrote it!

I decided early on that I needed to work on this farming idea slowly. I know that I need to get all of my information and ideas together as much as I can so that when I start to grow I will be able to keep up with it. I know that I cannot become attached to lenders and debt or I would probably never get out. I know that I have to find the different markets and productions models so I can have this wider profit margins. It does seem daunting, but I believe it is the only way that I can attack my desire to be a farmer.

There is more to farming than early morning chores, wet dew on the grass, and cattle chewing their cud under a big old tree in the pasture (although that sounds very inviting). I believe successful farmers that aren’t doing things on a corporate level are some of the most intelligent artists out there! They have to be an artist because so much of farming is an art of knowing just when to do things and just how to do them, and they must be intelligent to compete in a world that feels like it needs super-size everything … including their farms.

Allan Nation’s editorial in the November, 2007 issue of The Stockman Grass Farmer was rather interesting. The article dealt with the issue of “scalability”, something I have never heard of, regarding business and farms … or the business of farming. In the beginning of the article Mr. Nation says, “Currently, in the USA the top one percent of income earners earn almost 70% of the total taxable income.” I found that statistic very interesting. Not that I’m opposed to it, I think it is just the way things work out, but it was interesting nonetheless. He goes on to write that, “the difference between the top and the rest is that the high income people are all in “scalable” professions.

Basically, with all of the technological and social advances we have had you can reach masses of people with no more effort than it takes to reach a smaller amount (Mr. Nation draws this example from Nassim Nicholas Taleb who wrote, “The Black Swan”). That is what scalable can look like … reaching masses with the same work of reaching less than masses, but more money involved. I believe the idea of scalability really got going with technology companies because they are all about reaching the masses. But, according to Mr. Nation’s editorial most of those technology companies only last 10 years because of the intense competition they face. You may come up with an idea, but that doesn’t mean you will be the one to profit most from it. Just take my beloved iPod from Apple … they weren’t the first on the scene with an MP3 players, but they are the ones who are profiting.

Okay, so that is the gist of scalable business (or at least as much as I can comprehend and explain without making my brain work on overload at this time). But, what does scalability have to do with farming and why in the world is Allan Nation writing about it in “The Stockman Grassfarmer”? Well, he took this concept and compared it to farming, specifically he compared it to Management Intensive Grazing (MiG).

MiG has been bouncing around the agricultural circles for many years (Mr. Nation says for over 25 years in fact), yet has never really found broad acceptance. According to Michael Porter, a Harvard professor, businesses that have long profit runs (like MiG examples have) are often the most difficult to get into but very easy to get out of. Mr. Nation believes that the thing that makes it so difficult to get into MiG isn’t the cost of land or the cost of cattle or the cost of anything … in reality it is the negativity associated with trying new ideas!

He mentions a survey by the University of Missouri that states that most farmers agree with the soundness of MiG in principle, but they can’t change the way that they are already doing things. I believe it is just human nature because you see that in every profession … even in the church.

Mr. Nation proposes that we should be developing farms that are, “a ‘hybrid’ production model that will allow us to minimize labor per unit of production (be scalable) while remaining in a non-scalable industry (minimal competition)”. He brings up a great example from an article by Joel Salatin in the September issue of the magazine. Mr. Salatin wrote about expanding his grassfed beef and pastured pork operations because they were more “scalable” than his pastured poultry side of the farm. Think about it, it takes only a little more time to move 100 steers through a gate than it does to move 10 through the same gate … but each carton of eggs he sells takes the same amount of time to package regardless of whether it is 10 dozen or 10,000 dozen eggs.

So, according to Mr. Nation what does this look like in a practical sense to someone running, or thinking about running, a MiG system. First of all, make the animals do the work for you. Let them self-harvest the forage and have them self-feed throughout the year (see post below). Secondly, manage as few herds as possible. Try to get your cattle in to one or two places so your time isn’t used moving from place to place or setting up fence in multiple pastures. Make your time work in your favor. And finally, as Mr. Nation puts it, “stop buying Band-aids”! Fly problems, pinkeye, worm susceptibility can be eliminated through genetic selection according to Mr. Nation, so do that instead of spending all of your time running cattle through the head gate.

He concludes with a few other thoughts from the business world that I found interesting, but I think I’ll save those for another post.

What about you readers? What do you think of this scalability issue? Any business folks out there that would like to speak to this, because it is obvious that business is not my strong suit…