I realize that often I am behind the times (sometimes I am really behind), but one of the cool things that has come out of the Des Moines Register article is all of the encouragement that have come from people all over the state. We have had neighbors stop by to chat, people have sent encouraging e-mails, and just recently we received a magazine in the mail (actually it came awhile ago, but we have neglected checking our farm mail) called the, “Small Farmer’s Journal“.
This was a publication that I had never heard of, but after flipping though just a few pages I knew it was one that I would like despite the fact that it is geared towards horse farming. The magazine has neat pictures, great articles about horses and faming with them, interesting stuff on crop rotations, and so much more.
I also thought it was cool that the particular issue that we received had a reprint of a 1934 bulletin from the, “Division of Farm Management and Costs, Bureau of Agricultural Economics”. The article is titled, “Planning a Subsistence Homestead: or Growing a Better Life”. It had interesting information on setting up a homestead, gardens, and livestock areas. I thought it was pretty cool that some of their 2 and 4 acre layouts were very similar to the layouts that we have come up with for our “homestead” area of the farm.
Check out the link above if you are interested in learning more about this magazine, or let me know if you already have enjoyed it (remember I’m probably a little behind on this one).
Ah, that’s one magazine I enjoyed looking through while growing up (which was about 20-25 years ago). Since our current lifestyle does not support “Small Farmer’s Journal”, I don’t subscribe. BUT if I could move to a small farm acerage, I would subscribe without a hesitation (providing that money isn’t an issue). Maybe I could anyway once our girls are old enough to learn from it while homeschooling?
You might also want to take a look at Rural Heritage, which has a similiar focus, and which is now owned by an Iowa publisher.