Some Mid-Week News

For a while here, I have been as busy as the proverbial beaver. Some times life just keeps one moving in directions that were not expected. Ah well. Just like a dry spell or long fall rain, all I can do is ride it out.

There does seem to be some interesting agriculture items in the news recently. Top on the list is the Farm Bill, recently signed by President Bush. (Some details here at the Farm Futures website) Living in the city, I hear and read quite a bit of interesting commentary... comments like, "Those damned farmers are getting rich!" and "I want to farm so I an get all that government money!" and "All those farmers and their pick-up trucks. Wish I could get government money to buy me a new one." Maybe it's just the people in Las Vegas, but I honestly think city dwellers are mostly clueless when it comes to farming.

I am not going to agree or disagree with the things in the bill. I do think that many people don't realize that there is SO much more in the Farm Bill than subsidies. People should read and be somewhat educated on a topic before commenting, IMHO.

In a similar governmental vein, President Bush signed the Energy Bill. (Some details here at the agriulture.com website.) With a new emphasis on automobile mileage and bio-fuels, the Energy and Farm Bills work together. But is that a good thing? I heard a little blurb on the television last night about Nitrogen and Phosphate runoff in the Mississippi Delta. Could an increased reliance on bio-fuels without proper conservation efforts cause further damage to the environment? Maybe. Only time will tell.

In my opinion, if more people, farmers and not, would exercise sustainable living practices, we would have a lot less to worry about.

Comments???

Big Chunk Apple Pie

I don't know why, but when I make an apple pie, the apples are sliced. This one is different! The apples are in chunks! I found this easy recipe last weekend and tried it. What's better on a cold winter day than a nice hot apple pie?

Big Chunk Apple Pie

• Sweet Apples – Enough to fill a deep 9 inch metal or glass pie pan with about 1 to 1.5 inches rising over the top.

• ½ cup unbleached flour

• 5 tablespoons corn starch

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon ground dry ginger

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• ¼ teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Prepare a deep 9 inch metal or glass pie pan. You can make your own crust or buy an Aluminum pan with the crust already there. This pie does not have a top crust, but if you are making your own crust and wish to have a top crust, no problem. Just make a little extra crust or buy two pans with crusts and use the crust from the other pan as a top crust.

Wash plenty of apples under cool water and peel. The number of apples in this recipe depends on their size, so you may need to peel more or less to fill the pan.

Core the apples and divide each apple into six or eight chunks. There are commercial products to do this easily and are highly recommended.

Combine allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, corn starch, sugar, and flour in a bowl and mix well.

Sprinkle 4 or 5 tablespoons of the mixture onto bare pie crust.

Snugly pack one layer of apple chunks on the crust. Use any pattern you like, just minimize the
airspace.

Sprinkle 4 or 5 tablespoons of the mixture onto the first layer of apples.

Repeat the last two steps until the apples are 1 to 1.5 inches above the top of the pan.

Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar-spice mixture on top.

If you want a top crust, place it on top now.

Bake the pie at 420 F for 10 minutes, then at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove when the apples are soft.

Now remember. When buying apples for this recipe, you want a variety of apple that is sweet. These include apples such as Golden Delicious, Empire, Mustu (Crispin), Fuji, Spartan, Macoun or Gala. Try to avoid Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Jonathan, McIntosh, Pippin and Winesap. These are a bit too tart for this pie. BUT, if you would like to use one or two and mix it up a bit, I say 'go for it!'

And remember... If you can, support your local farmers and buy your apples from a local orchard.

Survival skills for farmers???

So, they are teaching farm survival? Honestly, this looks like an interesting class. Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon is offering a program to help small and diverse agricultural ventures. This seems to be less a survival program and more of a success prorgam.

This program not only teaches growing skills but also marketing, sales, management, policy, philosophy and a whole host of other things a farmer needs to know to survive in the the newly diversifying field of farming. It doesn't seem they miss a beat... They also offer instruction on how to handle the possibility that a farm goes under. This definitely seems like a balanced program.

Other community colleges should look at this program as a template to build their own programs. In my opinion, a heck of a lot of people would be interested in this sort of thing. I certainly would be!

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/BIZ/711020326

http://www.lanecc.edu/

The wonderful Kiwi!

Ah, the Kiwi. This Asian fruit holds the honor of being my daughter's favorite. I swear, she could eat a dozen of these things and not even think about it.

According to the California Rare Fruit Growers (http://www.crfg.org/), there are seven main species of Kiwi: Chinese Egg Gooseberry (Actinidia coriacea); Kiwifruit (A. deliciosa); Hardy Kiwi (A. arguta); Super-hardy Kiwi (A. kolomikta); Red Kiwi (A. melanandra); Silver Vine (A. polygama) and Purple Kiwi (A. purpurea).

Kiwifruit in the store is typically from a cultivar or hybrid of A deliciosa. While this Kiwi typically requires a long frost-free growing season of about 240 days, there are hybrids and cultivars of the Hardy Kiwi and Super-Hardy Kiwi that can survive and grow in the midwestern states.

They may not thrive, but they will survive and bear fruit. According to the University of Illinois, the Hardy Kiwi will grow in most gardens and produce large grape-like fruit that can be eaten, peel and all.

from the University of Wisconsin-http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/fruits/kiwi/kiwi.htm

1. A. rufa
2. A. melanandra (red kiwi)
3. A. glaucophylla
4. A. chinensis
5. A. latifolia
6. A. indochinensis
7. A. chinensis 'Hort16A'
8. A. macrosperma
9. A. arguta (Hardy Kiwi)
10. A. fulvicoma
11. A. deliciosa 'Hayward'
12. A. arguta var. purpurea (purple kiwi)
13. A. guilinensis
14. A. setosa
15. A. chrysantha
16. A. eriantha

Oh, and what a variety of fruit. The Kiwi found in grocery stores are huge in comparison to the fruit from the Hardy Kiwi.

Originally from the forests of China, this plant was brought to New Zealand for commercial cultivation. The Kiwi typically grows as a woody, twining vine. They are dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants. The viability of the female and male flower is rather short and as such, is very dependent on bees or other insects for effective pollination.

While there is little commercial cultivation of Kiwis in the states, outside of California, given enough work, I think these could be a nice, much sought-after specialty crop. For me, it is certainly one to watch and do more research.

A subject very important to my daughter, is how to store or preserve them. According to what I have found on the internet, there are three basic ways to preserve Kiwi: freezing; drying and mixing with strawberries to make a strawberry-kiwi jam or jelly. I have frozen them before and while the flavor remains, they do get to be a bit squishy. As for the strawberry-kiwi jam, I have ever made it, but have enjoyed it once or twice on hot toast. Mmmmm...... yummy...

Internet Kiwi References:
Kiwi information from the University of Wisconsin: http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/fruits/kiwi/kiwi.htm

Kiwifruit and Hardy Kiwi info from the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/kiwifruit.html
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/hardy-kiwifruit.html

Kiwi information from the University of Illinois
http://www.solutions.uiuc.edu/content.cfm?series=4&item=436&Parents=0%7C70

Nutritional data on the Kiwi
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20VC.html

North American Fruit Explorers – Kiwifruit Interest Group
http://www.nafex.org/kiwifruit.htm

Tractors and Books...

I got me a pick-up! It is a nice, white, rust-free 1996 Chevy S-10. Comes equipped with a five-speed transmission, beautiful full-size bed, 2.2 liter four cylinder carburated motor, manual transmission, a completely inoperable air-conditioner, a heater that could keep a person warm in the darkest of antarctic nights, mag wheels, and the prerequisite minor oil and fluid leaks.

So, if you don't mind a little trip down my recent memory lane... Get a divorce; daughter starts getting A's in school; daughter gets a job... that she LIKES; ex-wife totals my car (luckily, aside from a few bumps and bruises, she is OK); I buy a motorcycle and pickup.

I'm thinking that things are starting to look up. LOL

I am now the proud owner of the foremost iconic farm vehicle in North America. A truck. It brings to mind that song by Joe Diffie, “There's Something Women Like About a Pickup Man.”

Wonder if I will get a few dates from this? Hmmm...

That started my brain thinking about other farm vehicles. What other things would a farmer need? I have a pickup for farm chores and necessary commutes when raining, snowing or when I need to haul something. I have a motorcycle for regular commutes into town or work. Both are equally good for going out, just depends on the situation and partner.

Tractors, of course! Now I am thinking of another song, this one by Kenny Chesney, “She Think's My Tractor's Sexy.” (LOL)

Well, I do like tractors & once in high school, almost completely rebuild a John Deere Model A with my dad. It wasn't to make it look all nice and shiny and green, but rather to repair a broken gear. Started innocently enough with a transmission repair and shortly went to a complete rebuild.

There are quite a few tractor books out there and almost all of them make me drool just a little. The Big Book of Farm Tractors by Robert Pripps is a beautiful review of tractors from 1895 to present.

From the book description: “The Big Book of Farm Tractors is the first large-format volume to chronicle the entire time line of American farm tractors, from the steam power of the 1850s to the current offerings from New Holland, AGCO, John Deere, Caterpillar, and more. Detailed descriptions of tractors especially significant to the period, short essays on events defining the times, personal vignettes, collectibles, sales memorabilia, ads from old farm magazines, and old black & white photos of farm scenes make this a complete look at one of America’s greatest innovations. Whether you’re someone who has farmed, or someone simply with a love of the land, this book will give you a new perspective on the enormous influence of the tractor upon the American farm and culture.”

John Deere: A History of the Tractor, by Randy Leffingwell is a nice historic review of the company, in his own storytelling style. With over 300 pictures and details from the company's own archives, this book looks to be a great winter read.

A book that I think is nearly invaluable to anyone who owns older tractors or who are interested in restoring them is How To Restore Classic Farm Tractors: The Ultimate Do-It-Yourself Guide to Rebuilding and Restoring Tractors, by Tharran E. Gaines. Older, smaller tractors are perfect for the smaller farm and, well, they don't make them like they used to. Not only does this book have repair and rebuilding details for many models, but is also chock-full of pictures and diagrams. Park that tractor in the machine shed, fire up the wood burning heater and enjoy the winter working on your little iron work-horse.

Farming on a Shoestring

“Farming on a Shoestring”
“Living on a Shoestring”
“Flying on a Shoestring”
“Gardening on a Shoestring”
Google any of these and you will likely see hundreds of hits.

Now, google some of these...
“Motorcycling on a Shoestring”
“Milking Cows on a Shoestring”
“Worm Farming on a Shoestring”
“Wine Making on a Shoestring”

Don't find many, do you? So, does that mean you can't make wine on a shoestring? You can't motorcycle on a shoestring? You can't do worm farming on a shoestring?

Ah, this is all just for fun!

Seriously, though, isn't this what being successful at farming is all about? Living on shoestrings?

I have been thinking about just how one can successfully start a farming venture on a shoestring. This morning I was tying my shoestrings and I had an idea. Starting anything with a single shoestring means that if that string breaks, you are basically screwed. Taking a page from some things I have read about investing, I though, 'I must diversify'.

Diversify on a shoestring? Absolutely. How? Shred that shoestring! Take it apart, one thread at a time. You will end up with twenty or thirty little strings. NOW, if one or two or ten of these break, the others will still likely hold.

A small farmer needs to do something similar. Farming is that one big shoestring. Small faming ventures that rely on one source of income are just asking for trouble. Relying on a single crop (in accounting terms this is called a profit center) gives any venture a huge exposure to failure.

What to do? Split that shoestring into as many threads as you can handle. Diversify the farm. Do a little of this and a little of that. Intertwine them together, not so that if one fails the others will, but rather so they will co-exist, regardless of success or failure. Like raising organic chickens, free range eggs and a nice patch of garden. There. You have three threads, or separate profit centers that inter-mesh. If one fails, you have two other.

That is a simplistic example, but one that works. Some small and new farmers may wish to grow corn or beans or wheat or raise cattle or hogs, and that is fine. Those farmers may succeed, but it is the farmer who diversifies their venture who will likely be more profitable and less prone to failure.

Growing a Farm

Off and on for the past two years or so, I have been sketching and planning the farmhouse I want to build. I pull bits and pieces out of my brain and scribble them on scrap and notebook paper. The bits and pieces look fine but when they are together I am never satisfied.


I literally spent a week sketching out my perfect kitchen. The cabinets will be made from inexpensive, maybe even free lumber from old farm houses or barns or other out buildings. The cabinet doors will be reused wood, cut to size with small panes of glass. The oven, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher will all be conventional, low energy appliances. There will be a stone island with a large cutting surface on top.


The layout will be large and open and have a small table and wood burning stove in one corner, right next to a large pantry fashioned from the same type of lumber as the rest of the room. The floors, as with most of house, will be hardwood. A bar will separate the kitchen from the dining room. Above the bar will be an overhead cabinet held in place by rough 4-by-4 wooden pillars.
All of the counters will be smooth, dense concrete. In short; this is a functional kitchen, made to stand the test of time.


As I assembled the other rooms in my mind, discouragement set in. How would this or that fit? How would I ensure a good southern exposure to the living room and eastern exposure to the master bedroom?


Continuing to the out buildings, uncertainty raised its head. How would it all fit together? A million “what if's” rang in and out of my mind.


Then, about three weeks ago I read this: http://www.angelicorganics.com/Stories/storiescontent.php?contentfile=barn It is all about how farms and farm buildings, not to mention the farmers themselves should be individualistic.


Farms and their supporting buildings should not be preplanned to the last nail or brick. Each one should grow from the surrounding environment. Specific bits and pieces, like my kitchen, are perfect building blocks, but only the surrounding environment can determine how the pieces fit together.


Yes. I get it! A farm and its buildings must organically grow from the land, not just propped up there. Perhaps that is the same with people. A person can't simply be plopped somewhere and expect to be functional or individualistic or unique.


Yes, yes. I get it now.

Factory Food

DATELINE: OCTOBER 11, 2007 – ConAgra Refuses to Recall Potpies. Is this what our food is coming to? Why should I place my health in the hands of a large corporate conglomerate who's only interest is profit? What about the other large food conglomerates? Do they care more about the safety of their food or profit?

Even after Oregon and Minnesota health officials pleaded to have these items recalled, ConAgra refused. According to the food conglomerate, only the poultry products were contaminated with salmonella.

Over the last several years there has been an outcry to make business and government more opaque, letting the public see through the morass of red tape and piles of reports to see through to the truth. Perhaps it is time for food processors to do the same thing. Maybe they need to let the pubic see behind their curtains.

There is a wonderful organization called SlowFood USA. Here is a snip from their website:

“Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Ultimately, it is about pleasure and taste, knowledge and choice. Once we begin to take an interest in the enjoyment of food, and in finding out where our food comes from, we can begin to see the effects of these choices. When we shorten the distance—both literal and figurative—that our food travels to get to us, we are participating in the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is about coming together as a food community—connecting producers and co-producers, coming together on the farm, in the market, and at the table—to create and enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.”

This means Farmer's Markets. This means CSAs. This means removing the curtains of food processing conglomerates. This means increased safety and security of the national food supply.

If I go to a farmers market in the midwest, there is a good chance I can speak with the person who actually grew the produce. Can I trace back the food items in a pot pie and speak with those farmers? Probably not.

On a related topic, there is a strong link between food and sex. No, I am not making this up. Food anthropologist Margaret Visser describes a meal as a ritual in which "desires are aroused and fulfilled." How can one be aroused with a pot pie from ConAgra? Maybe its just me, but it's a turnoff.

Maybe that's why I am newly divorced. She likes fast food. I like it slow and sensual.

www.slowfoodusa.org

Food and Sex at answers.com

A Little Gamble

That! Yes, THAT is what I used to classify myself as. Typically, the comfortable and familiar were most agreeable to me. Not any more. And I can prove it!

I recall reading an article wherein a farmer made a rather interesting comment about gambling. It has been quite some time since reading this, so I am paraphrasing only.

“I don't have to go to Las Vegas to gamble! I am a farmer. I gamble every day.”

How true! Farmers gamble every day, week, month and even year. But then again, life is one big gamble. Everything is one big toss of the dice. No guarantees, no certainties, no black & whites. So, Embrace it!

If I can embrace uncertainty and learn to gamble a bit, then most others can!

Gambling money, to me, is against my morals. Perhaps that is too strong a word, 'morals.' I would rather use my time and money for more productive purposes. Give me a $20 bill and I am off to the book store, browsing the farming/gardening/rural life/construction sections.

Why in the hell would I stick $20 in a slot machine for a slim chance to win a little more money, when I can buy a book that will last a LOT longer than the same money would at a casino.

Anyway, my distaste for casino gambling aside, I took a HUGE gamble yesterday. In true self-reliant, true 'farmer' style, I took a chance. I bought a motorcycle. It is a big gamble. Cost me a little over $3,000 and I don't even have my license yet! I trust in myself enough to know that I WILL follow through now and take care of the paperwork; practice; get that license.

If I don't, that will be one large, very expensive paperweight.

Why did I take this gamble? Well, primarily I need new, inexpensive transportation. Secondarily, I have always wanted to ride again. No, this is not a 'midlife crisis' bike, as some call them. It isn't a Harley or BMW or anything like that. Just a small Honda Rebel. Perfect for my commute. Minimalistic. Just right.

I am considering this my first real step into taking risks. Hope this experience serves me well when I take the jump and start farming again. This really does feel good!

A Little Research

Over the last decade I have tinkered off & on with different business ventures. Well, whether it was not enough money or legal complications or not enough time or support or lack of persistence or maybe... not enough guts. Nothing really came together. Perhaps I just never put everything together.

Well, that is all water under the bridge; nice, muddy, stinky Mississippi River water.

For the past two or three years I have been searching the Internet for information on farming. Well, glory be! There is a TON of information about farming there; not only about biology and the horticultural sciences, but the business side as well. Agricultural professionals, well, generally farmers, not only need to know their art and science, but to succeed, really need to have a firm grasp of business.

Purdue University offers a nice functional site at https://www.agecon.purdue.edu/planner/ . Here, users can use their tool INVenture to enter and manipulate multiple business plans.

One of my favorite places to go is ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) at http://www.attra.org/ . They have a HUGE amount of documentation about all aspects of sustainable agriculture, including lifestyle, business planning, alternate crops, livestock, and just about everything I may have not mentioned. This is a great resource.

SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) at http://www.sare.org/ can provide not just a wealth of information, but also money! Yes, SARE does offer grants. It is a great place to check out.

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) at http://www.ncat.org/ offers programs and information for rural development and sustainable agriculture.

Growing New Farmers is a great informational group at http://gnf.bigmindcatalyst.com/cgi/bmc2.pl?tset=std1204&page=pubpg2.html&node=1009 . (Yes that is a long and confusing web address!) GNF is a regional group from the North Eastern United States, focused on helping new farmers start and succeed. They have a great amount of information. Definitely worth checking out.

There is plenty to read and a lot of support out there on the Internet. Whether you are a new farmer, a more experienced ag professional, or like me, someone who wants to farm, there is a ton of information just waiting out there.

A Little Reading

This week I had little time to read or do much research. That not withstanding, I do have a few reading suggestions for this week.

My first suggestion is highly rated on Amazon and I have leafed through it at my local book store. You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise by Joel Salatin is a wonderful book, full of information and empowerment. This is definitely a book worth reading.

Another book that looks good is Small Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit by Carol Ekarius. With good reviews, this book covers topics of interest to the small livestock farmer who wants to operate a grass-fed system.

My last recommendation is Five Acres and Independence by Maurice G. Kains. This looks to be a beautiful and functional book about the entire back-to-the-land movement, highlighting self sufficiency and the mechanics of making it all work..

Happy Reading!

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I Want To Farm

So, here I sit with a pretty cool domain name and I have no idea what to do with it any more.

It is a nice domain name: www.iwanttofarm.com. I operated a portal there for a while, but there are quite a few not-so-nice people out there and they defaced the forum with advertisements for all sorts of things not related to farming in any way. That is, unless the bull has an erectile dysfunction.

Right now, I am decommissioning the site; taking it down for now. So, if you go there for a peek, you might not see much.

So, what to do? Please! If anyone has any ideas, please leave a comment.

Saving Energy

I read an interesting Letter to the Editor in the September 2007 Successful Farming magazine. It was about saving energy by not preheating an oven too long before the item you want to cook is ready to go in. That little letter, by Rita Kayser seemed to fire my synapses.

There are a lot of little things we could do, farmer and townie alike, to save energy. They don't involve major lifestyle changes, and may only save a little bit of money on your power bill, but will definitely make a difference if more & more people do some of these little things.

• Turn off the lights when not in use. This was drilled into us in grade school. In high school, we were told to just leave them on because florescent bulbs use more energy to turn on, rather than to just leave them on. A recent Myth Buster's episode busted that one. When you aren't using them, turn them off. Period.

• Keep your tires properly inflated. This can be a challenge if you live in the desert or in places where the thermometer dips below 20 degrees F. According to some studies, proper tire inflation can save you hundreds of dollars a year in gas. That equates to what? Five gallons?

• Replace your incandescent light bulbs with Compact Florescent or even LED lights. Yes, they may be more expensive that incandescent, but they typically last longer and use lot less energy.

• Prepare your house for winter. You can do as little as check the doors for air leaks & plug them, or go all out and seal everything with plastic sheets. Whatever you do, every little bit helps. Just don't wrap your entire house in plastic. That can be dangerous.

• Don't let your laptop hibernate; shut it down. I am guilty of this one. Just shutting a laptop's cover does not typically shut it down. It probably goes into something called 'hibernation mode'. It is still using a little electricity. Go ahead, save your work and do a complete shutdown before you close it up. You will be saving energy AND increasing the lifetime of your laptop.

• Unplug those Wall Warts. Yes, those little things that seem to proliferate on the walls of most houses, apartments, garages and even barns. Those little transformers and power supplies that we need to charge our cell phones and operate our computer printers and do other little things, suck up energy when not in use. That is really unnecessary. Just unplug them from the wall when they aren't in use.

• Eat fresh food from your local farmer's market. This one isn't terribly obvious but is important. Not only is eating fresh food from your local market probably more healthy, that food requires a lot less energy to transport and store. It probably won't save you much money, but you may feel better knowing that your salad didn't have to travel 3,000 miles to get to your plate.

These are just a few minor ideas, and I am sure there are a good deal more. Do you have a good energy saving tip? Please leave a comment!

Harvest Time

Well, it is the beginning of harvest time in the midwest. I don't seem to remember it starting this early but then again, I haven't farmed in over two decades. Seems as if I have quite a bit to relearn.

After locating the USDA's Crop Progress report, I see that I am not terribly wrong. The eighteen major corn producing states are Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

According to the report, typically by mid to late September, only 65% of all corn has matured. This year, 80% is mature. However, overall the farmers seem to be following the trend in harvesting. Typically only 14% has been harvested by this time, whereas this year, they are only at 22%. Maturity has moved up 15% whereas harvesting has only increased by 8%. According to what I have read, this harvest delay is probably more due to the wet weather these states have been having, than anything else.

Illinois, however, is above the trend. Typically 77% is mature and 16% harvested, but this year 97% is mature and 46% harvested. So, my feeling is correct. Harvest time has moved up considerably from what I remember.

Other crops like soybeans, sorghum and rice also show similar changes. Cotton, peanuts and winter wheat seem to be operating in reverse and are a bit behind.

Early or late. It's ok. I am looking forward to it either way.

Time Certainly Is Slippery

Please pardon this poor excuse for a farming blog entry. I have two pieces in the works but they just aren't well done yet. Rather, they are quite rare at the moment.

These last few days time just seems to be slipping through my hands. Maybe it is just how life is sometimes. Work at the office and time at home as been rather demanding. My daughter is now gainfully employed at the age of 17, thank goodness. BUT, that means more work for me. She is at school all day, then home in the afternoon for a bite to eat and homework, then off to work. She doesn't drive and has no set schedule yet, so here 'taxi driver dad' sits.

The thought that I must also get a little part time job is a little pressuring as well. If I plan to attempt my plans, I REALY need to get out from under this financial rock. I am going to lay no blame here... Just going to state that I am newly divorced. 'Nuff said.

I was pleased to read on http://www.agriculture.com/ that corn harvesting in the midwest is proceeding well. I don't honestly remember corn harvesting this early. Well, my memory isn't faulty. According to USDA statistics, general corn harvest is slightly ahead of schedule. Illinois corn harvest is considerably earlier than the average harvest time.

While I do not necessarily plan on farming general commodities like corn and soybeans, I think it is still good to watch the market and remain educated. I have read that as organic beef and pork and chicken become more popular, organic animal foodstuffs will also increase in necessity. If that is indeed correct, well, organic commodities like corn, soybeans, oats and hay may well become profitable to the small farmer.

Well, stay tuned. I will have a better post tomorrow. Promise.

A Little Reading

Reading used to be a big part of my life as a teenager on the farm. I still remember reading lofty works from Plato, Aristotle, Thoreau, Sandberg and Emerson, among others. I fell away from that for quite a few years, well, decades. I just wanted to thank my friend Cindy for piquing my interest in this sort of literature.

I think on Sundays I will post about books that touch on rural life, nature, agricultural technology and sustainable and frugal living and farming. I hope you enjoy some of these. Links to some of these books will be at the bottom of the post, just in case you may want to purchase and enjoy a copy.

A book that my friend Cindy recommended to me, is The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee. This is a beautiful work that describes a man who owns almost nothing, yet survives so many hardships. It is a short book and well worth the read.

I remember reading Walden's Pond by Henry Thoreau as a teenager, but I have it on my list to read again. I may have forgotten most of it, but I do remember it as being a very nice book

Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More by Elaine St. James. This is a very nice book about simplifying one's life, whether you live in the country or the middle of New York, Chicago or LA.

It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life by Keith Stewart and Flavia Bacarella. This one is definitely on my reading list for this winter. Mr. Stewart's goals and feelings seem to be SO similar to mine. A New York city dweller who trades it all for a farm life. Highly rated on Amazon.

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Life and Times of Michael K

You Can't Go Back to the Farm Again

Here it is. Ah, the wonders of technology! If you are so inclined, you can use Google Earth or MapQuest or Microsoft TerraServer or what-have-you, to take a look yourself. It is at -90.98202 41.28180 That's Longitude, Latitude for those sitting there, scratching their heads.

This is where I grew up; where I lived until I was 16 years old. The picture here is from terraserver.micrsoft.com. The original farm was roughly rectangular, following the edge of the image. The dark spot to the center right is the pond my dad built. The field to the north (top) was typically planted in corn, oats or hay. The south (bottom) was typically planted in hay or corn.

Once my dad planted soybeans in part of the north field. Honestly, I don't remember what the yield was, or what happened, but I only remember him doing it once.

He typically used Open Pollinated seed corn, like http://www.greenfieldfarms.org/ Hay, if I remember correctly, was typically seeded as ½ tall clover, ¼ alfalfa and ¼ grass. I have no idea if this was optimal, but that is what we planted.

We stored the oats in a grainery I helped build. We fed most of it to our hogs and cattle, but left enough to use as seed for the following year. I think we only bought oat seed once.

I see the owners have cleared a good amount of trees from the southern part of the farm. That's too bad. I remember walking there in the woods, looking at the little stream, contemplating life. It was peaceful.

They have also removed the old barn. That is probably a good thing. It was nearly 60 years old when I lived there, and not in very good shape. That not withstanding, it held some special memories of doing chores at 4:00 AM in the middle of winter, or the time I helped a sow deliver a litter of pigs, or even the first and only time I have been in a hayloft with a girl.

Microsoft LiveEarth has a more recent satellite image and, well, it makes me a little sad. If I am looking at it correctly, they have done something with the pond. Maybe they emptied it or filled part of it in. That was a place of peace. There is nothing quite like floating on a pond all alone in a boat with no one around. The scents and sounds so subtle yet sublime.

Perhaps some day again I will know the simple joy of harvesting a field of oats or building a grainery or walking in the woods or floating all alone in a boat in a small pond.

Or perhaps, even, the simple pleasure of a kiss in a hayloft.

Perhaps...

Do What It Takes

I am going to admit a deep, dark thing that has been a part of my life now for more that 25 years. Children, please shield your eyes. Adults, please be prepared. It's not pretty. You were forewarned...

I... Am... A...
Computer... Programmer...

There. I said it. I have come out of the digital closet. I feel SO relieved!

That being admitted to, tongue firmly implanted in cheek, I must be honest for a moment. I have successfully provided for my family for nearly twenty years practicing this profession. I am not embarrassed by it, and I have been told that my programming ability is fairly sharp.

Why do I want to farm? Because that is who I am.

Sitting down to work on the financial planning for this little venture, it comes as no surprise to me that the numbers are tight. Well, not just tight... blaring, glaring, rosy, crimson red. HOW will I pay my start-up costs? I have little savings and certainly not enough to run out and buy a chunk of land with a wad of cash.

Credit? Ya, right. I am lucky to receive credit card offers that have less than 30 percent interest! So, HOW???

Well, I have one, maybe two years before the big relocation. I have thought about pushing aside my profession for my goal of living in the country, but I firmly believe these two can live in harmony. It is simply a matter of balance. Work as a computer programmer while I work on building my farm. Programming will support my little farming excursion.

Should my farming venture become profitable enough that my employment as a programmer is no longer necessary, all the better. If that doesn't happen, and I must be a programmer for another twenty years or so, well, so long as I live in the country, I think I would be OK with that.

So, for now, I have a ton to study and plan and do. Computer books on one side of the room and agricultural books on the other. I get to dive right in the middle with a large thermos of coffee.

There's gold in them thar hills!

Well, that's what my ex-wife jokingly said about an outting her and some friends are attending. They will be driving off to the Arizona desert to search for gold. Don't laugh too loudly there. A member of the local prospecting club has been able to find more than five pounds of gold in the last four years.

So I started thinking of finding green gold. The little nuggets on the farm or out in the country that really pay off. Maybe, just maybe, that is one of many keys to a small farm's financial sustainability.

Those little green gold nuggets. Those ideas that are like gold. Sure, individually they may be cute and somewhat profitable. Put them together in a bucket and you have a nice little unique pile of money making green gold.

I read of a woman who years ago bought goats to sell the milk. She didn't research enough and discovered selling her goat's milk simply couldn't happen, given the local laws. What did she do? She learned how to make soap and created her own line of natural goat's milk soap.

One year on the the farm as a teenager, my dad was short on cash. He found a person who bought scrap iron. We spent a month stripping apart old, irreparable farm equipment scattered here and there. My dad made a little cash that way, but he happened onto an idea. He started offering a service to haul away old inoperable farm implements. We would strip and sell the metal as scrap and use the things we could.

It wasn't gold mine, but a nice little nugget. I only wish we had a cutting torch then. Busting apart an old corn picker with wrenches, hammers and cold chisels can be a rather physical activity!

Cars, cars everywhere.

Well, I am a bit behind in my blogging today. I had written part of two entries yesterday but didn't have the time to finish them. SO, this fine morning while driving to work, I decided to do a little non-scientific study and post about it.

I drive about twelve miles to work every morning and the same back in the evening, right up and down Boulder Highway. Anyone familiar with Vegas will probably know that Boulder Highway is less of a highway and more of a four lane city street.

Anyway, on with my study.

I was curious; how many people commuting to work were alone in cars or trucks, riding with someone else, riding a bike, or on a motorcycle. So, as safely as I could, juggling pen and cigarette, I watched and recorded. I even sacrificed my morning drive coffee for this study! Ah... What one must give up for the sake of scientific research.

Just for full disclosure, I did not count vehicles like semi-trucks, taxis, school kids on bikes, and vehicles that seemed to be business related.

Here are my un-scientific counts:

• Single people in cars: 169
• Multiple people in cars: 52
• Motorcycles: 4
• Bikes: 2

Personally, I felt this to be a low motorcycle and bike count today. I have no idea why.

So 169 people are burning up a LOT of gas, going to and fro. Another thing that bugged me was the fact that so many were driving Hummers or large pick-ups. Those things get what, ten miles to the gallon, if that?

Food for thought - what if only ten of those single passenger vehicles were motorcycles or mopeds. Not only would there be significant gas savings, but chances are good that the vehicle and insurance would cost less.

Yes, I admit that I was a single vehicle in this study. Soon, yes soon I hope to change vehicles. It will be either a small motorcycle or a horse. But, if the horse is required to wear diapers for me to ride on the street, forget it. OK. Motorcycle it is!

Recipe: Classic Dill Pickles

OK, so I am in a 'pickle' mood this week. Here is one I found at the bottom of my filing cabinet. It has been quite some time since I had home-made dill pickles. Really, I think this is close to the pickles I used to enjoy back on the farm. Well, minus the garlic.

8 pounds sliced pickling cucumbers

4 cups white vinegar

12 cups water

2/3 cup pickling salt

15 cloves of peeled, coarsely chopped garlic

8 sprigs fresh dill weed (rinsed)

5 heads fresh dill weed, cut into smaller pieces (rinsed)

1 T mustard seed

Wash & slice cucumbers. Place in sink or a large container with plenty of water and ice.

Soak for six (6) hours, replacing ice when needed.

While those soak, prepare the other items and sterilize eight (8) one quart canning jars. Large mouth are best.

In a large covered pot over medium-high heat, combine vinegar, water, mustard seed and salt. Boil.

Evenly distribute the pickles, dill weed and garlic in the jars. Don't stuff the jars with pickles. Leave about 1 inch of room at the top of the jar for the pickles to move around in the salt-water.

Fill the jars with the hot salt brine.

Carefully (but quickly) wipe down the rims of the jars and seal.

Boil the closed jars in a water bath for about 15 minutes.

Store the pickles for at least two months before eating. That gives the ingredients time to do their delicious chemical magic. These pickles can be stored for two years and even more with no problems.

FarmerKen notes: I like dill pickle spears, so instead of slicing, I would probably quarter smaller cukes into spears. The boiling water bath is not specifically necessary but should be done to ensure all the nasty bacteria is killed off.

Hard Work

Some twenty five years have passed and I still remember a little postcard my dad had pinned to the wall of our back porch: “I love hard work. I could sit and watch it all day.” That is one of those goofy little memories that make me smile from time to time.

About six years ago I 'came out of the barn,' so to speak. I told my programming cohorts... er... coworkers that I want to be a farmer; that I don't want to still be working behind a desk full time in ten years. Oh, the smiles and chuckles and interesting comments and questions still make me smile. Now, occasionally at work, I am affectionately referred to as FarmerKen.

One of my programming compatriots made the razor sharp observation that farming is hard work. “How are you going to do all of that? That is seriously hard work!”

Yup. How does one respond to that statement? It can be hard; damned hard. I remember waking at 4AM to get the pigs back in their pen; the 6AM and 7PM chores; fighting a water heater in single digit temps at 10 PM; putting up hundreds of hay bales in 80% humidity and 95 F weather; and the twenty hour days during harvest time. Hell yes, it is hard work. I know. I have been there, and I am going to be there again.

But hell. If I am going to be working my ass off for the rest of my life, I would much rather be doing something I want to do. And, well, the view from an office cubicle just doesn't suit me.

Research Day

Well, not entirely all research. I did work on some other necessities, but I made it a point to do a little reading. Not only was it an interesting exercise, but educational and enjoyable as well.

I had NO idea Collinsville, Illinois is known as the Horseradish Capital of the World! The horseradish farms there produce nearly 60 percent of the world's horseradish. Every year they have a festival to celebrate the pungent root crop, and honestly, it looks like a lot of fun! Bloody Mary contest, eh? Hmmm... http://www.horseradishfestival.com/

I read some information on the PawPaw, Sugar Maple, Shallots, Amaranths, Fox Tails, Celeriac, and even more. My research is solely focused on alternative crops that lend themselves to the environment in Illinois. Perhaps I will look into alternate crops for other locations later, but for now... I am focusing and enjoying.

Alternates

I was raised on a classic 'old-school' sort of farm, replete with outhouse, old barn, corn crib and pond. To my father, alternative crops included oats, soy beans and the occasional patch of sweetcorn, popcorn , green beans and pumpkin. Yes, he was 'old school.' Corn and hay and cows and hogs encompassed the bulk of his agricultural domain.

I am certainly not putting him down! He did a helluva job raising five kids there until his death in 1983. He did what he knew. He knew his style of farming well. When times were tough, he operated a bulldozer and even worked in a brass foundry. And all of this while having heart disease and diabetes!

It seems to me that many farmers continue doing what the know. That's not necessarily a bad thing for them. Many are very good at it. The concept of farming thousands of acres of corn or soy beans is an amazing concept to me. Admittedly, not very attractive either.

Classic agriculture is indeed a minimal option in my plans, but a difficult one to swallow. Profit margins are narrow, and breaking into classic farming can be a large challenge for one with little savings and no land.

Alternative farming has some interesting opportunities. As the public moves away from more commercialized (and likely less healthy) foodstuffs, they look for alternatives. This may be a golden opportunity for new and old farmers alike to increase their profits and make a little difference in the world. A person wishing to farm no longer needs 200 acres to be marginally profitable. I have read of some having merely five acres and living solely from their own labors.

Here are some alternate crops and ideas I plan to explore:

• Alpaca Wool

• Organic/Free Range Eggs

• Duck Eggs

• Specialty Herbs

• Mustard Seed

• Sunflower

• Barley

• Hops

• Sorgum

• Sesame

• Wheat Grass

• Tree Seedlings

• Pheasant

• Rabbit

• Goats

The list of alternative crops and ventures almost seems endless. Take a look at the USDA website at http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/altlist.shtml for some great ideas. Another great place to browse to, is the Missouri Alternatives Center at http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/ These are extraordinary places to start any research into alternative agricultural ventures.

It is all limited to your available marketing, land, laws of your state and your determination. Milkweed is an alternative crop??? WOW! If I only knew that as a kid while taking a machete to acres of them!

Little Things

This morning I actually stopped to watch a baby bird making its awkward way through the air between two palm trees. He fluttered and flapped and flew one way and then the other. Typically loosing altitude, he ungracefully landed on the trunk, climbing to the apex of the tree and then launching himself towards the other tree.

I watched this for probably ten minutes. It was all I could spare. It was beautiful. The bird's parent in one of the trees, just siting there watching. Sun rising over the mountain range to the east.

If we could all just shut-up and listen to nature, she has so much to teach.

Oh, glorious barn!

Barns Are Beautiful! Yes, I think I want that as a bumper sticker. I love old, well built barns. The huge hayloft; the wooden beams; the red exterior. To me, old barns are are a wonderful expression of strength and peace and productivity and solitude. They are the flagships of the rural lifestyle.

Now here is an idea - remodeling a barn into a house. Sound tough? Perhaps, however it is probably easier than my other construction idea; a castle-like farmhouse!

So, here are a few links to barn remodeling info on the net:

This Old House
Home and Garden TV

And, as recommended by me... Barns and Back Buildings by Donald Berg.


Unfortunately, there don't seem to be many resources on the internet for this sort of renovation project. All the better! Adventures on a road less traveled are much more enjoyable and exhilarating.

Ideals, Convictions and Goals

I read a very good cautionary tale, written by Mark Lichtenstein on the newfarm.com website (here, at www.newfarm.com). It reminded me that ideals are just that... Ideals. Mark attempted to create and operate a new organic dairy in rural Pennsylvania. After two years he closed up shop. He was introspective and objective enough to document his errors. I personally thank him for this article, and I think many others should as well.

I have a friend who is a vegetarian. That is her conviction, and has been since her teens. It is unwavering, but further, it is attainable. Her diet, lifestyle, goals and ideals are all in harmony.

Be careful to not let convictions and ideals and goals grow in vacuum. They might look nice there but once exposed to the real world, they will likely unravel.

One's ideals must be tempered with the attainable goals within that ideal. Want to operate an organic farm? Break it down.

1. Land, rented or purchased
2. Labor
3. Marketing
4. Housing
5. Financing
6. Emergency plan
7. Equipment

You must have good productive and preferably inexpensive land available to you. Purchased land may be best, but if you can't buy, would you rather rent a nice ten acre plot? Hey, even that sounds better than going back to a windowless cubicle.

You must include labor in the calculations. Will you grow organic watermelon? If so, plan on hiring some help or being very ingenious. Take into account your own labor as well. There is nothing wrong with working your life's dream with no income... so long as someone else is paying!

As distasteful as marketing is to me, this is a key to what is feasible to raise.. This is the keystone of any specialty or organic farming venture. Your ideal may be to raise organic radishes and garlic. Without a market that can support your produce, you will be eating a lot of healthy, albeit odoriferous, produce that you will not be able to sell. Research, research, research...

You really do need to live somewhere. Are you comfortable in a small camper trailer? Do you need a house? Maybe an apartment in a nearby town or village would suffice. Tent maybe? Just remember that winter can get mighty cold.

Financing wraps all of these items into one final answer; the bottom line. If the bottom line is too close or below that red line, try again.

All farming operations, as within all lives, an emergency plan should exist. What will you do if your lucrative organic edamame crop is completely flooded out? What will you do if a drought threatens your celery crop? Think about it. If you don't, you may be caught with your pants down.

All farms need equipment. It is a necessity. Some require nothing more complex than baskets and a spade while others require huge megaton tractors. Weight it all in with your financing. And if one of your proposed crops require a piece of machinery, be sure you know how to operate it.

And in all of your planning, remember your ideals, convictions and goals. Let them guide you, not control you.

Recipe: Sweet Pickles

Sweet pickles is a wonderful way to preserve those great summertime vegetables. Cucumbers are typically easy to grow in most locations and this recipe doesn't require them to be pretty or large. You can even use those end-of-season cukes. Don't have a garden? No problem! Most of the ingredients for this wonderful mixture can be purchased from your local farmer's market! Enjoy!

4 quarts sliced, un-peeled cucumbers
6 medium sliced and quartered onions
1 green pepper, sliced in strips (optional)
1 sweet red pepper, sliced strips (optional)
1/3 c. sea salt
3 c. white vinegar
5 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
3 tbsp. mustard seed

Slice all the vegetables into a large mixing bowl. Add salt and cover with ice cubes or cold water. Let stand three or four hours. Drain.

Combine remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Add pickles and heat until the mixture boils again. Put in sterilized jars to seal hot pickles. Makes 6 to 8 pints.

FarmerKen Notes: This is a great way to preserve those summer cukes. Unfortunately I have had little chance to experiment much with this recipe. The peppers are optional but personally, I prefer them. They add a little 'twang' to the pickles and the added color is wonderful.

Welcome!

Farmer Ken's little blogging outpost on the internet is here! One more step to living and working in the country again!

Sometimes introspective, sometimes eccentric, sometimes practical, sometimes just silly. This blog will be a daily excursion into my hopes, plans and dreams of living the farming life again. Enjoy, comment and most of all, pursue your dreams.