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!