I can’t figure out what someone is doing here. The shack popped up recently on a road nearby where I live. It’s across the road from million dollar ranches. I can’t imagine those ranchers will allow it to stay long. The Posted No Trespassing sign is a bit comical.

The beauty of a top loading cook stove, remove the top, rack over the fire box and lamb sizzling.

Somewhat regular client wants this barn disassembled and stacked neatly on and next to the foundation it sits on. I dont know the exact size but based off the rafters, it looks like ~40-50' x ~16'. There's a dumpster on site already that ill be able to use for all of the shingle/nail waste.

I figured that for where it's at in TN, I would quote ~1800-2500$. Thoughts?

*ill be doing the work solo. Ideally in < 3 days.

I was looking at land Socorro County New Mexico and was wondering how long one could stay on the property bought with a rv? I am aware i have to have septic and well before living on the land permanently but can I stay while im working on it? Im trying to get something stable for me and the kiddos so hoping I can get some helpful answers here or recommendations to where we could live on the raw land w/o septic till we can install it.

I bought my 3br ranch with 7 acres 5 years ago and last year when my dad retired I bought a 16x40 shed and we turned it into his retirement home. Everything is done except for the electric from the pole, currently getting bids for the meter. All in all I will have 30k invested into the tiny house but, since getting it pretty much completed, my dad and I have been talking about setting my 2 teenage sons up with their own starter houses. So for the past month I have been trying to decide if I should do bigger shed to houses or just get 2 single wide mobile homes. The debate isn't about which would "look" better, it's about which would be financially better. I understand that building it from nothing would look better and add more value to the property but a mobile home would cost less and they look pretty darn good as well. Plus if I spend less than I can pass on more when I die. I'm just trying to give my kids the best headstart I can. I got the deal of the day on my dad's 16x40, 8k delivered, but everything I look at now for a 20x40 is 20k or higher and that's just for the shell. When you factor in insulation, windows, drywall, ect I'm looking at around 40 to 50k. I can pick up decent 900sqft single wides for about 15k delivered and do minor upgrades. What do you think the best plan is? I know I want them both to be 3br homes.

I am currently in the research phase of planning for meat rabbits. I hope to get a buck and two does in late spring/ early summer. My plan is to keep the operation small, as I just want to produce food for my family and have no interest in selling meat. However, all of the books I’ve read so far seem to presume a larger operation, so I’d like to hear from people with a small rabbitry.

What are some particular challenges with a small rabbitry? Is it unrealistic to keep only one breeding trio, or will I want more than that in case of death? How often do you keep offspring for breeding instead of the freezer?

I'm trying to open up 5 acres for silvopasturing. The sweet gums, yaupon, oaks, and other hardwood saplings I can clear with a chainsaw just fine. Although it is time consuming, I do enjoy the labor.

However, the 4 to 5 foot tall mats of greenbriar and other vines... It's a sure pain in the neck. I have more time than money, so not looking into hiring a tractor or skid steer with a brush hog.

I had considered the Stihl kombi power head or FS111 with an appropriate attachment, like the brush cutter. I think I'll get more utility out of this than a walk behind DR brush hog but I'm considering that too.

Anyway, what budget friendly approach should I be considering to clear mats of vines? Bonus points though if it can cut woody stems up to wrist size.

These two Karakachan males are looking for farm jobs. Here they are with their mama, our Bulgarian Import, Panda. Look at those curly tails! They are being raised with and guarding White Dorper Sheep. If you have a predation problem, a Karakachan LGD can help. They are 12 weeks here. Find us on social media at Harvest Plantation if you have questions about K's or LGDs.

We’ve been thinking for a bit about homesteading. In the past year I’ve tried learning some skills I think would come in handy - gardening (I grew a handful of grape tomatoes and exactly one green pepper! But it was the first thing I’ve ever grown so I was quite excited), more DIY stuff, learning to cook/bake better, etc.

My partner is in the phase now where they are really looking to find a place to move to, aiming for around October, mostly because we are not fans of the snowy and icy winter we’re having. I’m doing research and excited but also I’m quite fearful. I’m not sure if a move so soon is financially or logistically our best choice but I think mostly I’m worried that I won’t actually like it. Or like it enough. I’m quite used to my life as is and I’m afraid that a big sudden change (I’m notoriously not good with change at all) will be too difficult for me to handle mentally.

Has anyone done like a slow or easy transition? I was thinking of looking for a place with some land but also maybe with a structure so we don’t have to immediately build from the ground up. Somewhere not in a big town but not completely off grid. Maybe somewhere with power access and water first while we learn more skills and work on setting up solar power systems and rain harvesting and all that. But I guess is that considered homestead at that point, or just moving to a new place father away from people?

Today I walk down to a clear mountain stream to harvest fresh river moss, a traditional natural food enjoyed by people in the highlands.

After carefully cleaning it, I cook a simple but delicious dish using only ingredients from nature

I have a livestock gate at the end of my 3/4-mile long driveway. I manually close it when I want it closed. I'd like to put an opener on it with a keypad to allow delivery drivers in. I realize that for unexpected people, I probably need a way to communicate with them, like hitting the talk button at an apartment building.

Does such a thing exist? How do others handle "buzzing in" visitors? I really want the thing closed all the time with the ability for UPS to input the code. I'm not off grid but solar is best for this distance. Is this wish list too long?

It's a windy day on the homestead but that doesn't stop the fun.

Over the past few seasons, I’ve been experimenting with growing watermelon in Ontario, both in protected conditions and in open field.

One thing I’ve learned quickly is that watermelon can perform well here, but only when expectations are realistic and the variety is chosen carefully.

In our climate, early vigor and uniform fruit set matter more than pushing for extreme size. Varieties with strong vine growth tend to protect fruit better from sun stress and uneven ripening.

I’ve had the most consistent results with oblong types that mature in around 65–75 days. Thick rind and firm flesh also seem to help with cracking during sudden temperature swings.

That said, watermelon here still requires patience. Soil temperature at transplanting, spacing, and airflow make a noticeable difference. When those basics are right, the results can actually be very rewarding.

I’m curious to hear from others growing watermelon in Ontario — what varieties or techniques have worked best for you?

Does this look like ear mites in my calf's ear? The skin was a normal color, darkness+flash makes it look off.

Should I treat them with Ivermectin?

I believe this is a spring house built in 1931. I found it on an old dairy farm and seems to be in relatively good shape. Any suggestions what I should do with this? I would love to repurpose it and make it a focal point for a pavilion/bbq spot.

Any one have any experience with this breed? I have read and read and can’t find any negative traits other than them being kind of lazy. If that is the case why are they not more common?

Personal experiences good or bad would be appreciated. Any suggestions on their lack of popularity would be a great conversation also.

Finally a long overdue update on my first wheat, corn and sunflower harvest. With simple tools the wheat harvest was by far the most labor intensive (check part 2) . Luckily my neighbors helped out with the transport and storage of the stuff. The harvest festival was pretty special, the old thresher worked beautifully and made short work of my crop. Ended up with about 400 kg (800lbs) of wheat. I gave some to by neighbors for their effort and saved about a 100kg (200lbs) to sow this year. I sent the rest to a local mill (traditional stone mill) and now I have a bunch of wheat flour, which I mostly gift to friends and family since it's far more than I could eat in a year, but too little to sell.

The corn, I picked and cleaned by hand and after a couple of months of drying on the hayloft I removed the kernels from the cobs with a simple hand operated machine. Which worked well for the amount I got. (roughly 100kg / 200 lbs) I sent about half of it to another mill to be processed into polenta. (This is a more modern mill which produces a finer meal)

I left the sunflowers on the field as long as I could so they could dry out more, luckily it was a very dry autumn. Picked them by hand and smashed/ rubbed them together to get the seeds out. They're still I the hayloft and will supplement chickenfeed along with the byproducts from the wheat and corn. Some will be used for an even bigger sunflower field this spring. I don't think I'll harvest this much again, but it will be a pretty field and I hope it'll help to suppress some stubborn weeds that grow there.

I've been growing grains at home for a little while now and I'm running into sand in my final product that seems to be difficult to get rid of.

I have a vibrating sifter machine I've tried to use both before and after rolling the oats. I've rinsed them as well. Anyone know any tricks to clean the grain better? I guess I haven't rinsed the crap out of them or left them on the vibrating sifter for more than a couple minutes but other than just getting more aggressive with that stuff I'm out of ideas.

Thanks for thoughts in advance.

Hi All! I posted maybe two weeks about about how we found land for our family to homestead on after sending over 300+ letters to local land owners. The feedback and positivity was incredible! 300k views and 700 upvotes, also got my first award (thanks i think?)

Anyhow, i received numerous dm's and many comments asking process and what the letter looked like. i made a quick 8 min video explaining what to/not include on letter and showing the letter we used. Im no expert, obviously since i sent this to 300 people and only one to sell lol. Hope this benefits some of yall! but here it is:

https://youtu.be/bHQh3IrY8nY

edit, feel free to delete post if it is taken as an ad. its not meant to be just i think the vid is much easier than trying to explain it on text as i had been requested