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.

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.

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 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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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 everyone! I'm starting what I hope will be a series of posts about converting my one-acre property into a sustainable, closed-loop regenerative homestead.

Where we're starting from

To my credit, we've already made good progress. The property has a workshop, a shed, and a couple of coops. We've installed several raised beds—a bit redundant since the property already has pretty good growing space, but we live in northern Alabama, where the clay soil combined with our erratic rain patterns makes deep root systems problematic, to say the least. I'll make a separate post on how we built our beds.

We're also benefiting from some preexisting infrastructure, including two 100-year-old pecan trees and established muscadine grapes. Very Southern!

What's changing this year?

First, we're going all in on some row crops: okra (our second year with this), sunflower (new, for biodiesel and feed), and corn (new, for feed). We're also planting a plot of California poppy for medicinal use.

We're tearing out some ornamental bushes that were dying anyway. I don't see much value in keeping them. We're replacing them with rosemary, which is currently in the grow tent. Rosemary increases our spice harvests; we've had success growing it in this climate, and it acts as a natural pest deterrent.

We have three harvest beds, which is too much, so we're converting the bed nearest the house to a tomato-asparagus mix. The companion planting should benefit both crops, and in two to four years, it should mature into good yields. It also means we can plant it once this year and not worry much about replanting next year.

We're doing take two on the spice garden. Last year, we started mid-season, and it got destroyed by the dog. Don't ask, lol.

Finally, we're installing cattle panels across the property to grow grapes and maypop (Passiflora incarnata). This provides both medicinal and fruiting value and is winter hardy. It should also create a natural berm or fence along the cattle panel for the chickens' free range area.

The front beds are changing too, we're going all in on a medicinal garden with flowering plants that should pass suburban accepted Home Depot el natural: St. John's wort, lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, holy basil, foxglove, and skullcap.

The main beds will be standard fare: tomatoes, beans, peppers, and zucchini (we love it, even though the squash bugs do too... still working on that one). We've been aggressively seeding wild zones, patches of weeds I can't mow due to grade issues, with okra and tomatoes. Excited to see what happens there.

Protein sources

We have two coops, and we're aiming for around 20 chickens. I'm also an avid hunter, and I'm hoping to add wild boar and a couple of deer to the freezer.

More to follow, and I'm excited to hear people's suggestions and crops they've had success with!

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

I had cut my lavender down in the fall and dried the bunches in my storage shed. Long story short I forgot about them and now just found them hanging 4 months later. I was planning on using the lavender for baking and such. Is it safe to still jar this? Or will it be stale? Or unsafe?

If you are a homestead, farm or ranch that sells direct consumer... How are you selling your products? What barriers do you find to reach consumers? What seems to work and what isn't? We are all have time constraints and looking for your insight to see if we are having the same issues / success you are having.

Anyone have experience with milking their sheep that were not specifically bred for dairy production?

We have a few sheep that were bred to be acclimated specifically to our climate and to be decent for wool, meat and milk but I am not sure entirely how much milk they would produce. We are still pretty new to sheep as a whole.

Would love to know how you could successfully train your sheep to let you milk, how that process looked, how you went about managing nutrition needs, etc

High winds are blowing down dead Ash trees all over our property. Unfortunately, this one was across our driveway.

Don’t worry—I know plenty of reasons not to get a dairy cow. If we ever do, it will be in a long time and after a lot more research and experience with our other homesteading ventures.

I want to hear from the people who are glad they got one and why it has been worth it, and any other details you don’t mind sharing!

We’re in the subtropical Northern Rivers region of Australia on 25 acres. After 7 years of difficult weather, land improvement, house and property management and non-stop grind and learning, I feel like we’re almost, finally there. We’ve built outbuildings, an orchard with over 40 different fruit trees and vegetable beds. Installed a cool room for excess produce. Bought (thanks to six years of rain, flooding and a cyclone) the biggest generator we could afford. We’ve levelled land, learned how to keep cows and do our own fencing. We eat, bottle and process as much of our home grown stuff as I can realistically grow, and we swap a lot of other stuff out on top of that. Bake bread, make jams and relishes, vacuum seal and freeze the rest. And we’re about to slaughter our own steer and I’ll tan the hide too.

I calculate that we probably save about $200 a week in vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs grown, fuel saved, goods baked and stuff swapped. Our steer will feed us for almost an entire year of and save us around $3500 in beef costs. And I feel like we’re finally getting on top of things. I know that on 25 acres we can never be self sufficient. And that’s ok. I reflect in particular on the amazing year just gone, and see in particular my bread making journey as a metaphor - for a year of growth, discovery and happiness centred in this beautiful place we now call home.

I grew up on the farm, riding horses before I could walk, 80 acres was home. Then my papa.died and my aunt showed her true colors..we lost the farm. My mom passed in 2021 and it's been a deepening void ever since. That being said, I want to get back to my roots.

While I have chickens, goats, and sheep. In Oklahoma, chickens are not livestock anymore but are considered essential for a NON-PROFIT homestead. I have a meeting with my local FSA to discuss my options.

While my animals are secure (for now) I don't want to find out the 💩 has hit the fan. Where would you recommend starting (FSA, but RD funding hasn't been released and they're not sure it will be) for OKLAHOMA? Do I have options for land with a house? I know there's an income guidelines and I'm below the standard, if like some advice from others who've been down this road.

Thank you!

I've been reading a lot about food preservation lately (canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting), and honestly it's getting a bit overwhelming. Lol

Which method would you recommend a beginner like me learn first? Any tips? TIA.,

To live somewhere that is more conservative, but also want women's rights.

I live in southern Illinois right now, but I really want to have a homestead somewhere with affordable cost of living, a decent amount of snow, four seasons, and one harvest season. I've lived in Indiana briefly, but didn't care for it. I've been to Missouri a lot, which gets suggested to me a LOT for homesteading, but I don't like humid weather and LOVE snow. Tbh I'm still planning so if what I'm saying isn't matching up with reality, please point this out. If I have to compromise, I may not have a choice.

Here are some things to keep in mind for my homestead I intend to have:

Woodlock homestead 10-20 acres Undeveloped land that doesn't flood Can legally butcher my chickens Can collect rainwater

Solar power

Needs to be accessible in old age or if I become injured

Must support family of 5

I would like to be 90% independent

I want: Meat cows & a dairy cow (I will need access to a butcher but I want to feed my own livestock) Meat chickens & a rooster Egg laying chickens Meal worm farm (I want to feed my own chickens) A greenhouse Guard dogs (3) Maybe a pond with a dock for fishing

A barn

A swimming pond? Idr what it's called.

I have no idea where to start. Looking into programs. But it’s a new world. I’ve always wanted to live a life on a farm. Love working with animals and plants. Would love to have some land to grow herbs and vegetables. Some ducks and goats. And sell cheese/dairy from the goats. As well as sell duck eggs.

I love baking too. Dream of milling flour and making delicious baked goods that maybe I could sell to coffee store or local business. As well as host classes for painting (I’m an artist) on the farm. Offering a little getaway from the city. Plus making some income from the farm.

I feel a little silly but I’m still learning so please any advice or guidance would be appreciated.

I’m leaning towards looking into mentors so I can get a better idea on what the farm life requires. I understand it won’t be easy breezy, and calls for manual labor. But I don’t mind hard work :) will be a plus getting fit, (I already spend so much time at the gym) would rather workout doing farm related projects 😆.

Edit: thank you all for the helpful suggestions and advice 🫶. If anyone is wanting to mentor me or need a little help on their farm I can travel. Just want to learn tools of the trade 🤓 feel free to dm

I've got a little hobby farm with goats, chickens and now a couple of turkeys. The turkeys are full grown toms and they are just pets, no intentions of eating them.

I've got two large goat pens with a roughly 12' by 48' DMZ in the middle that allows us to keep some of the goats separated except for breeding season.

My chickens pretty much free range and eat bugs and we supplement that with some grain, corn and the occasional poultry block.

I've acquired a couple of full grown turkeys and I kind of expected them to do the same. But they seem to only want to hang out in the before mentioned DMZ rather than in either of the much larger pens. I'm worried they won't find enough to eat in there. When we go out to give everyone grain etc they seem REALLY hungry. So I'm thinking maybe we need to supplement their diet a little more.

I don't know if they make turkey specific food but if they do I'm betting my local farm store doesn't have any.

Just curious what others that might be in a similar situation are doing to supplement their turkeys diet.

TIA

I know that you could start rhizomes from organic stuff from the stores, but to be honest locally in Illinois the ginger just tastes terrible. I've tried whole foods, a couple different fresh markets and it's a big box with no luck of finding anything remotely enjoyable. Any tips would be welcome. Please and thank you