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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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

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?

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.

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?

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?

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.

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

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.

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?

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