Hobby Farms Forums / HobbyFarms.com Forum Basics / Welcome to the HobbyFarms.com Forum

Hello from Middle Georgia! Newbie here with tiny Farm.

Merin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:46:21 GMT

Hi everyone! This is my first post and introduction to Hobby Farms Forums! I just started subscribing to the magazine and had no idea that I could go on line and get to meet other small Farm Enthusiasts like myself. This makes my world a lot friendlier and "Swee-eet"! I love to meet others with the same questions I have and getting input from everyone on how to successfully get a small farm going and how to keep it up.

I am a single Gal, with a tiny 3 acre Home. I have vegetable and flower gardens. Have tried my hand at growing gourds and crafting them. I just love getting my green thumb dirty!

I have 4 Buff Orpington and 3 Rhode Island Red Hens,that have just started laying for the first time. They have a very Handsome Cock-a-doodle-doo Buff O. that rules the roost. I also have one little white Silkie and her fella, for the setting jobs to be done next Spring!

My Four leggeds and children of my heart are my 1 year old great Dane,"Diesel" and my 9 Year old Chihuahua "Pepito Puppytoes" or "P.P." for short.

Oh well thats enough for an intro! I am so happy to be here and hope to become friends with you all very soon! Merin

In NJ but moving to NC, need your advice

littlehouse17 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:03:21 GMT

I am retiring in 1.5 yrs and plan on moving to western NC to finally have my dream of having a small farm. So the big question where do I begin? I am starting to look at property now since the market is good for buying. I am a single woman with grown children so it will be me and my dogs for now. Want to have some farm animals and grow my own vegetables, just not sure how much acreage to buy without overwhelming myself. Also I am into dog rescue so would be involved in that.

Advice please!

Hello from Massachusetts

Marbleheader — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:56:45 GMT

Hello from Marblehead, Mass.

Just started my little hobby farm -- four month-old hens in a a backyard coop on a nice suburban quarter acre lot. Set up a blog and live webcam of my girls. Check out my signature for the links.

Hoping to give and receive lots of good advice here.

Hello from NC

BJackson831 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:06:23 GMT

Hello everyone. I just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I live in Clayton, NC and I am a devoted family man. I am in the process of building a chicken coop and looking to buy a goat or two. I look forward to meeting and talking to everyone.

Bryan

Howdy from Milwaukee!

Chajara — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:39:39 GMT

Hi guys! Just thought I'd go ahead and introduce myself. I'm a 22-year-old young woman just outside Milwaukee in an apartment and hoping to eventually have some land to start up a little homestead. For now, I'm making the best of things and teaching myself to cook, bake, and preserve and growing vegetables in containers on my balcony. It's the best I can do, unfortunately. Looking forward to all the things I can learn here, too. :)

New Member Looking For Garden Crop Ideas

old_cowhunter — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:35:41 GMT

Greetings from North Florida.

We have a small farm (twenty acres) in North Florida. The farm is a sand hill with excellent drainage. We are in our own little microclimate within Zone 8B. All of Columbia County, and the eastern part of Suwanee County, as well a little of the west side of Union and Bradford Counties make up our microclimate. We have the last frost dates in Florida, which makes for interesting farming. Some crops/plants/trees that grow east or west of us will not grow here.

We raise Florida Cracker Cattle and Florida Cracker Sheep. Both breeds date back to the 1500's when Florida belonged to Spain. We also raise Cotton Patch Geese (these date from at least the 1800's), Tomaru (Japanese Black Longcrowers), and Saipan Junglefowl. All of these are critically endangered breeds that we are attempting to save from extinction.

We are raising Muscovy Ducks this year in hopes that they will make good setting hens for goose eggs next spring. In an effort to start a flock of dark brown egg layers, we bid on several egg offers on EggBid and Ebay, but for the most part the quality/ honesty was lacking.

We have never seen a honeybee on the farm, so the wasps, bumblebees, moths, and butterflies that fill the garden are apparently pollinating the plants for us.

We are raising everything with no chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, or non-organic fertilizers. This is in itself quite a challenge. The garden area is about 195’ x 175’. Our garden has done well for the last two years, producing literally hundreds of cantaloupes, cucumbers, and watermelons. Seven bushels of acorn squash, many, many bushels of beans, cucumbers, and yellow squash.

It’s hard to farm when you don’t know what you are doing! The county extension agents never seem to understand what I am trying to do. They have suggested that I turn my 16 acre pasture into a market garden …, they didn’t have any suggestions as to where I would raise my cattle and sheep! They mean well, but have been of no help.

It would be nice if there was a Farming 101 course somewhere for us country farmers who were raised off the farm!

I guess I am a bit unorthodox by today’s standards. I want to raise vegetable crops to feed my livestock. This was done in the 1600’s-1800’s, so I see no reason it won’t work now. The county agents couldn’t understand my feeding the cattle, sheep, and geese hundreds of pounds of vegetables instead of raising them to sell at farmer’s markets, etc. They can’t seem to understand that by feeding the vegetable to the livestock, I have done away with buying most of the livestock feed that I had bought in the past.

I have a small farm, with just my wife and I doing the farming. We have a 40hp tractor with a rototiller attachment to work the garden area. I have an Earthway seeder that I bought last year, and it has helped get the garden in a lot faster than I had done in years past.

We are both in our 60’s, and living on a limited income. Like the old saying, “being poor ain’t a sin, but it is decidedly inconvenient.”

Right now I am researching crops that I could grow for the livestock this coming spring. There is no information on the Internet that is helpful. I can find information on growing forages for the livestock, but no one seems to be raising turnips, mangels, carrots, etc., like people did a hundred years ago.

I did have an interesting experience this past spring: due to events beyond my control, I did not get half of the garden fertilized. This half of the garden was pastureland that had not been fertilized in more than ten years. Well, the pumpkins and watermelons ended up “single serving sized”, but they were still delicious.

The garden is now fertilized, and I have put in my first fall/winter garden. In looking for winter crops that I could grow for my wife and I, and for the livestock, I’ve ended up with about half the garden still unplanted. I am looking into some sort of cover crop to plant in that area.

Everything is so expensive for small farmers now. Even so, I feel blessed to be living is this America, and doubly blessed to be happily married to some who shares my beliefs and goals out here on the farm.

If anyone has suggestions for vegetables to raise for the livestock, or has had experience raising food for their critters, I would love to hear from them.

Need advise on making our own hay

SHSA alpaca farmer — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:30:35 GMT

We own alpacas and after several years of paying big $$$ for hay we have started making our own Orchard grass hay (we have 40 acres). The problem is they will not eat some of our cuttings. They will eat the 1st cutting but not the second cutting or 3rd but will eat the 4th and if we are lucky the 5th. It is not moldy, we are very careful not to let it get rained on. Our moisture tester says that we have about a 18% (on average) but it does not have have a hay smell. Are we missing something. Can hay turn bad a have a sour/bitter taste.

Howdy from MI!

StahlHomestead — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:27:30 GMT

Hello there! I've been subscribing to the magazine but this is my first visit to the website! VERY NICE!

We're in the process of purchasing a small scale farm, on which we plan to grow veggies, fruit, herbs and offer organic eggs as well as some of my artwork and crafts! I'd like to get a few commercial herb contracts with local restaurants as well as sit out by the curb in my little cart stand hehe Just got a few more ducks to get into the row before we break ground! As of right now we're looking at 3 acres. Got the house picked out and the land layout drawn up, we're raring to go!

I grew up in the suburbs, my husband is from rural northern Michigan. We always had gardens, and I've learned alot from my grandma who grew up in a mining camp during the depression in the hills of KY. I start a lot of my plants indoors from seed in the spring, and currently have a 4x8' herb garden and 8x16' veggie garden. Had a plum tree, but sadly it has passed away...

So anyhow that's us, hello everyone! I look forward to the tips, tricks and hints!

A new chicken fan here!

blackhog — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:16:49 GMT

Maybe every one knows the typical hello. Witch is what every one says. And in about a quick cluck I will say it.....Hello!! (just being silly)

Aside from the funny talk, I have come here to learn more about, and show off my Chickens.(which were mistreated, and then given to me) and my raised from birth chick. (Who unlike anything I have ever seen, sits on my shoulder)

I really love my birds and want to share them with other people that have chickens too!(Or anybody else that wants to hug them)

New here...anyone else have a camel?

the inadvertent farmer — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:21:00 GMT

Hi, my name is Kim, I'm the Inadvertent Farmer. I am in the process of raising 5 kids, 1 camel, a handfull of llamas and various critters on our 10 acre farm in Western Washington. I homeschool, garden, sew, blog, pray and vote. I am glad to be here and am looking forward to learning from other small farmers! I would love to hear from anyone else with a camel...oh and how do I make my pictures smaller? Thanks! Kim

hello from n. kentucky

whiterabbit454 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:53:11 GMT

just joined up to this forum also am getting subscreption to the magazine

Midwesterner preparing to start hobby farm

Morgannon — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:48:43 GMT

Hello everyone!

I'm so glad I found this forum - my wife and I are starting the land search to find a possible hobby farm / gentlemen's estate site.

Some background on me - I didn't grow up on a farm, but my grandmother had a small one. I fell in love with the whole farming lifestyle (hard work and everything), but like all teenagers I rebelled against it back in the late 80's and moved to the city. I met my wife, whose grandmother had a small farm too, there. We moved to a small Midwestern town of 200,000 and here the story truly begins...

We are currently living in a modest house in town, and we intend to use this as our primary residence while we are preparing the farmland for our "estate". I am the one tasked with finding the land / budgeting for our expenses / etc.

Our primary use of our farm estate will be food for ourselves, our immediate family, and for some friends. We are currently childless but are adopting soon, so we foresee going from two to four or six family members. Down the road I might consider selling at a farmer's market, but after reading Joel Salatin's excellent book Everything I Want to Do is Illegal, my passion for that has faded a bit.

So - my first, most pressing question is - how much land should we get? And where? My natural inclination is to get as much as we can afford and as remote as possible, but that's probably a reaction to the small lot and high regulation that we currently experience. We've found several parcels ranging from 20 to 40 acres, at roughly $3-$5K an acre. If we want to start small with room for expansion, would 40 acres be overkill? I figure we want to have extensive gardens, pastures, and woods, so I want plenty of space hehe.

Sorry if this rambles - I've been reading several books about buying farm property, such as Gene Lodgson, but those books don't really deal with overall farm planning and how to stock/build/purchase equipment for one.

Thanks so much for reading, and if anyone wants to talk via email I would welcome it! My email is dhatcher@chicagogsb.edu

Hello everyone....

axeline — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:37:03 GMT

Hobbyfarms I think is a good place to acquire knowledge and at the same
time share.things which we have learned. As to hobbies I love gardening..for
I'm a bit concerned on to the our environment now. Seeing that everyday,
our environment is getting harmed, and we are now experiencing climate
changed, I bet it's now time to preserve our mother nature.. And that's what
I've been busy every weekends.. starting at home...

Hello from Shining Moon Farm

Paul Ewing — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:42:01 GMT

Hello all. I would like to introduce myself and my farm. Well my little start of a farm at least. :) We are calling it Shining Moon Farm to flow with the name of our jewelry and glasswork business, Shining Moon Creations. We are located outside of Boyd, TX which is about 35 miles northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

We are starting with a small one acre piece of my parents 62 acre farm which I will one day inherit, hopefully far in the future. It looks like I will be taking over more of the work of the main farm in the next few years because it is getting harder for my father to do the work.

This farm started in 1907 when my great grandfather purchased 170 acres and ran a standard mixed use farm. It has produced beef, cream, watermelons, corn, peanuts, and assorted grain crops at different times. My parents purchased 60 acres in the 1970's from my great aunts and we moved there in 1983 when my father retired from the Air Force. Another two acres were inherited from my grandmother about five years ago.

As I was growing up, the farm was never run as a full time venture. We ran a few cattle for beef and 4-H and FFA projects. I did bottle calves and calves on Jersey nurse cows for a few years. Two years of raising Broilers for the county youth fair convinced me that I HATE chickens :D . I had a one acre market garden through high school which was a very good success except for the last year when we got a freak monster hail storm that destroyed everything in my expanded 1.5 acre garden. These activities paid for college through direct money and scholarships from the Houston Livestock Show.

I never did much showing of large stock past the county fair level because of the high cost for show quality cattle. In my Sophomore year in high school though I got a couple rabbits. This started an interest in showing them in our family and at one point in a few years we were running close to 300 rabbits from five breeds in four barns. We took our show all over the country and competed at the state and national conventions. After I got out of college and started working in computers though I couldn't help with the rabbits much. I work for a company that has me traveling most of the time. My parents slowly got out of the show rabbit business and switched to just cattle when my mother and father retired for good.

For the last thirteen years I have lived the miserable life of a city person. In June my wife, daughter, and I started moving to our new place in the country. It will be interesting to see how things go because they are both city girls. My wife thinks Denison where she grew with a population of 15,000 was small. Boyd has somewhere just over 1,000 people in the city limits. Luckily we are less than an hour from Fort Worth so she will be able to get her Big City fix if she needs to. :D One snag to things is that when we were just starting to move furniture and stuff out from our place in town, I got three days notice that I had to get on a plane to England for a one month assignment. Neither wife or daughter were thrilled with that and are making big lists of things I have to do when I get back at the in a few days.

As I said earlier, my parents currently just run a small herd of mostly Angus beef cattle. Currently they have a bull, eight cows, and seven calves. Sunday after I get home I get to play cowboy and catch and take two of the cows and all the calves to the auction. They hay crop from their two small fields has not been good the last two years and they are trying to cut down on the number they need to carry over the winter.

I hope to slowly move things to a more diversified and profit making setup over the next several years. I need to do this because while my parents have a good retirement setup and mostly just use the farm revenue for extra fun money, I would like to eventually stop the crazy corporate life and have it help support the family. My dad has no problems with this as long as I do the work. :)

I am looking at going back to my market garden days and setting up vegetable and small fruit crops. Our house is in front of the area where I had my market garden so will be easy to get to. I need to investigate new outlets since the primary local farmers market in Fort Worth that I used to sell at is now fancy landscaping for Tandy's new office park. I am looking at putting in blackberries and raspberries along with starting a more formal orchard with pear, peach, plum, and fig trees.

I also think that marketing the beef directly to consumers might be a good way to go. We raise grass fed beef with no antibiotics or growth hormones so it should be worth more than the 90 cents to a dollar a pound prices that they get at auction. The problem is that this takes marketing work that my father isn't real keen on doing.

Over all it is exciting to start back on the agriculture path that I left many years ago. I have dug out all my old books from High School and College Ag classes and am racking my brain trying to remember things as I study what is new. Organics were just starting to be accepted in the 1980's and while I dabbled in them then, things have really changed in the last 20+ years. I will be leaning that way, but the requirements seem to be crazy. Well the government has had its hand in since I last looked so that is probably the reason. :)

Anyway, this was way more than I intended to write and I am sorry if this bored you out of your skull.

Cheers, Paul

New to Forum

Farm Guy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:45:11 GMT

New to forum and just read the premiere copy of the Urban Farm. Live in Lexington, Kentucky and raise and show rabbits and now have added two Silkie Hens to my backyard Urban Farm.

Been enlarging my raised bed vegetable gardening and by next spring will have approx. 300 square feet of raised bed gardening.

New from Wisconsin

vigilant20 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:40:07 GMT

I just picked up the first issue of Urban Farm and am very excited about the new publication. I just got my first house in the city, and have dreams of homesteading some day. So I'm trying to work my tiny plot of land and learn what skills I can in the mean time. Looking forward to getting to know some of you and learning more.

Anyone from north east AR

wolf — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:33:57 GMT

Hello, we are new to the area and are just getting started. We are looking into raising goats but are not sure. We are going to raise pigs as I know how to do this. we were going to raise cows however we have to many oat trees and this idea was out as we found out the cows and acorns do not go together.
I was raised on a farm but that was .....a long time ago. Now we are raising two grandchildren and we are hoping that this small farm will but what they need. And my husband is learning too. Being a Marine he is willing to tackel anything. I am the only one with any farm experience and that was as a child. Things do change and the memory does change so I may need to ask some questions. So if there are any people out there in the area that would be willing to help and answers some question in this area...that would be great...

Thanks

Wolf.

Anyone from SD or ND?

Al & Tess — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:37:31 GMT

My husband and I are thinking about starting our own hobby farm in a few years here in North Central SD. Is there anyone in SD or ND that already has a hobby farm we might be able to visit with?

Looking to get info on farm life in the mid-west

houseofsoares — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:25:58 GMT

Hello- My husband and I, along with our 4 children, are in the beginning stages of planning the "Big Move" to the Mid-West within the next 2 years. We currently live in Massachusetts on a very small hobby farm. Our goal is to purchase a large hobby farm in the Mid West to call home for the rest of our lives. We would love to hear from all you Mid-Westers about the areas you live, as we are still unsure where we want to settle down. Iowa is our first choice, so far, but we're still looking. Anyone willing to share info about their home towns, community focus, churches, schools, etc.etc.?? Thanks so much!

Rebecca and Derek Soares

Hello From New Brunswick

kevybaby — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:21:15 GMT

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are in the process of closing the deal (July31st) on60acres of pasture/woodlot, old farm house (150-170years), barn, 175 Apple trees on the Saint John river in New Brunswick, Canada. Comes with water rights also.

I am an industrial automation specialist and she is a school teacher (both in our 20's), we recently moved back from Fort McMurray, Alberta.

We have been saving our money for 3 years and recieved a mortgage from Farm Credit Canada, so the lawyer is doing the land title search as we speak..I don't suspect any issues but we have our fingers crossed.

Next step clean up the structures and overgrown land and road way.

Kevin

Hello from Florida!

FlaHobbyFarm — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:59:42 GMT

I am so glad that I discovered this group! I don't subscribe to Hobby Farms, but I usually pick up my copy at the feed store!!!!! I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning new things. I live with my husband of 21 years in Central Florida! We have a little farm that is basically a animal sanctuary. We also planted our first garden this year...we are so proud of ourselves. It is really nice to just walk out to the garden and get fresh, no chemical, veggies and fruit! Have a wonderful and blessed day all!

those little blue squares by my name that tell membership

ValerieJean — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:53:25 GMT

HI,
Just curious how one changes from 'starting' member to 'junior' member to... etc. Can't seem to find the info anywhere.

Is it based upon visits or postings or questions or ?????/

Hello from Eastern NC

SGF — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:35:46 GMT

I have been a Hobby Farm magazine reader for some time. I've read the Website about since it began but never joined until now. We live on 18.9 acres where we have two Percheron draft horses we work in harness. Last week the horses cut hay in SC, tedded it with a motorized tedder, for the first time, and raked it up. We also have Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and one Dominique chicken. Indoors are one Great Dane, one Great Dane/Boxer and one cat called "Little cat" because we aren't keeping it, although six years seems a long time to keep a cat that isn't staying.

Hobby Farms rewards

bethanysbantams — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:16:19 GMT

Do you have to pay for shipping for your rewards???

Bethany

My Farm

Drawbar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:13:30 GMT

Without question the farm here is well rooted in history. In 1757 the King of England granted a parcel of land in what is now Waldo County to this family for our heroics in the French and Indian War. Far from loyal to the King of England, the family traded sides in the American Revolution, and thanks to a relative that was high ranking in the Continental Army, we were allowed to keep the family land despite the change from tyranny to democratic rule. In the 1770’s we migrated from Cambridge, MA to Mid Coast Maine and have farmed here ever since.

Farmers by trade, family history dredges up a few facts regarding farming during the last 386 years. For instance in 1800, a notation of “500 head of sheep” was made on a farm ledger. Thirty years later, another family member makes a note that “50 acres of trees were cleared and burned for the grazing of sheep.” That was par for the day because between 1830-1850 trees were felled and the rock walls grew…enough in Maine alone to make a rock wall 3 feet high, 3 feet wide from Bangor to Sacramento, Ca. In New England there are enough rock walls to stretch 3 times around the equator; an incredible feat for a 20 year time frame and all to provide wool for the woolen trade stemming from Biddeford, Saco and Lewiston.

In the 1850’s, a donkey protecting the sheep at the farm, escaped and made its way to church. An exceptionally hot day, the windows were all opened and the preacher was just getting lathered up with fire and brimstone when the donkey “let out a bray that would curl your hair.” Children cried, women screamed, and men ran for their muskets in an attempt to save their families from the apocalypse. It was noted that it was the first time the local Congregational Church ended without a benediction!

The 1870’s brought the farm into the potato era, a commodity it principally farmed for 118 years. During the Second World War, a quite salty family member was ready to harvest his crop of potatoes but his 7 boys were fighting overseas against the Germans. A lot of people were upset at him, but he contacted the War Department and they sent down German POW's from the Bangor camp to aid in the harvest.

Being a man well versed in turning potatoes into mash, and apples into hard cider, as per the rule, when the potatoes were in the potato house, the cider barrels were rolled out and the harvest was celebrated. The man could not see why this year should be any different, and thus the POW's and the guards alike got into the cider and kept at it until the wee hours in the morning. It was near daylight when the POW's returned to their prisoner camp in Bangor completely blitzed. Needless to say the Commander of the camp was livid.

Putting the questions to the POW's, they finally told about the rather rather large on-farm cider stash. Seething with anger, he drove down the next day and asked him why he gave cider to POW's...the enemy after all was shooting at his very own boys. That was when he explained that the POW's had done a good job and that when the potatoes were in the potato house, the cider came out and all were allowed to partake.

Now rumor has it, as the Commander partook of the cider in question, when he returned to camp rumor was he was just as pie-eyed as the POW's. In any event nothing was ever said to the War Dept of what occurred on the farm in the Fall of 1943. In fact it was later said that German/USA relations had quickly healed because of the way many people in the US treat German POW's. Many in my family would like to think the farm had a small part in that.

During this time only 150 sheep were kept, along with a smattering of cows, some chickens and pigs until 1980 when even these were sold off. The two remaining boys in the family wanted nothing to do with farm life and as fences rusted, the fields were leased to local dairy farms and sheep seemed destined to have served their purpose.

In 2008 however, the situation changed. Dairy farms were dwindling in number and property taxes were rising; if the family farm was to remain a family farm, the only answer was to actively farm it. After considering the livestock options, raising sheep seemed to be the best fit since they had been such a big part of this farm in the past.

Today finds this farm under the leadership of my wife and I, and on it, sheep are merrily grazing. Beef cattle reside as well as a major expansion begins to take place. Forests, which long ago took over forgotten pastures, are being cleared, while the number of sheep and beef cattle are being added as the expanded arable acreage allows. Dairy farm feed makes up the majority of the commodities sold, followed by forest products and a growing volume of lamb and wool.

Perhaps more importantly, this farm family serves the community by being a Foster Home and shows allows underprivileged children to see what proper animal husbandry, worth ethics and a loving home can bring. Blessed with our own 3 year old daughter, this too is a tradition in the family as many have raised other peoples children in the past as well. Today, my wife and I can only hope that with creative marketing, and the farms historical success with sheep; the farm can remain a farm, and be passed down for an incredible 14th consecutive generation.

Wow!

bethanysbantams — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:58:50 GMT

Wow! Thanks Hobby Farms! It is nice to have a big forum!

Bethany

Hi All

mom2three — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:20:04 GMT

Hi, I am Jorja, mom to three kiddos, wife to one, and farm mommy to MANY. We have horses, chickens, cats, dogs, bunnies, fishes, one hamster and a frog. We homeschool and live as green as we can. I am a professional portrait photographer and I take tons of pics of all of our critters.

Here are our newest babies...

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Just joined up!

missourikate — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:17:13 GMT

Been looking at the forum for a bit now but have always been a little shy of joining up, but finally bucked up and I'm on. I am a widow with a 13 year old boy. We have a few horses, a donkey, a milk cow, beef calf, chickens and a couple of cats. I have no garden or fruit trees any more due to a lovely storm that took out both barns, the sheds, my roof, most of the fences, and 6 acres of timber. Oh well, always wanted to clean up some of the brush in the woods, but darn, my cherry tree finally had fruit on it for the first time! I have been studying herbal medicine for several years and want to put in a medicinal herb garden next year...if I get the barns rebuilt by then...lol. Nice to meet y'all!

Appreciate All the Info & Ideas

R. Link — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:02:18 GMT

My wife and I recently built our new home on a little over 5 acres. Our property is located in the heart of the Midwest (Central Illinois). It’s a dream come true to be able to move to the country and enjoy some of the freedoms that come along with it. I work as an office executive where I’m stuck inside all day, so the time spent “fooling around” out here is a welcomed change of pace. So far, our first adventure has been raising a flock of wild mallards, which we plan to set loose on our pond. I’ve gotten allot of great info and ideas from reading the post, and greatly appreciate everyone’s input.

Thanks again,

Great Forum!!

jmburnzy — Sun, 10 May 2009 09:52:02 GMT

Hello all, Great forum...I all ready had a bunch of my questions answered...than you!

Intro

Drac — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:45:31 GMT

Good day,

My wife and I are discussing when we retire (about 20 or fewer years) we are looking into having a small farm. We are thinking about 5-10 acres. We will have a couple horses (for the wife) and a small orchard (for me). The rest of the farm is going to be an overgrown petting zoo. While not vegetarians, we aren’t interested in having a personal relationship with dinner or selling a pet to the butcher.

We live in North Texas in the Dallas region. I’m looking for advise, experience and warnings on what we are going to be getting into. We have plenty of time for planning and making sure we do it right.

Jim

Hi from MO

lsg — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:30:25 GMT

Hi, glad to have found your forum. I love the Hobby Farms magazine. I live in NW, MO. I milk, and make cheese and soap. I love to garden and work with our farm animals.

New Topics Are Here

HFfriend — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:02:15 GMT

We hope you find our new topics helpful.

Based on some of your suggestions, we developed a new group of topics to embrace the variety of discussions and topics you have on your minds.

Don't be shy about starting a new post (we'll start some, too).

And let us know if you have any questions!

Welcome all!