Good news - more farms in New England starting...

[webbie]

Here is a bit of good news for our "buy local" green movements:

" in Massachusetts and Rhode Island — as well as New England and in the nation as a whole — the number of farms is on the rise."
"“The face of farming here is changing,” “In some ways it’s going back to smaller, more local.”

http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/126691.html

 

[dvellone]

The hog farmers that we buy our piglets from around here say that they have more and more folks buying piglets from them. Their litters come and are spoken for in a day or two. Farm supply stores also commenting that more folks are requesting poultry equipment. With the declining economy - having been in decline here for a good long while- I think is driving some people to lean towards greater self reliance. More of a farming mentality.

 

[JustWood]

The big dairy and beef farms here are dying at a very rapid pace. I raise my own meat and hunt but it makes me wonder where meat will come from to feed the masses in 10-20 years.
Produce farms have been poping up here for the last 10 years or so. Something I have never seen in this area before. In Manhattan in my wifes old neighborhood I was quite surprised to see the large # of farmers markets and reasonably priced produce for Manhattan.

 

[Highbeam]

My name is Joe, I grow vegetables, raise chickens for eggs, cut my firewood, and butcher deer. I am also 31 years old and have a real full time desk job. How many of you folks are, or know of, younger folks like me that do these things? I am hoping that more people do and I have turned on a few people to also raise chickens as they are the least difficult and costly animal that I know of.

We almost raised two pigs this year. I have an FFA neighbor kid that showed me how easy it is when they bought their 50$ piglet and then I watched their feed bills run into the several hundred dollar range for a single 230 lb hog. But wait says me, I can buy cut and wrapped pork from the local butcher for less than 2$ per lb. Small scale hog farming is not economical right now unless you have some sort of free source for feed.

Too bad, I would have loved to try home grown pork. The home grown chicken eggs are night-and-day different from the store bought eggs.

 

[dvellone]

My name is Joe, I grow vegetables, raise chickens for eggs, cut my firewood, and butcher deer. I am also 31 years old and have a real full time desk job. How many of you folks are, or know of, younger folks like me that do these things? I am hoping that more people do and I have turned on a few people to also raise chickens as they are the least difficult and costly animal that I know of.

We almost raised two pigs this year. I have an FFA neighbor kid that showed me how easy it is when they bought their 50$ piglet and then I watched their feed bills run into the several hundred dollar range for a single 230 lb hog. But wait says me, I can buy cut and wrapped pork from the local butcher for less than 2$ per lb. Small scale hog farming is not economical right now unless you have some sort of free source for feed.

Too bad, I would have loved to try home grown pork. The home grown chicken eggs are night-and-day different from the store bought eggs.

I'm 43, my wife is 37 and we do about the same thing here in the west-central Adirondacks. We raise hogs for meat, chickens for meat and eggs, we hunt and fish, and tend a garden large enough to put up tomatoes, potatoes and dry beans for the year. We heat 100 percent with wood and have done all of our own construction. For me it's more of a passion to be a bit more self-reliant, and the food aspect of it is not only to feed our kids food we can trust, but to show them where it comes from and what it takes to raise and butcher your own animals (they don't leave much on their plates). It's a lot of work in some respects but we don't chase the almighty dollar too much and yet we live like kings in a lot of ways. It's ironic how for generations what we're doing was the norm and yet, skip it for one generation and it's all lost. Butchering becomes disgusting when for your grandparents it was the just the process towards a good meal. We do a have a few friends that live a similar lifestyle but their of my age bracket or older. I don't see too many in their 20's or early 30's living like this. I think it would go a long way to a healthier attitude and smaller footprint in terms of our food industry if more folks shunned the cellophane wrapped piece of meat for raising their own when they could, or supporting small local farms. But unfortunately it's hard to not buy the .79 cents a pound chicken when you need to feed your family (and have to eat meat every day).

 

[karri0n]

My name is Joe, I grow vegetables, raise chickens for eggs, cut my firewood, and butcher deer. I am also 31 years old and have a real full time desk job. How many of you folks are, or know of, younger folks like me that do these things? I am hoping that more people do and I have turned on a few people to also raise chickens as they are the least difficult and costly animal that I know of.

We almost raised two pigs this year. I have an FFA neighbor kid that showed me how easy it is when they bought their 50$ piglet and then I watched their feed bills run into the several hundred dollar range for a single 230 lb hog. But wait says me, I can buy cut and wrapped pork from the local butcher for less than 2$ per lb. Small scale hog farming is not economical right now unless you have some sort of free source for feed.

Too bad, I would have loved to try home grown pork. The home grown chicken eggs are night-and-day different from the store bought eggs.

We're working towards this. Vegetables are go, chickens in the works. I don't have the equipment, but at some point soon will start with the deer. I'm 23 aand also work 8 hours in IT. There are lots of small family-oriented farms in this part of CT, and I like it. I'm working towards getting a good biointensive plot going this year for vegetable farming. As for meat, I don't plan on raising pigs, but rabbits I very well may. It's quite easy to grow alfalfa for feed, and it does wonders for your soil and your compost as well.

 

[Highbeam]

While I include deer butchering in my list of things I do that I consider "independent" and a good skill to know, the costs involved with deer hunting in my part of the country and the single small deer you are allowed to harvest make the whole deer concept less financially attractive. Better would be to either raise your own livestock cheaply and butcher, buy a farmers livestock at higher cost and then butcher, buy butchered livestock from a butcher shop at a higher cost, or lastly to buy large quantities of commercial meat and be able to process and store it. The key thing is flexibility and knowing where cuts like the backstraps are, being equipped to grind meat if you forget, and being connected to the meat source. In a pinch, I can walk outside and kill a neighbor's cow/horse/dog and be cooking it that same day all with tools and knowledge that are practiced and known.

I've never tried rabbit meat. The kids would be pretty upset about that. Maybe I should try it?

We also considered getting into canning, or as my wife called it...jarring, but instead decided to freeze our foods to preserve. The risks and costs led us to the freezer. True survivalist people will point out that the freezer might not work but I'm not trying to prepare for the end of the world here. I just want to live longer than the competition.

 

[karri0n]

Lots of fruits don't hold up well with freezing, which is why I'm looking into canning. I've tried freezing some different fruits/veggies, and often end up with a pile of strawberry goo as opposed to nice preserved strawberries upon thawing.

And yes, as of now I have no hunting experience or equipment. The harvest laws don't come into play, as I could likely get it off my land, but the startup cost for everything I need, as well as the logistics of getting a more experienced buddy to go with the first few times, are a bit prohibitive. Bunnies really seem the way to go, and , while I've never tried it, I've heard the flavor is generally like pork with a bit of "red meat" flavor. It sounds quite tasty.

Bunny farming is becoming more popular than chicken farming in many countries, but it depends on whether you are farming for eggs with a bonus of meat now and then, or farming for meat with a bonus of getting free eggs. I love my red meat, which is why I'm interested in doing both. A rabbit pen is easier t build than a chicken coop as well.

edit: I believe there are breeds of rabbit that can be over 15 pounds, and are just as prolific as any rabbit. There are so many benefits to not eating steroid/antibiotic/hormone infested meat, and this can be very cost effective. It all depends how much effort one is willing to put forth, and what things you would like to have convenient access to.

 

[Mr_Pither]

You folks might want to take a look at this.

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671

HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

......This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

 

[mainemac]

Great to hear you all taking things into your own hands

I am covered by oak trees so home plots did not work out last few summers
I am expanding to a community garden with great fertilizer adn lots of SUN and hope to grow enough to give us a few dinners this summer/fall.
Neighbor built a coop adn also swears by the 'homegrown egg' over the storebought egg.


Tom

 

[karri0n]

You folks might want to take a look at this.

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671

HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

......This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

Things like this don't actually get passed. It's not worth worrying/scaring people about.

 

[dvellone]

In a pinch, I can walk outside and kill a neighbor's cow/horse/dog and be cooking it that same day all with tools and knowledge that are practiced and known.

The "dog " part of that combo is a typo...right?

We freeze all of our meat and I do like roasting or grilling "fresh" meat but a friend of mine canned his entire deer and I'll tell you it was some of the best venison I've ever had. Tender, juicy and sweet. He didn't add any spices to it at all. Sounds like the way to go if you want to put up a supply of meat and not have to rely on electricity to preserve it. I've heard from others that although you're a bit limited with canned meat you can't beat the flavor. Now dog, I'm not so sure of.

 

[Highbeam]

I don't want to eat a dog, or even a horse, but when my two little daughters are hungry I will not let them starve to death. I wouldn't be the first guy to eat a dog! or cat or crow etc. in the face of starvation. The skill and stomach to be able to eat these somewhat non-traditional foods is critical and can be learned by practicing with thr traditional foods like deer, chickens, and cows.

So does everyone know how to remove the breast of a grouse with a single quick jerk?

I worry about canning things like meat just because if I do it wrong there are some nasty things that can actually kill me.

 

[dvellone]

I don't want to eat a dog, or even a horse, but when my two little daughters are hungry I will not let them starve to death. I wouldn't be the first guy to eat a dog! or cat or crow etc. in the face of starvation. The skill and stomach to be able to eat these somewhat non-traditional foods is critical and can be learned by practicing with thr traditional foods like deer, chickens, and cows.

So does everyone know how to remove the breast of a grouse with a single quick jerk?

I worry about canning things like meat just because if I do it wrong there are some nasty things that can actually kill me.

Lay it on it's back, step on its outspread wings and pull it's legs. That's how I do it. Is yours the same? My Uncle to raise rabbits and it took him all of a few seconds to clean them. He used some kind of a slice and jerk method that I wish I'd been older to appreciate and learn. Takes me more than a few minutes longer. You're right about the canned meat. I cure quite a bit of meat and although I've never had any of it go bad, if it does it's pretty apparent. With canned meat I understand it can seem fine and still be contaminated. Although I know a couple fellows that have canned meat for many years and consider it foolproof if using clean and fresh meat, and following exact methods. I understand the notion of feeding your kids first and foremost, and the cultural stigmas of what animals we eat. Our dog was very important to our homestead protecting our vegetables, chickens and piglets. She was an outdoor dog and free of a run 24/7 having been painstakingly trained for a couple years for this purpose. She was killed by a hunter trespassing onto our property and I'd have been much more likely to eat the hunter long before the dog.

 

[SE Iowa]

I'm 37 and row-crop farm for a living. Last saturday we purchased 27 chickens (12 meat, 12 RIR's and 3 Buff Orp's) to add to our home flock. The hunting dog seemed to like eating quite a few of our layers last summer. Quite tramatic to our son's, but she was just doing what she was breed to do. I built a 4'x6'x2' box and put it in an isolated room in our house so I can keep the temps up for the first couple of weeks. I'll butcher the meat chickens at 6-7 weeks of age and hopefully the layers will start producing this late summer/early fall.

We primarily butcher small hogs out of the confinments all around us. If they are under 120-130lbs most guys will just give them to you, otherwise they go to the local lockers. Those small ones are pretty easy to do mostly boneless and we'll get 40-50 lbs of meat out of them. Obviously the bacon isn't worth trying to get at that small. We also process deer in the many different ways possible. We usually have a locker process any beef we get/raise. Just too much to work with a 1400lb animal and we don't have the facilities to age the meat in a temp controlled environment. Still quite a bit cheaper than the grocery store. We just got 1/2 of a grass fed beef. Boy is that different than I'm used to. Not bad, just much different. I can see advantages and disadvantages.

My wife grinds wheat for bread but not always. Sometimes it is just too much work for the financial benefit. We grow some vegetables but admit this is our greatest area of improvement. We also gather morels, hin of the woods and oyster mushrooms when in season.

My wife wants me to get a jersey cow to milk but just don't have the time and space for it right now.

 

[Poult]

I've never tried rabbit meat. The kids would be pretty upset about that. Maybe I should try it?

Meat rabbits are excellent. I raised them for sale for a few years and now just have some for my own use. Rabbit is the best chicken you ever ate.

Don't go for the large rabbits like the Flemish Giants, though. Yes, they grow big, but they are also growing a lot of bone and they take longer to raise. If you want top efficiency for meat, use either New Zealand Whites or Californians, or if you don't mind top efficiency, go for some of the commericial body type rabbits that are meat rabbits but not so highly bred. The NZWs are the Cornish Crosses of the rabbit world, while other meat rabbits are more like Barred Rocks, to put it in chicken terms.

A trio of good meat rabbits can easily produce 60+ fryers a year.

 

[Flatbedford]

You folks might want to take a look at this.

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671

HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

......This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

I did some reading up on this when it was going around. The legislation is really addresses concerns about the factory producers, and tracking imported foods. There is no mention of small operations or the "backyard gardens" that would be affected. The more I read about it, even on the US House of Representatives website, the more it started to look like a grass roots movement supported by Monsanto, scare people into opposing more control and regulation of the big agri-business corporations. Kinda like the "grass roots" movement against national health care in the early nineties that was actually financed by the insurance companies to protect their interests and not those of the people.

 

[ihookem]

I'm 45 and we raise about 100 chickens a year. We end up with about 85 out of 100. It is cheaper to buy chickens in the store but can not hack the low quality food. It cost me 1.75 a lb. last year, this year should be cheaper cause corn is down. My wife seems much more concerned since November 4, and so am I. we have a 40x100' garden but took it for granted most years but this year is going to be different cause my work is very slow and she doesn't know how long her job will last. We are going to get an owb or a gassifier like a Woodgun 100. Chickens are very easy but require some know how and much better tasting than store bought.

 

[Highbeam]

Ok, I'll ask, what happened on November 4th? And what happened to the other 15 chickens? Do you hatch chicks or buy from a factory? I assume you allow the chickens to hatch them.

 

[Wet1]

Nov. 4 was a huge national chicken tragedy and mass-suicide. The chicken cult was led to suicide by their leader, Foghorn Leghorn.

 

[karri0n]

HB, he's referencing the election with the Nov. 4 comment. Ihookem, Let's not get this thread moved to the can please.


I believe he probably lost the other 15 chickens, as in they didn't make it.

 

[Highbeam]

Sorry, an honest question, now I know about the date reference. I wondered if perhaps the missing 15 chickens were the butcher's fee. I like chickens and like their eggs but the economies and labor of converting a chicken from alive to the oven are very hard to justify. I can say that I have never experienced farm fresh chicken meat so maybe that has great value.

 

[ihookem]

Well, when you get 100 chickens some just don't make it. My 3 yr. old nephew petted one and threw it to see it fly. You know things like that. I buy them for .90 each when they are a day old. They are Cornish Cross and in eight weeks they are 4-5 pounds. No, they were not suicidal because of the Nov. 4 elections, we are concerned about tough times ahead. They are just meat chickens but will be getting egg layers. Later, ihookem.