Rising Feed Costs

Feed costs have been steadily rising for quite some time and don't really look to getting any better. The whole country has been under less than optimal growing conditions this year. So what is a farmer to do? Many farmers switch to cheaper feeds. This can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing. I know around here my feed schedule changes somewhat according to the seasons. Also, according to budget sometimes I have to re-evaluate my feeds, amounts or ingredients. At one time I could feed a cheap horse feed and my horses did fine. As my stallion has aged is requirements have become different and I have had to switch to a more expensive feed for him. The thing is that the cost works out to about the same. As his new feed is higher quality and easier for him to digest, there is less waste and he is doing better on it. So one of my feed tips is that while that one bag might cost you double the cheaper bag, it might work out to be about the same total cost in the end. With my older stallion I have found the same issue with hay. I don't grow my own hay so I have to buy it. He doesn't chew hay well and will oftentimes simply walk away out of frustration. The hay does him no good. However, I have found that if I purchase bagged hay that he can eat all of it and in the long run with one bag of hay costing 13.00 I get 5 days of hay for him and no waste. With traditional baled hay 2 bales would last 5 days and cost me 12.00, but over half of the hay would be wasted. So my tip number one is that while cost can be a consideration don't let that be your only consideration. Don't be afraid to re-evaluate the feed needs of your critters and don't be afraid to adjust with the seasons. During the summer my mare stays fat as a tick and if I fed her the same year round she would be severely overweight. Even during the winter she holds weight and condition well with little feed, but in the summer I need to back off on grain requirements for her. My second rule of thumb for us is to evaluate livestock numbers. If feeding livestock means that my feed bill is larger than my grocery bill would be then some livestock must go. Whether that be to freezer camp or sold, the numbers would have to be reduced. I try to keep my numbers down and don't add more than necessary. I simply have to stay within a budget. For us this is not a hobby and must remain practical or it is simply too expensive to continue doing. So tip number three is to look at your livestock numbers, evaluate your needs, and cull your numbers if necessary. Tip number three is to grow what you can. We grow black oil sunflower seeds because that is one of our most expensive ingredients. The advantage to growing your own is that the critters can eat the whole plant, not just the seeds. So you actually get more feed value from growing your own than buying them in the bag. I also plant extra of everything that I grow because whatever I don't use for us gets fed to the critters. Even my horses are used to eating squash, turnips and thinnings from the garden. When I shell peas the horses and goats get the hulls. When I snap beans the horses and goats get the ends. When I pulled up the broccoli stems they were chopped and fed to everyone except the chickens. Rising feed costs don't seem to be slowing down, so doing what you can will save you money in the long run. Blessings, Kat

Already thinking about winter

Living this life means that you are always thinking about the next season or seasons. So that means that summer time is the time to prepare for winter, despite that fact that winter seems like a very very long time off. The past three days we have officially gotten up all the wood for this winter and probably some for next winter too. My front yard is one very large woodpile. Now comes the fun part.....splitting and stacking all that wood. A friend of ours came home from vacation to find a very large, very old oak tree had blown down. It took out the power pole, power line and blocked his driveway. So for the past 3 days we have been cutting up and hauling that tree. There are still some large limbs that need cutting, so we will get those up in the next few days and then everything will be back to normal at his house. Well, I can check one off the list of things to do before winter time sets in. Now, on to the rest of the list...like canning and preserving. I don't think my tomatoes are ever going to turn red and......I forgot which tomato patch is german greens, which stay green! Have a good summer, it sure is a hot one down here in the deep south. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Update on Farm Life

Well, things have been dry here. So of course, stuff is suffering despite the water. Everything seems to be in slow motion in the garden. While it is producing it is slow about it. Even the fig tree is behind this year. Normally I am picking and putting up figs like crazy, but this year the figs are still green and hard. I emptied the rain barrel watering the fig tree and have even used some of the pond water to water the garden. I can only do so much of that though as it is time consuming and back breaking. However, the natural water seems to boost the plants better than water from the hose. As, I said in an earlier post we got hit hard by brown marmolated stink bugs especially on the squash. I have spent the past week or so picking them off and drowning them in soapy water. It seems to have helped and I might actually get some decent squash. That is if the grasshoppers don't eat me out of house and home. The ducks are falling down in their job and the grasshopper population is rising. It is so bad right now that I have been letting the chickens in the garden. I will sacrifice a few tomatoes, cucumbers and yes even squash to save my plants. A few days ago, the hoppers devoured half of a huge squash plant within just a few hours. I have put out DE carefully because of our pollinators, but it doesn't seem to do much for the hoppers. The sunflowers are ready to harvest and instead of drying and saving them this year we are simply feeding them straight from the garden allowing us to save the seeds we already have from the feed store. It doesn't take long to harvest and cut up a couple 5 gallon buckets and the benefit is that the critters are eating the whole thing, stem and all. A few days ago I had a very busy day. I drove several hours north of us to pick up some speckled sussex pullets to add to our little flock of chickens and then brought them home and went several hours south to pick up our.......pigs!!!!! I finally got pigs and just sucked up the drive and drove to get them. All the folks in our area that used to raise pigs don't anymore because they simply couldn't sell enough of them. So in order to get some pigs I had to drive about 3 hours south. It was a long day made especially long because the woman that gave me directions for the pullets was not very good at giving directions and I had to call them 3 times because I was lost. Apparently she didn't know her right from her left and everywhere she told me to turn right I should have turned left. Her husband finally got me to the house. But everyone made it home safe and sound. However, I did not realize until I got the hens home and was looking at them closely the next day that they had been de-beaked. Oh great! They probably won't be able to forage very well although they seemed to be giving it a good try yesterday. So just in case I have been putting some grain into the feeder, but that could get expensive. I may not have gotten as good a deal as I thought. Since my chickens free range the summer is a time when they cost me nothing to keep as they find all their own food. In fact if I put food in the coop they ignore it choosing to stay out and find their own until dusk. Well, we will just have to see how it goes. The piggies are in the front pasture and are loving it. They love to root around and I am loving having them to turn and soften that hard clay soil and get rid of those little sweet gum trees that keep popping up. Maybe I can actually grow something other than cherokee roses in there now. There is some grass and such but it only grows down at the bottom since the top is in such bad shape. The pasture is about 3/4 of an acre so they have loads of room to roam and root. They are getting a grain and hay mix in the morning with goat milk on top and then garden and kitchen scraps the other two feedings of the day. They either get goat milk or whey on every single feeding and they look like they have already grown. They are so terribly cute, but as the feed bill goes up I imagine they will no longer be so cute and I will look forward to butchering day. We came home with 3 as I am keeping one for a neighbor, one for my mom, and one for us. My neighbor is paying for hers and feed for hers, it is just living with mine. They are happier when together. They seem so smart and have already memorized the routine and are waiting for me at the gate when I come to feed. They are very polite also at feeding time actually waiting for me to dump the food into their bucket instead of mobbing me like the goats. We'll see how long that lasts. It has taken a couple of days of talking to my youngest about they are not pets (even though they are soooo cute). She normally has no problem with knowing that we are gonna eat goats or rabbits or chickens, but the pigs are so little I guess that she has been a bit upset. She is only 4 so it is expected. They won't stay so cute forever and eventually they will be large eating machines. We probably will butcher in December when the weather is cool enough. MMMMMMMMM......bacon, ham, pork chops oh my! Yummy yummy. Anyway right now we are enjoying their cuteness. Anyway, I am running late this morning and better get moving or the troops will get restless. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Tightwad Tip- Coffee

This tightwad tip does require you to spend some money up front, but in the long run will save you loads of money. Coffee is not cheap right now and if you are like me and enjoy a good strong cup of joe then you know those drip coffee makers tend to go thru the coffee. Well, a couple months ago I ran across a percolator that I had stuck in the cabinet somewhere. Since my drip coffee maker was on its last leg and took up so much counter space, I pulled out the percolator and ditched the drip. The percolator saves me tons of money in coffee and the coffee tastes sooooooo much better. I only use about half the grounds that I used to use and with the setting just below strong, I get a rich full bodied coffee each and every morning. The percolator is a great tool to saving money on coffee. Now if I can get the family to cut down on tea I will be in good shape. Blessings, Kat

The year of the pests

Well no garden year is without its problems and this year is no different. I have been so proud of my garden in how well it was doing this year. In the past I haven't seemed to have too many problems with bugs. Last year my ducks were able to take care of the grasshoppers that showed up in droves and I suffered little damage. Normally, diatomaceous earth and neem oil keep my seedlings safe and once the plants mature I have few problems provided they are healthy. This year though the mature plants are falling prey to grasshoppers and a new predator....stink bugs. These aren't your typical stink bug. These are brown marmalated (sp?) stink bugs, a relatively new pest to the United States that is beginning to wreak its havoc from sea to shining sea. Apparently it has had the department of agriculture befuddled as to how to get rid of it. These bugs don't necessarily kill the plant at first, instead they target the fruit of the plant causing it to rot and drop off before maturing. Eventually the plant is affected and dies. This is because they often affect the flowers of the plant also interfering in pollination. Apparently, though many people call these little critters squash bugs because they are very similar to the stink bugs/squash bugs that we have had in the past, this variety has no preference to type of plant. Reports are coming in that they are decimating fruit trees, beans, peas, melons and others right along with squash. I planted 10 squash plants which should be producing enough to feed the whole county. I have lost countless fruit and two whole plants have succumbed to the attack. I can verify that neither neem oil nor diatomaceous earth phase them. I learned yesterday that trapping them helps. So yesterday I destroyed hundreds and hundreds of eggs that had been laid on my plants and set about trying to trap the adults and nymphs. So I will head out to the garden with my flashlight in just a bit to look under the boards that I placed near my squash plants to see if I can kill the little buggers. Each adult female is capable of laying over 50 eggs a day. I am hoping I can save my garden. I have lost my cantaloupe and a couple of squash. One of my cucumber plants is kicking the bucket so I will pull it today. Each year it is something and sometimes it can get downright depressing, but for some strange reason I keep on trying and keep on plugging away. Truly, I must be crazy! Blessings from the farm, Kat

Crazy Hot Weather

It is crazy hot around here. We are about 10 degrees above our average for this time of year and the humidity is like being in a steamroom. Needless to say just stepping outside the door starts the sweat pouring. Everything is miserable around here with the exception of the sunflowers and corn, which seem to be enjoying themselves quite nicely. Just this past month we had an unusual cold spell in which we were looking for sweaters and now we can't get cool enough. All the critters are miserable, milk production is down due to the heat. The rabbits are really miserable and my last litter growing out from the spring litters seems to be stalled in their growth. Too hot to eat much I suppose. I suffered heat exhaustion one year and so I don't tolerate this weather well at all. In fact, I can get sick really quickly. So I have some tips for others who are suffering under these weather conditions also.

1. Stay hydrated. Drink often and all day long. Don't wait until you are thirsty because by then you are dehydrated.

2. Eat small meals and lots of fruit. Eating a large meal really jacks up your metabolism which increases your core body temp, causing you to suffer heat exhaustion sooner. Eating small meals or snacks through the day keeps your metabolic rate lower and therefore doesn't change your body temperature that much.

3. Wear breathable clothing and a hat to keep the sun off your head.

4. Go out early and late. Stay inside in the middle of the day if possible.

5. When outside tying a wet bandana around your neck will help keep you cooler. In addition to this work in the shade. I typically follow the shade around my garden as all of it gets some shade even if only for a tiny little bit.

If you feel yourself getting too hot seek the shade or indoors, then place an ice cube on the inside of your wrist. Take things easy and drink plenty of fluids. Replace your electrolytes with one of the sports drinks, I prefer the ones without artificial dyes. My grandad's old fashioned remedy for replacing electrolytes was to put salt in a can of beer and he drank one of those everyday in the summer. Learn to recognize the signs of heat exhaustion so they don't turn into heat stroke. If you are feeling a headache, dizziness, general body weakness you probably have had enough of the heat and should seek shelter indoors. There is a reason the old timers took a long siesta in the middle of the day before the days of AC. It was too bloody hot to do anything else. Stay safe and healthy folks. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Dear Neighbor Clarification

I realized how cold and harsh my last post sounded, so I thought I would clarify a few things. We do not have animal control nor a shelter in our county. The nearest shelter is completely full as they have taken in dogs from the tornado damaged area shelters. The sheriff will not deal with loose animals unless it is livestock. I have made phone call after phone call trying to find where these dogs belong. I know these dogs belong to someone and that someone has put a lot of time and money into these dogs. The local vet know they are here, many of my neighbors even further away from me know they are here, and the local feed farm (where everyone around here buys their feed) knows they are here. These dogs have already engaged my dogs, the pyrenees and the rhodesian ridgeback in a fight when the labs would not back off. Both of my dogs are injured because of this with the rhodesian ridgeback getting the worst of the injuries. He is now out of commission while he heals. So I am down to one dog who is still a growing puppy trying to do the job alone against two full grown and determined male labs. Not great odds. These dogs have raided my chicken coop for eggs, have made several attempts to gain access to the goat pasture and barn (where I have kids)and made a run at my chickens and several runs at my ducks. There is one possibility that was pointed out to me when I was making my numerous phone calls to try and find the owners of these dogs. I live in front of a hunting club, where people come from all over the place to hunt and fish. It is possible that these dogs were lost there at the club by someone who doesn't even live in this area and could not be found before the owner had to leave. And so the dogs were simply left behind. Believe me the absolute last thing that I want to do is destroy these dogs, but I have done everything I know to do to find our where they belong. They show absolutely no signs of leaving and absolutely every sign of becoming more desperate to find food. My poor chickens are locked up tight now in the chicken coop where they are hot and miserable in over 100 degree temps. My goats are locked up tight where they are miserable and it is costing me more money because of the lack of browse, so I have to hay them. I have one dog out of commission and one left to face off with two. I personally am exhausted from constantly running outside day and night. So I am terribly sorry if I sound cold and cruel, but what is happening here is cold and cruel on the part of the owner to make no attempt at finding these dogs. Folks in the area would know, since I have alerted at least a dozen folks if not more. No one has come in my direction looking for them or they would have found them. No one has contacted the vet or the feed guys to find out if anyone has seen them. I just don't know what else to do and my responsibility lies with the animals that I keep here. Hope this clarifies my position a little more. Blessings, Kat

Dear Neighbor

Dear Neighbor, I don't know if you know it or not but your dogs are at my house. I don't know which home is theirs, but they are some nice labs. Obviously not drop offs. My livestock guard dog has been keeping them away from my livestock so far, but frankly she is getting tired. And after 3 days your dogs are getting hungry. I understand that sometimes dogs get loose. My immediate neighbor has a beautiful german shorthaired pointer that loves to come tell us when she has done a jailbreak. And I understand that even well trained dogs sometimes don't understand boundaries and property lines. Yours have far left their property lines though or I would know where they belong. Your dogs are now stealing eggs and chasing livestock, mainly chickens and ducks. However, I also have baby goats and they have tried on several occasion to find a way into the goat fence. So my goats are in jail to keep them from becoming lunch to your hungry dogs. These are some really nice dogs and I can tell you have put some time into them. Unfortunately though their days are numbered. You see as a farmer it is my duty to protect my livestock. When I brought livestock here I took on the responsibility to do my best to keep them safe. They are no longer safe.I don't really understand why you haven't made any attempt at looking for the dogs, since you would have easily found them. They have been right here and at my neighbor's house. For 3 days we have played chase the dogs off. He chases them out of his yard and I chase them out of mine. They go from my yard to his. I am sure they are eyeing his chickens as well as mine. So, it has become obvious that you don't really care that your dogs are loose. I am sorry about that, I wish that you did because it is looking like I am going to have to kill them. Their hunger has driven them to be a threat to my livestock. Already this morning they have gone after the chickens and the ducks. Dakota has done her job, but she is wearing thin. Yesterday I caught one trying to get in my goat barn. The gun is loaded and I will do my best to eliminate the threat that they pose. I hope you have time in your busy schedule to come and collect them before my bullet finds them. Sincerely, your neighborhood farmer

If I could write a letter to the offending neighbor this would already have been dropped at his doorstop. Unfortunately, I have suffered more livestock losses due to neighbors dogs that run loose to wreak havoc than I have all the wild predators in the area. I have lost 3 chicken flocks to domestic dogs, hence the reason that I chose to add a livestock guard dog. She has worked hard with little sleep for 3 days now. I wish folks would understand that there are other farmers around me who are not as forgiving and shoot all dogs that cross their fenceline, no second chances. I hate to be put in this position, but I can't suffer anymore livestock losses. They can't either. We know what domestic dogs can do "for fun". Blessings, Kat

Sticker Shock

Over the past several months, I have been increasingly aware of rising food costs. This is especially since I don't make regular trips to the grocery store. I usually go once a month and sometimes once every other month. Yesterday, I went because I was out of a couple things (I really don't like to be out of anything) and I needed something for a recipe that I wanted to try. So I was in town anyway and decided that would be a good time to swing by the store. A couple things were on sale so I picked those up while I was there. Here is what I purchased:

2 quarts of active culture buttermilk on sale
4 large jars of peanut butter
1 bag of cherries on sale
bananas
2 boxes of lemon jello
2 boxes of cream cheese
16 cans of tuna fish on sale
2 pounds of lunch meat on sale
1 bag of chicken wings

That is it, that's all I got and my bill was 102.00 dollars! Now folks, look at that list. There is not enough food there for a weeks worth of groceries to feed a family. That was simply a few odds and ends, so I simply can't imagine what families are paying for a week's worth of groceries. Of course, we have all been warned that this was coming and I have been passing those warnings on here. But to see this type of food inflation is astounding. What is more astounding is the fact that this is just the beginning, it is going to get worse. So thank you Lord for my garden and my goats. That you Lord for my bunnies and my chickens. Without them I am not sure how we would eat much of anything. I know I have done grocery tips before, but I decided that now is a good time to re-iterate my top tips to save money on food. I think more and more people need it.

1. Shop at discount grocery stores, often called bent and dent stores. Many things are marked down and there is nothing wrong with any of it. Most things are much cheaper than a regular grocery chain and some things are about the same price.

2. By produce from the farmer's market. I have always noticed that prices at the farmer's market were way below grocery store prices. The only thing is they only have what is in season in your area.

3. Keep a well stocked pantry so that you only purchase what is on sale and never really need anything. Hence the reason for me buying so much tuna fish yesterday.

4. Grow your own. Even if you have a small backyard assess what you might use the most and grow it, lots of it. I once knew a family that used lots of tomato products; canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup etc. There back deck of their very small backyard every summer was a jungle of tomatoes grown in containers. She used those tomatoes for every tomato product that they used and put up all those products so that she never had to buy any from the store. She saved a bunch with just tomato plants. She also worked full time.

5. Take advantage of pick your own farms. Make a family outing to a farm and pick your own produce and put up enough to last at least a few months if not until the next harvest. Last year we went peach picking. We spend 70 dollars and got enough peaches to last through the year, a basket of plums, a basket of nectarines, a couple of cantaloupe and a couple other little things. We had a trunk load of food coming back home. I know prices have gone up, but pick your own farms are going to rise at a much slower rate than grocery stores. So I would imagine 8 dollars would get the same trunk load. We had fresh peaches until we were sick of them and I put up enough to last through the year. All for that little bit of money.

I have tons more tips but those are the biggest ways I have found to save money and still eat well. I am still getting over yesterday's sticker shock. I think I will go hug my juvenile delinquent goats now and talk nice to my tomato plants. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Goats....Ugghh!!!!

Sometimes goats are and pain in the neck and yesterday half my herd almost got themselves killed.....by me! It is a really good thing that I didn't have the gun with me when I heard my 4 year old yell out, "Goats in the garden! Mommy, goats in the garden!" I ran to the garden wondering how they got in there. The gate was still closed and latched. 3 of them were still happily in the yard munching on grass. I got into the garden and immediately started to see red. They were not only in my garden but were in my oat patch and had trampled all the chicken wire that kept the ducks out not to mention the oats were no longer standing up....trampled. I ran them out only to discover that most of the oat crop is gone. I had just admired it this morning thinking that in a couple weeks I should be harvesting oats. I might find enough seed that got trampled before it got eaten to start over next spring, but there will not be oats for flour or oatmeal this year. I was mad....really really mad. Then I saw my pole beans and got even angrier and then I saw my broccoli and got livid. I came very close to killing goats. I was so angry I could have done it barehanded. Then the task of finding out how they got in the garden. I started looking and searching and finally concluded by the wooden fence being pushed over at the top in one particular spot that they climbed onto an old wooden deck that was left by the previous owner and jumped the 3 foot span between the deck and the garden fence....right into the oat patch. Stinking goats. Sometimes they are smarter than is good for them or me. Sometimes I just don't know which is more aggravating...smart goats that can analyze a situation and come up to a solution or a dumb cow that will just bulldoze its way through anything!I hope my pole beans come back and I have some broccoli plants that were spared although all heads are gone. Today I will pull the one that were completely stripped only to leave the stems. I will plant some more pole beans just in case the plants die since they were completely stripped halfway down (everything the goat could reach). They also ate one of my cantaloupe plants and two of the melon plants so I guess I will have to replace those. Just one year I would like to not have critter issues in the garden. How much more of a fortress do I have to build? Oh, well...off to milk the juvenile delinquents and I am not in the mood for any milk stand shenanigans so they had best be on their best behavior. They just might find themselves grounded to their pasture lined with hot wire!!!! Blessings from the farm, Kat