Far Better Farmstead

Wow! Sometimes life just flies by - has it been over 2 years since we have posted?  Guess so.  We will try to update each area separately.  Most blogs over-glamorize homestead life. We will spend some time updating both the good and the bad in each category. The Garden The good: We are still raising a good garden each year. It seems like our main crops are lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, potatoes, squashes, and tomatoes. We still use a slightly modified Mittleider method which means yes, we do add some fertilizers.  Patrick is an engineer by day-job and we can guarantee you that our little bit of fertilizer a) add less salts and b) has a lower carbon footprint than all "organic" gardening you can compare it to.  We also utilize our home-grown chicken, rabbit, and goat manure/manured hay for soil building and nitrogen. The bad : We lose our sweet corn almost every year to raccoons. We have decided that they a...

"A scythe is great for your back but very hard on your patience" - Patrick at Far Better Farmstead      It all started when it rained 80 inches this summer. Yes, I said 80 inches! Needless to say, I didn't get to put up much hay with my scythe and rake. I did do one good cutting, but should have got 2 or 3 and even the one cutting didn't cover the whole field. As much as I like the scythe, I started wanting a quicker way to cut a small amount of hay.  My fantasy rig is my old 600 Ford tractor with a sickle bar, rake, and old square baler. I sold the 600 several years ago and have regretted it every since. My second fantasy was a BCS or Grillo walk behind tarctor. You can get a sickle for them and many other implements as well. Both options are out of reach of our budget right now, so that's why I call them fantasies rather than options! As I searched around the web, I found out that Sears used to sell a walk-behind tractor called the David Bradley. ...

The kids are now about 4 and 1/2 months old. They are fleshing out quite nicely. Unfortunately our buck, Bilbo, didn't make it but the girls are doing well. This is Pippi Pippi again. She has a white ring around her mouth and nose that make her look like she's  always smiling. This is Sadie, the mother. We are currently milking her. It is down to a routine now. Pipi and Maggie together. They are constantly playing.

It is 22 degrees at 6:30 this morning when I trudge out the door toward the barn.  In my right hand I have udder wash.  My left hand holds grain that is pre measured, while my left arm is wrapped securely around my milk pail.  On my head is a head lamp.  Behind me, this morning, are my two, very curious, younger children.  We have one goal in mind... Milk that goat!

Goat milk! The early bird gets the worm, so the old saying goes.  As for me, the early mom gets the milk.  Day two of milking the goat finds me better prepared.  I have fixed the hanging light in the barn so that even the neighbors should be able to see.  And just in case it isn't working correctly, I have one of those handy flashlights that go on your head.  I am definitely going to be able to see what I am doing this morning.  I have the grain pre measured so Sadie won't have to get anxious before I ever get started.

The big day is here!  Sadie, our Nigerian dwarf goat, kidded two weeks ago Saturday.  I have been getting ready to milk her since before the births.  I have read books, magazine articles, blogs, and anything else I could find on how to milk a goat.  But now I must put what I have read into action.

Well our new kids have arrived! Sadie gave birth to triplets! This seemed unusual for a first birth and we are very grateful. The 2 little nannies are black with white and the little billy is white with black. The little billy is much smaller than the other 2 but he is getting up and suckling, so we hope he will be ok. Anyway, a very blessed day on the Far Better Farmstead!

We don't have a big barn to store hay in and we want to make better use of the small shed that we do have. Looking around the internet I found a neat little hay storage solution at  this site . That site ( One Scythe Revolution ) got me to thinking seriously about buying a scythe since we don't have a hay mower and only use a small amount of hay. Anyway, here's how to make my version of Botan Anderson's hay rack:

We have finished a stanchion for Sadie, our Nigerian Dwarf goat. Sadie is a very sweet goat but very playful, so we assumed she would not want to go in or near the stanchion. Were we surprised! It is amazing what a little sweet feed can do........ Not the best location, but we want to train her first Yum! This sweet feed tastes like doughnuts! Gentle and calm We built the stanchion from plans in a goat magazine (you know the ones that they have at Tractor Supply) for about $55 total. Not bad.