Resources for Farmers - And a Passion for Grassin'

So we’ve talked the last few days about grazing and why graze. I’d like to tilt the viewfinder a little today and give farmers out there some resources for grazing. Here’s one I found right off this morning that looks pretty fun, full of how-tos and fencing. http://www.ibiblio.org/farming-connection/grazing/home.htm. That one looks to mostly cater to beef, but a useful poultry resource for us has been http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/poultry/. Purdue also has some great info on grazing and pasture management http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/rotational/index.html.

So hopefully that’s enough to get you started. I’ve got tons more resources, of course, but that’s enough to wade through for now, I think. One thing about it, it’s never hard to sell farmers on the benefits of grass. I think most of us would rather see our animals out on pasture more than anything else. The problem is that’s not where the demand of the market is. The demand is for cheaply raised meat that grows quickly and that’s exactly what the public has gotten, full of antibiotics and hormones. But, that is what they asked for.

Last I heard, less than 2% of the population is involved with food production in America, with fewer young people getting involved as the years go by. And when you think about it, why should they get involved? There’s little money and long hours involved with farming, passion for grassin’ or not. The key now is niche markets and educating the public on where their food comes from. I’m continually amazed at how many people my own age have never even been up close to a horse, let alone a cow. They have no clue about grass-fed versus grain-fed and no incentive to care. But food is the basis of everything. Without food, there’s no room for civilization. Farmers are integral to everything. I mean, how many people, realistically, can feed themselves without a grocery store? So there’s the incentive to learn about where your food comes from: no store, no eat. Scary. So my advice to aspiring and current farmers? Business planning.

I’ve mentioned Annie’s Project on the blog before, but for those who didn’t catch that post, it’s a nationwide class held to educate women in agriculture about opportunities and management in agriculture. For it, I picked up a lot of information on how to manage and build your farm on paper. This aspect of ag is actually a post or two all in itself so I’ll leave off today with a few starting resources on ag business and pick up tomorrow discussing the importance of business planning and how it can benefit your ag business.

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1568_2388---,00.html Haven’t explored this one yet, but does look to have some useful info.

The best site for farmers interested in business planning is https://www.msu.edu/~steind/. Dennis Stein is part of Michigan State University’s Extension Service and a great personality.

Here’s a link for beginning farmers and looks great for people just thinking about adding farming to their repertoire. After all, the reason most small businesses fail is poor planning. http://beginningfarmers.org/farm-business-planning/

Sorry for the tangent today, folks, but I get excited about ag and all its facets. I’ll try to be more focused tomorrow and more interesting to those who yawn their way through my rhapsodies over turf grass. Cheers.

Snow on the ground, garden in mind

Dad, MJ, and I sat down this weekend to make the seed order. So great when it’s all snowy outside to think of things green and growing. Even got J. excited about plants. (FYI, using initials and nicknames since I haven’t asked these guys if they mind me writing about them.) The garden looks like it’ll be bigger than last year, more potatoes and onions, and we have plans to store them better. Lost a lot of onions and potatoes due to poor storage plan.

We ordered a food dehydrator, which I’ll review when we start using it, and I’m looking forward to using. I’ve got extensive herb garden plans this year since I like mixing my own teas, for headaches and stuff, and they should dry well in this dehydrator. We’ll see.

Dad even agreed to plant horseradish so we can cook our own. Maybe we can grill some hot peppers in the house while we’re at it since both tend to blind you with the fumes. (Yes, that was sarcasm :) We didn’t order any flowers, though they were tempting. But I kill flowers with a dirty look. J and I decided our flower selection would be crazy since we’re both drawn to the unusual and exotic. Absolutely nothing would match. Feng Shui help us if we ever decorate a house together.

Winter dragging a little on the farm, especially after this last snow storm. My car gets stuck if a fat guy sits on it, so the slush wreaks hell on it. Getting tired of getting stuck at the end of the driveway and Dad getting tired of pulling me out. At least last night it was still light out and not three in the morning with me just getting back from the bar and after-party at a friend’s house.

The cows aren’t complaining though, at least mine aren’t. Dairy cattle always complain. My cows, all 29 or 30 of them, we can’t ever get an accurate count for some reason, luxuriate on a hundred acres of corn stalks, and think they’re the luckiest cows on the planet, acting like range cows in Nebraska or something.

I’ve had a few opportunities to take classes this winter. Both Allena Tapia’s Get Pad to Read through LCC and Annie’s Project put on by the Clinton County Extension Office have been great resources. More on both later. For now, I need to keep a forward momentum. Worked until 3 a.m. last night and up before 8. Coffee so wearing off.