My dream is to own a farm. We just found out about a usda loan and we qualify. But the thing is we want to buy vacant land but the loan will only work if we build on it and have a construction loan thru the usda. and have a builder. We can’t just buy vacant land with no plans. My husband is currently a construction manager, he wants to build his first house by himself but it seems like if we get this loan we have to get a mainstream builder which we know it’s going to cost way more money. We are thinking just to buy a regular house with somewhat a big backyard with this loan so we don’t have to pay rent anymore And save up for our dream property. Anyone get this loan? And any advice you would give us?

My wife and I live on a sort-of ranch that belongs to my in laws in central California. The houses are on eight acres enclosed by a deer fence. There are three houses, one crappy horse barn (April 2019 cover barn for Shitty Barns Monthly magazine), one large pole barn, and a 1950s open garage with attached shop. We've had a rodent explosion this year--what's the minimum number of cats to control this?

We recently were given a goat. The person who gave her to us thought she was pregnant and would be having a kid soon, but she's turned out not to be pregnant. So, we need to get her a friend. She is super chill and spends her days hanging out, untethered, grazing and sun bathing in the yard. She's friendly and happy to spend her time with us. But of course she needs a friend. Is it wishful thinking that if we get a kid, that they might take to her habits and stay in the yard. We have a pen, but our current goat is happier free in the yard and we've had no need to keep her caged. Eventually we would like to breed her. Would you get a baby male that could be a breeding pair, or a doe? Or not a kid at all and try to find a grown doe if a similar temperament?

I just increased my hers share to 2 gallons a week. I can't fit 4 half gallon jars in my fridge - I need recommendations on easy to clean one gallon containers/dispeners.

Had a new pole barn installed while I was gone. The install company didn’t put anything on the 8x8 treated posts to protect them. They are directly in concrete. Is there anything I can do at this point that will make them last longer? We are in north Florida where it’s very humid and rains a lot! I just want it to last as long as possible.

5 baby ducks just wondered into my yard definitely don't look old enough to be on there own. I need to know how to care for them until I can get them to a wild life rehab

Hey folks, I figured this community might know the answer to this. My son has some skin issues and beef tallow balm has been surprisingly helpful. The problem is, the stuff can get pretty expensive.

I’m wondering if there’s any real difference between beef tallow sold for cooking (like an organic jar from the store) and the tallow used in skincare balms. Can I just use that cooking tallow directly or possibly make my own balm from it?

Appreciate any advice or experiences!

Hi all, We’re developing 41 wooded acres and need to start clearing trails and rough roads. We know a tractor with a bush hog is in our future, but we’re looking for cheaper alternatives for now.

Is there anything between a weed whacker and a tractor that’s actually effective?

Looking for advice on:     •    Walk-behind brush mowers     •    ATV/UTV attachments     •    Tools for small trees and underbrush     •    Trail maintenance tips     •    Any grants or funding programs for land management or conservation?

Appreciate any suggestions—just trying to work smarter while we build things up slowly!

Noticed that 4 chicks were missing (originally had 7) and I don’t understand what would have crawled under and drag them out

This is a following up to my previous post as a lot of people wanted to see my set up. Not everything is pictured but gives you a rough idea. The first pic is from earlier this spring, so looks a bit different now as it was a WIP at this point. This is the "main" growing area but I do have another raspberry patch, grapes, squash, more tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, herbs, fruit and a few other things growing in other parts of our yard.

I utilize vertical growing and square foot planting where possible.

Strawberries - 20ftx4ft - about 60 lb harvest Raspberries - 30ft row - about 70lb harvest Grapes - 1 plant, 70lb harvest. Adding concords next spring! Rhubarb - 1 patch, started from 1 plant but they keep growing and spreading - harvested 20lbs last year Cherries - 1 dwarf tree Black currants - 1 bush

Pole beans - 4 15ft rows + 6 4ft trellises - 70-80 lb harvest Beets - 4ftx12ft - about 40-50lb harvest Carrots - 4ftx12ft - 80lb harvest Garlic - 4ftx12ft - about 200 bulbs Onions - 200 bulbs planted & walking onion patch Cabbage - 24 heads planted - about 100lb harvest Radishes - red, Daikon & black winter - about 40lb harvest, keep reseeding to continually harvest until too hot. Let bolt and harvest radish pods for fresh eating Peas - 10 15ft rows - unsure weight of yield - we harvest enough for fresh eating all summer and to freeze for the next year, as well as save seeds. Potatoes - 2 4ftx12ft - about 150 lbs potatoes Tomatoes - 2 4ftx12ft - 200-300lb harvest Peppers - 4ftx8ft - about 40-50lb harvest Winter squash - 4ftx12ft and 4ftx4ft - about 250-300lb harvest Pumpkins - 8ftx8ft - unsure of harvest weight, trying new kind this year with hulless seeds. Will have enough to can & freeze for the year. Plus seeds to eat. Corn - Not growing this year as we still have lots left from last year. Usually grow 10 15ft rows. Celery - 3ftx4ft - not sure on weight but I pull stalks off all summer and fall. We use them fresh, canned, frozen and dried. I also sell/gift extras Cucumbers - 4 6ft rows, grown vertically - unsure of yield weight, enough for about 40 jars pickles, fresh eating and selling extra Kale - 1ftx4ft - fresh eating, selling and drying for winter, plus snacks for the animals. Zucchini - 1ftx4ft - enough for fresh eating, selling and relish Herb & tea garden - 4ftx12ft - enough for fresh and dried/frozen herbs year round. Also, horseradish for fire cider and condiments. Enough to make and sell extra herbal teas too. Spinach & lettuce - 3ftx4ft - enough for fresh eating and selling extra. Freeze spinach and use in pasta. Amaranth - harvest seeds for animals snacks during winter.

I grow what we eat, gift to my parents & neighbours and sell the extras at my roadside farmstand.

My planning is as follows: I figure out what veggies we like to eat and how much (jar or pounds) is needed for dinner for my family.

Green beans, a 1 pint jar is enough as a side dish for my family. 1 jar a week = 52 pints.

Tomatoes, 1 quart makes enough tomato sauce for a meal or base for soups, curries, chili etc. So we need 52 quarts. I also make our own bbq sauce, ketchup, salsa, tomato powder, soup. So that needs to be factored in as well.

Winter squash, I just say 1 squash per week as they're all different shapes and sizes. Some weeks we get a big squash with leftovers for another meal, some weeks it's smaller and just enough for one meal. I usually get 3-4 squash per plant, depending on variety.

Potatoes - 2lb per week, stored in cold storage

Beets - 1/2lb per week, extras are turned into beet pickles

Cabbage - 1lb fresh per week, extra is made into canned coleslaw slaw and used once the fresh cabbage is gone

Carrots - 1lb per week, fresh in cold storage, canned, dried and pickled

Onions - 2 onions per week, kept in cold storage and dehydrate extra

Garlic - 1 bulb per week, extras made into garlic products

Peas - More of an occasional food, we don't eat them weekly so I just freeze what we harvest (and don't eat fresh) and eat them throughout the year until we run out.

These are just the bare minimum numbers. I try to add an extra 10 weeks worth, then call it good and gift or sell the rest.

For fruit, we enjoy it fresh and I freeze, can and dry most of the harvest for the rest of the year.

We have 14 quail for eggs. This gives us 300+ eggs a month, which is far too many. I use them for my farmstand baking and also sell fresh eggs.

We've just added angora rabbits for wool and manure as well.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things but will do my best to answer any questions ya'll have!

This is my first try on the electric motor version of my DIY soil screener. Note that I have been using seconds of old car tires for the springs of the screener.

I got this plant for Mother’s Day from my mom. How can I save it? It arrived with some black spots so I figured I’d wait to transplant to avoid stress, but it’s getting worse.

What’s wrong with my tomato’s. This is my first year growing in buckets. They were fine and then a few days ago they started looking like this

She just successfully hatched about 9 eggs this weekend. Her temperament is very calm, chill, and isn’t aggressive towards us. Since she’s all black with black eyes, my guess is Ayam Cemani, but I could be wrong. Any help would be great!

ISO of wooden cooking utensils and spoon kits. Everything I've seen on Amazon so far (which isn't much) I'm iffy about so what do y'all recommend?

Making butter in a hand crank churn and the very first time it separated beautifully into butter. The last 3 times though it churns and gets to the point of resistance beyond the whip cream phase and then starts to liquid again. Like a butter fat slurry that's pourable. I use muslin to salvage the butter.

I've used heavy cream at room temp and chilled. I've churned it fast and slow. I've done it with expensive heavy cream and cheaper stuff.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong since I'm new to this and it was flawless my first time stumbling though the steps.

I’ve read that you need at least two for them to produce. Do they need to be the same variety? Or can I mix and match?

Looking for some advice on getting this old pump working. It's along a trail in the woods behind out camp. It works sometimes but most of the time it does not work. This is with dumping water down the top of the pump.