The Beginning Farmer Show

I have come to the realization that it is time to reboot the farm! Not that everything that we have been doing for the past twelve years has been bad, but rather there are some changes that I realize need to be made and in making them I think we are going to end up with Crooked Gap Farm v2.0. It's sort of like a Grand Re-Opening, or Church Re-Plant, or Version 2.0 of the farm. The core of the farm is going to be the same. We are still going to be all about raising great pasture raised meats, but there will be changes on the farm. Changes with efficiencies. Changes with marketing. Changes with structures. Changes with mindset. And, all of this is going to be about taking our farm up a level in order to be better than we have been in the past. It is going to be a long journey that will take time (and money, which means more time), but I think it is going to be an amazing journey. Follow along on the Podcast, Instagram, Facebook, and of course YouTube! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Don't forget you can find us in all of the places, most of all on YouTube (again)! The Beginning Farmer YouTube Channel The Beginning Farmer Instagram The Beginning Farmer Facebook

Crooked Gap Farm has come a long ways in the roughly 12 years of it's existence! Sometimes I forget how far we have come from an empty 40 acre parcel in the middle of Iowa, but when I stop and take a look at it all I am very thankful! That doesn't mean that I have everything where it needs to be or that I'm ready to sit back and watch the farm roll along. There are a lot of projects that are needed on the farm these days. Repair projects, building projects, upgrading projects, and plenty of cleaning projects! But, I have come up with three that have been at the forefront of my mind lately Get the Walk-in Freezer up and running! Building a "Farrowing Greenhouse"! Rehab, Rejuvenate, Replace our Sheep Flock! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Don't forget you can find us in all of the places, most of all on YouTube (again)! The Beginning Farmer YouTube Channel The Beginning Farmer Instagram The Beginning Farmer Facebook

Let's talk about chickens! We've raised meat chickens off and on for about 10 years now, and it has never really been our strong suit. But, the demand is there and I would really like to increase our meat chicken production ... like really increase it! There is one problem though, well actually three problems. First of all we have settled on the Freedom Ranger breed for our meat chickens (although I'm open for suggestions because it still isn't my favorite ever). Secondly, I am totally committed to the "day range" system of raising the birds, but I'm not committed to a structure. And finally, processing is somewhat of a bottle neck for us. There is only one official processor in the state and we are pretty much all in on needing official processing! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Don't forget you can find us in all of the places, most of all on YouTube (again)! The Beginning Farmer YouTube Channel The Beginning Farmer Instagram The Beginning Farmer Facebook

Hello Beginning Farmer Friends! We are back and better than ever. Well I'm not sure about better than ever, but we are back and I am getting pretty excited about being back (even though it is one episode)! I am excited to be able to "chat" about farming again, and share the happenings of Crooked Gap Farm and our plans for the future. In this episode I end up talking about what our farm marketing world has looked at during the current pandemic of 2020. Sales have been good (I think for many protein farmers that has been true), but along with increased sales and demand there have been plenty of challenges. In the end I do think we are positioning ourselves in a good way for 2021 and beyond. Don't forget you can find us in all of the places, most of all on YouTube (again)! The Beginning Farmer YouTube Channel The Beginning Farmer Instagram The Beginning Farmer Facebook

In a time of unknown, I sit down and do what is needed: I have fun. Today I talk with my oldest son, Caleb, about his interests on the farm and where he goes and is wanting to go with them. He shares what his biggest interest on the farm is and what he does with it. With plenty of fun and laughter, tractors, a Hard Lesson Learned, and even rockets, this is sure to be a fun episode that you can't miss!

I am going to ignore the elephant in the room (this episode is being released during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic) and attempt to pick-up where I left off about one year ago! On the last episode of The Beginning Farmer Show, that sounds like something you would hear at the beginning of a soap opera, I had outlined the equipment and infrastructure that we had accumulated on the farm. What I was realizing was that maybe the equipment I had wasn't "right-sized" to where our farm was at the moment. The big question that was discussed though was, what are we going to do in terms of the hay operation. Well, much of the hay operation discussion changed in the weeks following the release of that last episode because I ended up selling some small square bale equipment, picking up more hay ground, and making more hay than I had even planned in 2019. Moving forward in 2020 we are expanding even more in the hay side of things and working to add it as a component of our over all farm business. There are plenty of other things that have happened on the farm in the past 12 months, but the biggest thing had to be our return to the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market. This was something that popped up on our radar somewhat out of nowhere and in the end it seems like it was a good thing! I hope you all are doing well out there as we deal with a world that seems to be changing by the moment. Maybe in the future I'll be able to take some time to talk about how our farm is adjusting through this pandemic.

Now that you know the large collection of things that we have on the farm I want to share some of my thoughts on what needs to head down the road, what needs to be added, and where I am the most confused! It has become obvious to me that one of the tractors needs to go, and in a perfect world it needs to be replaced by a skid loader that would be able to perform quite a few important tasks on the farm. Also, an addition to the shed is something that is at the top of the list once we can get the money together and the details figured out. The biggest question facing the farm at this moment though is what are we going to do about the hay operation. Or maybe I should say the "hay dabbling" because it hardly seems big enough to be classified as an operation. I can see the benefits that it has, but I'm wondering if those benefits outweigh the negatives. What do you think? If you do make your way over to this post though I would love to hear what you think about the equipment and infrastructure our farm has accumulated over the past ten years. Do you have any advice on what probably doesn't need to be on our farm? Do you think the hay business is something that we should continue to pursue? Why in the world do I have so many tractors on such a small farm? Thank you so much for listening and I hope that you join in the conversation!

I'm just going to be completely honest here. I have forgotten most of what it takes to post a podcast episode since it has been such a long time since I have regularly released episodes! With that in mind these "show notes" are really just going to be a link to the show if you'd like to listen on-line or share your thoughts on the Crooked Gap Farm Inventory that I detailed in this episode.  If you do make your way over to this post though I would love to hear what you think about the equipment and infrastructure our farm has accumulated over the past ten years. Do you have any advice on what probably doesn't need to be on our farm? Do you think the hay business is something that we should continue to pursue? Why in the world do I have so many tractors on such a small farm?  Thank you so much for listening and I hope that you join in the conversation!

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Hey there! This is a BRAND NEW EPISODE of "The Beginning Farmer Show"!!! I'm not sure when the next one will be, but for now this one is here and I'm looking for direction when it comes to the show. If you have any good leads or ideas of farmers that you would like to hear on the show please let me know by clicking the link below and reaching out through the Facebook page. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook! As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! What can I say? It has been a day or two since the last episode of the podcast was released and there has been a thing or two that has happened. On the other hand there is very much on the farm that is the same as it was 12 months ago. But, since it is the first episode in what we will call, "quite some time", I thought it would be best if I spent some time sharing some updates from the farm! That means episode is all about the livestock on the farm ... how they've been handling the summer, what I've been doing with them, and whether or not we still have a farm period! Hopefully you enjoy the show! Do You Want to Know More about My Cool New Boots? These days I'm rocking LaCrosse Brand Alpha Range Boots (that's the link to the LaCrosse website) ... you can even pick them up on Amazon (affiliate link)! They are by far the most comfortable mud boots that I have ever owned. I love the gusseted back because I like to tuck my insulated bibs into the boots, and did I mention the are super comfortable! Check out the links if you are looking for some good boots this winter, and I'll share more as I see how they stand up to to the life of an Iowa pig farmer. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook! As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! It is story time! Plans were made, forms were formed, rock was moved, compactors were used, rain came, snow came, everything became muddy, even more rock was moved, concrete was poured, and in the middle of the night the concrete was covered with plastic/tarps/straw. Actually it sounds pretty easy when it is summed up in one long run-on sentence! Honestly though, it was a big week on the farm to get everything ready for concrete and then eventually for the pour. And while there is still plenty of work to do in order to get everything finalized I thought it would would be fun to share the story of the big cement project. The most important thing though is to recognize the awesome help that I had! None of this would have happened without my wife, my uncle, my cousin, and my neighbors ... so, sit back and enjoy (I hope) the story.  Do You Want to Know More about My Cool New Boots? These days I'm rocking LaCrosse Brand Alpha Range Boots (that's the link to the LaCrosse website) ... you can even pick them up on Amazon (affiliate link)! They are by far the most comfortable mud boots that I have ever owned. I love the gusseted back because I like to tuck my insulated bibs into the boots, and did I mention the are super comfortable! Check out the links if you are looking for some good boots this winter, and I'll share more as I see how they stand up to to the life of an Iowa pig farmer. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! With Christmas coming up before we know it (and possibly putting an end to my concrete dreams) I thought it would be good to share my Top Ten Gifts for the farmer or aspiring farmer on your list. I've tried to diversify the list a bit with some tools I use on the farm, some tools that are important to the farm, a couple of my favorite books, and even some podcasting tools! One thing that I noticed as I made up the list was that it has quite a few expensive items on it. At first I was a little taken back by that realization, but then it came to me ... as I have matured in my farming adventure I have found that quality really does win the day on the farm. Quality can save time, it can save on broken tools, and most of all it can save frustration! Of course not everything on the list is expensive ... I mean I do love a good pair of sub-$10 USA made pliers! As a bonus I'm also sharing a link to the new boots I've been putting through the paces and some leftover Beginning Farmer T-shirts! :: The Farmer's Christmas List :: (Amazon links are affiliate links) The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman Contrary Farmer by Gene Logsdon Dewalt LED Flashlight 20V and the Dewalt 20V Impact Wrench Green Valley Chainsaw Scabbard Tool Box for Organizing Stuff Rite in the Rain Notebook for Planning Podcasting Mic :: Mic Stand :: Foam Windscreen :: Shock Mount :: Bossjock Studio Speedrite 6000i Fence Energizer (Same as the Stafix x6i Ethan uses) TEKTON Slip Joint Pliers All American 30 Quart Pressure Canner :: The Bonus Items :: The Beginning Farmer Show Shirts (SS: $15 or LS: $20) *while supplies last Alpha Range Boots (the cool new boots I'm rocking) Do You Want to Know More about My Cool New Boots? These days I'm rocking LaCrosse Brand Alpha Range Boots (that's the link to the LaCrosse website) ... you can even pick them up on Amazon (affiliate link)! They are by far the most comfortable mud boots that I have ever owned. I love the gusseted back because I like to tuck my insulated bibs into the boots, and did I mention the are super comfortable! Check out the links if you are looking for some good boots this winter, and I'll share more as I see how they stand up to to the life of an Iowa pig farmer. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! This past week was "one of those weeks" on the farm! A hydraulic line exploded on the tractor, but thankfully my cousin was able to fix it. We dug in the water lines into the hoop building, but I am beginning to realize that the concrete is not going to happen this year (that is my fault). To top it all off though the tractor started acting up again, and this time it seems that the probably actually may be caused by a much larger problem! Mentally it was a daunting week to so the least. All of this is happening though right before what I consider to be my favorite holiday ... Thanksgiving. To me it seems fitting though because despite all that seems to be breaking down around me there is plenty to be thankful for on the farm. In fact, I made a list ... :: This Beginning Farmer is Thankful :: I am Thankful for the Help of Family and Friends I am Thankful for the Awesome Farm Champions We Have I am Thankful for Safety and Fruitfulness I am Thankful for Generations of Farmers Sharing Their Knowledge I am Thankful for a Farming Family Do You Want to Know More about My Cool New Boots? These days I'm rocking LaCrosse Brand Alpha Range Boots (that's the link to the LaCrosse website) ... you can even pick them up on Amazon (affiliate link)! They are by far the most comfortable mud boots that I have ever owned. I love the gusseted back because I like to tuck my insulated bibs into the boots, and did I mention the are super comfortable! Check out the links if you are looking for some good boots this winter, and I'll share more as I see how they stand up to to the life of an Iowa pig farmer. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Do you know the greatest thing about The Beginning Farmer Podcast/Blog? It is YOU of course! Two episodes ago I flipped the tables, and instead of doing my typical "question and answer" show where I attempt to answer listener questions I asked the questions. The responses you sent in and shared on concrete, turkeys, walk-in freezers, pig pastures, and show content were AWESOME and full of great knowledge. If you typically just scan the blog post and check out the links I really encourage you to take a listen to the episode this time because it is full of knowledge and experience from farmers that are out there doing it. I've also gathered together some links that helped me dig a little deeper in to the advice that came in from you, the listeners! :: The Beginning Farmer's Research :: My Very First Blog Post on Boots My Original Post on Pig Pastures 'New Farm' Article on Grazing Pigs 'On Pasture' Pig Grazing Article Penn State Extension Swine Forage Missouri Extension Swine Forage University of Illinois Pastured Turkey Video Smith Meadows Farm "Pastured Turkey Basics" Walk-in Freezer Pictorial Essay And, The New Boots! (picture above) One other thing I mentioned in this episode was the new pair of boots that I have been running through the paces that came from LaCrosse Boots. I received a pair of Alpha Range Boots (that's the link to the LaCrosse website) ... you can even pick them up on Amazon (affiliate link)! They are by far the most comfortable mud boots that I have ever owned. I love the gusseted back because I like to tuck my insulated bibs into the boots, and did I mention the are super comfortable! Check out the links if you are looking for some good boots this winter, and I'll share more as I see how they stand up to to the life of an Iowa pig farmer. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! We physically survived The Farm Crawl, but it was a bit mentally taxing. The day was beautiful, the farm was in great shape, we had a good selection of pork for sale, and the people were awesome! There was one down part though and it is what made me a bit mentally taxing ... the numbers were down (both from a sales and attendance standpoint). I am extremely thankful for everyone that was able to show up, but was a bit thrown by the differences we had seen from years past. That's what sort of threw me off a bit ... well that and hustling to get my spring projects (yes I really mean spring) done before winter sets in! Thankfully though I had a lot of great questions in the hopper so I'll do my best to answer them ... :: What Questions Are We Tackling This Week :: What do you do if an animal needs to be put down? What do farmers need to know about taxes? Have you used sheep netting? Rotational grazing with sheep, but not cattle. Does it work? How about pigs ... apple cider vinegar, loading/sorting pens, and getting them on the cart? Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Our farm has been a farm for eight years now, which I suppose means I have been a farmer for eight years as well. But, I don't want anyone to think that I'm still not "The Beginning Farmer" ... sometimes it seems the more I learn about this farming art the more I feel like a beginner! With that in mind I've always tried my best to share the ups and downs because I know that I learn from my mistakes, so hopefully someone else can learn from them as well. Along the way (over almost 10 years of blogging/podcasting) you all have come along side and shared your experiences as well! That is why I knew that I could turn the tables a little bit and ask you the questions ...   :: Five Questions From a Beginning Farmer :: I want some concrete! Should I feel bad about that as a grass-based farmer? What can I plant this fall for my pig pastures next spring? Maybe it is finally time for turkey. How can I raise them without losing my mind? Should we invest in a walk-in freezer? What would you like to see from "The Beginning Farmer Show"? Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!   As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.   If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!   I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! In many ways our farm began before the farm even began. I was reading books, talking to farmers, dreaming dreams, and making plans. All of that lead to me thinking I had it all together before I even stepped foot onto what would eventually become Crooked Gap Farm. If you've heard me talk about the beginnings of the farm before you will know that in my mind the centerpiece was going to be Dexter Cattle raised for beef. It should be noted though that when I was thinking that I had never even tasted Dexter beef! What I have not talked a lot about before though is that when I was in that planning stage I thought the other main enterprise on the farm would be our Tamworth hogs. Now, if you are familiar with the farm you will be thinking to yourself, "Tamworth hogs? What about the Herefords?" The reality is that in my reading and planning stages I had completely settled on Tamworths being the perfect breed for us. When I couldn't find enough Tamworths I moved on to the Gloucestershire Old Spots, but I never found any of them either. So, I just got pigs and I learned how to raise those pigs. It was sometime after that first couple of batches of pigs that I ended up with the Herefords and now that is what we love and what we are known for. That is why I say today, "Quit buying Hereford hogs!" It's not that  I don't think they are a great breed with lots of positive points, but rather I don't think it is the only direction to go. In the end I think there are three pieces of advice I wish I would have followed when I was selecting livestock for my beginning farm: Do What Works on Your Farm! Start With What is Readily Available in Your Area! Raise Your Livestock with Care and Husbandry and in an Exceptional Way! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Earlier this month I was able to take a long drive to northwestern Iowa and visit Seven W Farm during their Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day. This was the second field day at the Wilson's farm that I have been able to attend (along with watching their Niche Pork Webinar from 2009) and I am very thankful they are willing to open their farm, and share their experiences! Seven W Farm consists of 660 acres, seven Wilsons (plus kids), organic grains, hogs, organic dairy, pastured poultry, grassfed beef, and grassfed lamb. To say that there is a lot going on would be an understatement for sure. Behind the diversity of enterprises though is a great wealth of knowledge that comes from multi-generational family farm. In fact Dan has been pasture farrowing hogs for 50 years now! What I'm trying to say with all of that background information is that I learned a lot. I mean I really learned A LOT!!! And, the great thing about some of the knowledge I picked up from their experiences is that it is stuff I think that I can still apply to this growing season. Here are four things that I hope to apply in the coming weeks and of course a bunch of links that I mention in the episode: What I learned and will be (hopefully applying soon) ... Burst Proof Water Line for Pastured Pigs A-Fram Farrowing Sheds are the Bomb Premier1 Pig Fence is Worth a Try Three Words ... Apple. Cider. Vinegar. The pile of links mentioned in this episode ... Seven W Farm PFI Field Day Recap Seven W Farm Website High Density Polyethylene from Powerflex A-Frame Farrowing Hut Design (and other pasture farrowing info) Premier1 Pig Fence Apple Cider Vinegar Research from Frantzen Farm Apple Cider Vinegar Stories (Will Winter) ACV for Pigs from The Vinegar Guys (you can buy vinegar from them too) Grass Farmer Supply (ACV for sale along with other minerals, vitamins, healthy stuff) :: Practical Farmers of Iowa Recap of 2016 Field Day :: If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! More questions have rolled in from our Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day, and the folks at PFI have even put up a blog post that recaps the day. The great thing about the blog post is that it contains a lot of audio from the event, so if you weren't able to make it to the field day you can at least listen (now that I mention that I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing). On today's episode I'll be fielding questions about recording video, using the vet, farm names/brands, beginning marketing, and even some of my thoughts on how we do our sheep. It is definitely a hodge-podge episode with plenty of rambling, but they are great questions so hopefully I'm up to the task with my answers! :: Practical Farmers of Iowa Recap of 2016 Field Day :: If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Over the past two weeks we have hosted well over 100 farmers and farm fans out to Crooked Gap Farm! That has meant a lot of time getting the farm ready, preparing food, and planning the tours and talks. In the end though we love the opportunity to share our farm with other farmers, and more importantly ... learn from other farmers! Even though I love to talk and I love these types of events they do make me a bit nervous right before they start and for a little while after. It's not talking in front of people that makes me nervous (I typically do that every Sunday), but rather it is that I'm worried about what people will think about our farm when they see it and hear what I have to say about it. I mean I'm just a beginning farmer! Hopefully over time that is something that I can grow out of, because there is a lot of benefit from having other farmers to the farm to share information and learn!  In other news ... let's attempt to answer some questions! Here are the topics for this week: Now that we've done chickens, what is next? How do you handle watering systems with far away pastures? When do you suggest starting your laying chicks? Are you applying holistic management practices on your farm? What about WOTUS? Does it matter for beginning farmers? If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Changes are often difficult to make, even if you love change and moving forward. I find it difficult not so much because I don't notice that there are things to change, but rather because I become stuck in the rut or, even more often, I am overwhelmed by the steps of the needed change. As 2015 came to a close though and our family and farm embarked on 2016 it was painfully clear that there were changes that needed to be made on the farm if it was going to continue. If I wasn't willing to make those changes then it was time to move on to the next thing ... as in it would be time to end the farm. I've spent enough time talking about that in the past couple of episodes though, so today it is all about the practical steps that I've taken in 2016. Even if those steps haven't been completely successful or enough. Practical Applications for Moving Crooked Gap Farm Forward in 2016: Planned Farm Meetings Shifting the Focus of Our Farm Being Ruled Less by Fear and More by Truth Making Capital Improvements for Efficiencies Sake Raising the Level of Communication Selling More Whole/Half Hogs Not Quitting If you are interested in having a grassfed Dexter Cattle Herd of your own shoot me an e-mail because we have cows, heifers, and cow/calf pairs available right now! Links Mentioned in the Episode: Crooked Gap Farm Field Day on Friday, August 5th 2016 The Best Field Day :: Seven W Farm on Saturday, August 13th 2016 Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! My career as a "beginning farmer" has always been as bi-vocational something or other. Along with trying to learn how to farm I've been a youth pastor, worked at a farm store, helped out at another farm, and currently I'm loving my job as pastor of Christ's Church. But, wearing all of those hats as well as the hat of husband and father has made things less than ideal at times (or most times). For the most part I've tried to just push through things and act like nothing was amiss, but the reality was that I should have been doing a better job of everything ... especially being a husband and father! Near the end of 2015 I finally admitted to myself that things needed to change and that may mean that they needed to change drastically ... which led to the end of Crooked Gap Farm ... almost! This episode is my attempt to vocalize what was going on in my mind and heart and through some of the discussions with my wife. It's not just all head stuff though, because our farm is a working farm with plenty going on still. Of course the biggest and coolest news is that we finally had the vet out to work the cattle and now I'm completely ready to sell some of our grassfed Dexter cattle. By some I actually mean something like 10 to 15 head, so shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in some cows or cow/calf pairs! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! What happens when The Beginning Farmer disappears for months on end? Well, actually lots things happen! Just recently I've been to Arizona to talk farming and finances, we've been making small square bales of hay, a new building project is in the planning stages, and of course we've even made some time to take the boat out (yes, we are a boating family now ... more about that in future episodes). Basically, what I'm trying is that it wasn't for lack of things happening that I haven't been podcasting, but rather there has just been a lot on the mind that has made it difficult to sit down and record something remotely coherent! Honestly the farm is moving along just about like it was last time I released a podcast, but we are starting to make some shifts on the farm to better serve our markets and what our farm does best. The biggest changes have probably come in the form of mindsets and reality checks. I'll be spending the next few episodes talking about some of the changes that are happening from a physical and emotional standpoint on our farm. In the meantime I do hope you can find the time to listen this episode as I ramble about my dream of professional fishing (that dream hasn't completely died just yet)! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter  

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! I asked for questions and you listeners came back with some great questions! The only bummer thing about all of those great questions is that I'm not sure that I had equally great answers. So, take a listen to the episode, check out the question topics below, and then I'd love it if you'd chime in with your thoughts. I'm guessing with the vast array of knowledge in this group there will be some great thoughts!     Question Topics: Do you assist in your hogs' farrowing? How is the family doing? What is your favorite part about chickens and how about having them in the winter? Improving efficiencies when raising pigs (both time and money). Am I getting ready for spring? Do you AI your livestock? Why or why not? Oats in the hog ration? Do you speak French? What about loans when it comes to farming? Links mentioned in the episode: Hog Production Alternatives Formulating Swine Rations Feeding Small Grains to Swine Feeding Trial: Succotash Swine Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!    As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.   If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!   I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! When it comes to raising pigs on pasture and in the woodlot one of the most frequently asked questions is about how you handle the pigs in that setting. If you've ever been around a more conventional hog operation you know that there are lots of pens, gates, panels, chutes, and concrete that all aid in the movement of pigs. On the pasture though it can sometime seem like getting the correct six hogs on the trailer is more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack! At least that has been my experience in the past. Over my very few years of working with hogs in the pasture and woodlot setting I have learned that the number one tool is patience, and that is followed by sorting panels and some good planning! One thing that has worked best for me has been building a corral around my feeding area so that I can lock them in when they come to eat and then do the sorting or work that needs to be done. While I'll admit there are better solutions this is what has worked best for me and for my scale. If you're looking for some information from the pro's though I would suggest checking out the links below: Tom Frantzen Farminar (loading facilities are discussed starting around 18:00) Dan Wilson Farminar (loading facilities are discussed starting around 25:00) Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! The Christmas season would not be complete with out some reflection on the season and a reading of one of the best Christmas stories I've ever had the chance to hear. My memories of Christmas (and winter in general) on the farm are something that I look back on with great joy and my encouragement is for all of us to make those types of memories this year regardless of whether or not our holidays are spent on a farm. Enjoy the season, look for the blessings, make memories, and leave a legacy! Which I believe sums up, "Our Best Christmas" by Clarence S. Hill.     Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!    As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.   If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!   I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Last episode was all about the failures from 2015, but this time we are going to keep it positive and we are going to talk about the successes that we had on Crooked Gap Farm in 2015. I'm not going to lie, coming up with five successful things from the year was much more difficult than coming up with the failures. When I was compiling a list of failures the difficult part was picking the top five. As I was putting together the list of successes on the farm the difficult part was getting past number two! That is often how it is though, it is easy to think of the ways you have dropped the ball and more difficult to think of the things that are going well. In the life of a farmer though it is very important to grab hold of those successful things because there is so much that goes on that is out of your control   Help me make a list! What were your success this year? I think it would be good to see a great big list and be encouraged by all that was accomplished in 2015! Comment below and let's build the list ... Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Sometimes admitting that you have failed is difficult because you don't want to think about the fact that you haven't accomplished a goal or something that you are passionate about. Other times admitting a failure comes all too easy because you are just looking for a way to put yourself down. In my seven years on the farm I have had more failures that I could count or even would care to remember, and in that time I have both found myself unwilling to admit failure or just the opposite ... looking for a way to accuse myself of failure. When I look back on 2015 I recognize many failures on my farm. Some came from lack of planning, some came because I didn't follow through, and some even came because I was just plain negligent. But, my reason for looking back on my failures is not because I have a desire to, "feel sorry for myself" or even have you feel sorry form. I want to look back at some of the "highlights" of my failures so that I can look forward to the coming year on the farm. By looking back on my failures I can see potential changes that need to be made, but more importantly I can see areas in my farming life where I need to watch myself extra carefully so I don't fall in to the same traps.   Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Thanksgiving :: Farm, Field, and Fireside :: Nov. 27, 1897 With corn so low how can I be thankful? So says an Illinoisan. With transportation so high what ground is there for me to do anything but grumble? So thinks the farmer of North Dakota. I have no wheat to sell at the high price, says the Iowan. Hog products are low, join in a chorus, the farmers of Iowa, Missouri, and other parts of the Northwest, while those in other States declare all that they have to sell brings small returns.    Our answer is, be thankful for the prosperity of your neighbors, even if in another State; be thankful for health; you have no yellow fever. Be thankful for the frost which has at length arrived to kill the fever germs. Be thankful for a brave heart and faith in God. Take new courage and look forward and upward.         Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! When we began looking for a place to start our farm we quickly realized that we could either have roughly 40 acres of land or a house and about 20 acres of land for the money we were able to scratch together. If you've been listening to the show for awhile or reading the blog from the beginning you'll know that we went the 40 acres route which meant we were going to be building a house ... as inexpensively as possible! One way that we saved money in the construction (and during the cold months) was by forgoing ductwork and central heating. Now that I think about it though we do have central heating, it's just in the form of a centrally located wood burning stove. Heating with firewood has been a learning curve for us over the years, but the further along this journey the more we learn and the more efficient we become.     Over much trial and error I have become much better at cutting, splitting, stacking, and of course burning firewood. I now have tools that I enjoy using and trust and I feel like I'm not only being more efficient, but also more safe! Check out the links below for great resources related to cutting/splitting/burning firewood and if your looking for some good equipment (safety or otherwise) follow the links below and you can help support The Beginning Farmer Show.     Wood Burning for the Farm: "Does Firewood Make Sense for the Homesteading or Farming Life?" Homesteady Podcast Episode Wrangler Star YouTube Channel The Beginning Farmer Show Episode 23 (thoughts on equipment ... including chainsaws) Chainsaw Safety Chaps (You must have a pair if you cut firewood ... in my humble opinion) Safety Helmet or one with Eye Protection or a Cheaper One Eye Protection or Eye Protection in the Glasses Style Pick a Wedge, any Wedge ... There sure come in handy though! Brave Log Splitters Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Sometimes I say things that I forget about, sometimes I say things that should be forgotten, and then sometimes there are the things that I say that need a bit of clarification. The latter of those is the case this time in regards to me saying that the pigs are the most profitable enterprise on our farm (or at least I think I said something along those lines). On the surface it would seem that the cattle or sheep would be more profitable, and that may be the case on per animal basis, but when it comes to the whole enterprise the pigs take the cake for use. The simple answer for that is "scale". Because of the limited size of our pasture the number of ruminants we can have is much lower than it would take to be "full-time" farm, or even a profitable part-time farm. There are even economies of scale that we have by raising a larger number of pigs, even though it is still at a very small scale.   Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!    As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.   If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!   I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!   October 4th, 2015 was the 9th Annual Farm Crawl, and the 5th that our farm has been a part of. This is an amazing event that was begun by some farmer friends of ours in the area and we have been blessed to be a part of it's growing future! Each year after the Farm Crawl we try to decompress a little bit and then look back at the event to see what needs to change or what we can do better. One thing I know for sure though is that on-farm events are a great thing no matter how big or small they are. With that in mind I thought it would be beneficial to share my take-aways from the day and what we think is important for an event. Farm Crawl 2015 Take-Aways: You need help: Don't try to handle that on-farm event alone, even if it is a small one. It is important to have some help so that you can share the story of the farm and make as many connections as possible. Have plenty to do: I'm not talking about the farmers, of course they have plenty to do, but rather I'm talking about having something to engage the people visiting the farm so that they feel a connection to the farm. Make sales easy: If you have people on the farm you should be able to sell them something (and make it as quick and easy as possible). Not just because of the income, but rather because if they are making a connection to the farm then you probably want them to have a connection with your product! Have flyers and information for people to take home: This is pretty self-explanatory. Have something that quickly shares your story and how people can purchase products from your farm. Share as much as you can: One of the main reasons that we farm the way we do is because we think that it is important for people to have a connection with their farmer and the farm. So, share as much of the farm as possible when the people come visit. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Have you ever had a moment when someone asks you the exact question that you have been spending a lot of time thinking about? Well that is what this episode is all about because a while back Dan asked me a question via Facebook that I had been considering for quite some time. The question: If you could add one enterprise to the farm what would it be, and if you needed to take one thing away what would it be? That is probably a question that you need to ask yourself yearly, but now that we are almost seven years into the farm it is a question that I need to probably be taking some serious action on ... if that is what is needed.     I would love to hear your thoughts! After listening to me ramble about getting out of the cattle business and increasing the pig business what do you think? Is that too big of a move, just right, any other ideas? Let me know in the comments below!   Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! If you spend any amount of time at all as a farmer (full-time, part-time,  or any amount of time) you are going to have crop failures. On our farm we've had failures with our livestock, garden, orchard, pastures, woodlots, and now I can add to that list ... commodity crops! The 20+ acres of oats I planted with my uncle this have not gone exactly as planned thanks mostly to an abundance of rain at just the wrong moments. Too much rain right before harvest. Too much green grass going through the combine and plugging it up. Too much rain when we needed the straw to dry. Then there was even too much rain when there was already a lot of rain! If that wasn't enough, the sales were slower than I was hoping. Despite the downsides to this first foray in to the world of "crops" I do think there are some things that I can take away, and hopefully will be a helpful reminder for others.   There Will Be Crop Failures :: No matter how much planning you do or how great of a farmer you are, there will be crop failures. Be Severely Realistic :: Make sure you are grasping the full reality of what you are getting yourselves into and don't sugarcoat it at all. Recognize the Emotional, Physical, and Financial Risks :: You maybe able to handle a complete loss financially, but that doesn't mean you can handle it emotionally. Think about that as you make your decisions. The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow :: At the end of the day the truth is that there will be another day coming, so you must be able to shake it off and get on with the business farming. Ask Yourself, Was That Really a Failure? :: Sometimes a failure is just a lesson, so don't forget that. Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! There have been a lot of "happenings" lately on the farm that I have been wanting to share on the podcast, but I just haven't made the time. On this weeks episode I'm making the time to talk about the heritage meat chickens, my first foray into grain farming, buckets of rain, and grinding feed. The most exciting thing though is that instead of just telling you about my "Hard Lesson Learned" this week, I actually am able to show it to you because I had the forethought to hit record as I worked my way through another lesson here on the farm! You really do need to watch the video to see and hear the whole story, but let me just sum it up for you :: Put everything way when you are done using it!   Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

:: Warning :: There were some equipment issues while recording this episode and there is a very annoying audio hum during the opening and closing sections. I will try to remedy this issue as soon as possible. For the past six weeks we were able to have an extern (it's sort of like an internship) on the farm working along side us. The extra set of hands, extra insight when problems pop up, and companionship was such a blessing. If you listened to TBF Show Episode 119 you heard from our extern Ryan as he shared some of his initial impressions and what he was hoping to accomplish through this experience. On this weeks episode I wanted to take the chance to do an "exit interview" with Ryan. As we talked about his time on the farm he shared some of the things he loved, what surprised him, the lessons that he would be taking back to the classroom, and even some great insight for beginning farmers! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! If you're a beginning farmer like I am a beginning farmer then you have lots of questions! Sometimes what you need isn't always the "right" answer as much as it is an answer that helps get your mind wrapped around that issue, and then you can find a solution that fits best. Hopefully that is what I'll be able to provide today, thoughts that help you find the right direction, as I do my best to answer questions about electric fencing, sheep, profitable enterprises, and so much more! In this episode I mentioned a lot of different products, books, links, and other resources. I've tried to include them all below, but if you hear of one that I missed please comment below and I'll update the list. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Stafix X6i Fence Energizer Parmark Pak-6 Solar Energizer Premier 1 PRS100 Solar Energizer Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin Crooked Gap Farm Hi-Tensile Fence Day 1 :: Day 2 :: Day 3 The Beginning Farmer Show Video :: Rabbit Tractors! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! There is a great line from one of my all time favorite movies ("Dances With Wolves") that goes something like this, "Somebody back east is saying, 'Now why don't he write?'" If you're a longtime reader of the blog or listener of the podcast maybe you have been wondering the same thing! And, to be completely honest with you it has just been a difficult year for me so far which has made it even more difficult for me to work up the courage and desire to sit down and talk about it. All of that is to say that if you are looking for an upbeat episode with lots of success and win stories then you may want to skip this episode. I do promise that it is genuine, carefully thought out, and even relevant to beginning farmers. One more thing though. I don't share this as a "sob story", but rather for two main reasons that I care deeply about. Reason #1 is that I have always said that I will be as transparent as possible when it comes to sharing my beginning farmer journey, and that includes the not so good times. Reason #2 is that I do honestly feel like I need to apologize for not having much consistency this year and not quite yet pulling together all of the things for the Kickstarter Campaign. Thank you all so much for your continued support! Resources Mentioned in This Episode: John Suscovich's "My Big Meltdown" Episode USDA "Selected Characteristics of Principal Operators" from the 2012 Census The Beginning Farmer Show YouTube Videos! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Two sets of hard working hands are better than one, and two quick thinking brains will always trump one! Those are just a couple of reasons that we are enjoying having our summer "extern" Ryan on the farm for a few more weeks. He brings lots of great help, great questions, and a wonderful desire to work and learn. On top of all that he also is doing great things teaching high school students about sustainable agriculture and now he will have some crazy stories to go with those lessons. Ryan is able to give you an "outsiders" view on The Beginning Farmer's farm! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!   One of the newest ventures on our farm (although we've been at it for three years) is the pasture raised rabbit operation that was begun by our son when he was 8-years old. Over our three years of raising rabbits out on pasture we have had many ups and downs, but this year is beginning to feel like it can be a turning-point in the business. On today's episode though I have a very special guest on again to talk about raising rabbits. My oldest son and I sit down to talk about the good, the bad, and of course the hard lessons learned! If you have any rabbit raising questions or thoughts on the subject we'd love to have a discussion. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett ARBA Standard of Perfection Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel! Of the many challenges that beginning farmers face (access to land, lack of farming skills, need for capital) one that I often find myself thinking about is just "how many acres" I need to make my farm a "full-time" farm (if that is the goal that you have). That reminds me of something my uncle said to me when he first saw my new shed, "It's not big enough." To me it seemed huge (bigger than our house) and besides, I built it as big as the money would allow! But, as he explained that the reason he said that was because buildings are never "big enough" it made sense. Now that I've had that shed for a few years I have thought plenty of times, "I wish I had room for this thing or that thing." Often times it is similar when it comes to farm land as well. I am very thankful for the 40 acres we were able to purchase, but sometimes a little more would be useful. If I just had a few more acres I could raise enough cattle or sheep to help the income. If there 20 more acres maybe I could really increase my hog numbers and not sacrifice the grazing animals. Or, if I really upped the acreage maybe I could even produce all the feed on my farm for my animals! Nevertheless the question stands, "How many acres do you feel you would need in order to increase your various livestock levels so you would be able to support your family with just your farm income and not have to work off farm?" When I think about that question I have a few thoughts and a couple of paths I think I could go (or any other farmer in my shoes). I wonder to myself what could I do instead of livestock that would require 10 or less acres? I wonder if I just plain need to raise my prices to support everything on the land we have? I wonder if instead of increasing livestock numbers there just needs to be some other source on "on-farm" income (as in work from home). But, that wasn't the question ... so I feel like I have two paths I could take if I wanted to land a full-time on farm income as far as the number of acres. Path #1 :: 40 Acres Enough Sometimes bigger isn't better, so with that in mind there might be value in not increasing the amount of land that I am farming, but rather "farm it better" (you can decide for yourself what is better). If I was to take a path like this one I wouldn't increase my land, but rather increase my livestock numbers and shift my ratios. With the land base we currently are farming I believe I could up my hog numbers into the 300 to 400 range (total number each year not all at once) and I could also increase my poultry numbers without causing a huge impact on the hog numbers. The rub would be in the ruminants though. With that many pigs they would have to move out onto more of the pasture (or all of the pasture) and I would not be able to graze the numbers of cattle and sheep that I currently raise. I would lose diversity on the farm, but possibly gain a full-time farm income. Path #2 :: Let's Get Biggish I have thought about this path more than just a few times, so I have quite a few thoughts! But, instead of rambling on those thoughts I decided to come up with a simple answer. If I was going to add acres to get to a size that would allow me to farm full-time on the farm making a respectable living (working hard), and possibly even supporting more than just my family, I would say 300 acres of central Iowa farm ground. I didn't just pull that number out of the air though, that is how many acres Dick Thompson (one of the founders of Practical Farmers of Iowa) farmed. Of course there could be ways to lower that number through direct marketing, even deeper niche markets, and any other creative things you can come up with. But, it is a good starting point if I wanted to produce as many of my feed inputs on farm as possible. Links mentioned in this episode: Dick Thompson Article from Rodale Dick Thompson 2009 On-Farm Research 2005 Dick Thompson SARE Article Dick Thompson USDA Video Interviews Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Subscribe to "The Beginning Farmer" YouTube Channel!   Do you know what? You don't have to feel guilty about your prices for the products your raise and produce on your farm! It is perfectly acceptable for you to make a decent living on the farm selling your products to farm friends that appreciate the way you raise things and the values your farm has. And, did you know that some of the listeners to this show have figured out a good way to get greens to their chicks in the brooder? Those are just a few of the questions that I attempt to tackle this week. There will also be questions about labels for meat products, minerals for livestock, and how we use our rabbit pens! Thanks to all the listeners who took the time to ask questions, and if I missed your question please let me know and I'll do my best to answer! Links mentioned in this episode: Sugar Mountain Pork Cuts Modern Farmer Pork 101 Meat Pricing Farming from PFI (scroll down to the correct link) Crooked Gap Farm Whole Hog Buying Guide Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

If you've listened to my "Hard Lessons Learned" over the past two years of "The Beginning Farmer Show" it would be very much aware of the fact that I am a beginning farmer. As you watch the video below it will also be painfully obvious that I am very much more a beginning YouTube creator! I had problems with video equipment, issues with audio equipment, and then there was the significant reality that I had know idea what I was doing ... nevertheless Lois Reichert of Reichert's Dairy Air is both a professional cheese maker and interviewee. As you will hear in the podcast and see in the video the life of a small-scale goat dairy and cheese making farmer is all consuming, but you will also hear Lois' passion for both her goats and her cheese come out. Her dedication to producing the best possible product begins with great management of her dairy goat herd and follows all the way through her milking and cheese making process. The other main thing that is evident though is that it can be a tough row to hoe for a beginning farmer, and starting a goat dairy may not be the best choice for the a person looking to jump in to the farming world with both feet. Are you involved in small-scale dairying? Do you know someone that is? What about a goat dairy, is that something that has been on your radar as you research farm enterprises? I would love to hear you thoughts and comments! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and rev iew (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

I am a small-scale diversified livestock farmer who doesn't use GPS guided tractors, robotic feed controllers, or large amounts of bio-tech seeds. But, I do very much depend on technology for my farming and marketing. The rotational grazing would not be possible without the use of my polywire electric fence and hi-tech energizers with remote controlled on/off features. In some ways my plans are made every week based on the information gleaned from the weather apps on my farm. The Square App has helped make sales that wouldn't have happened if I was a cash only vendor. And, of course I am very thankful for the Podcast App on my iPhone and all the listeners that use it and other apps! Technology and the farm go hand in hand these days whether it is online programs, phone apps, or even larger technologies that help keep the farm running or make things more safe and efficient for the farmer. And, those sorts of technology are just for large corporate farms, but also for small-scale beginning farmers like myself. I use technology to help make farming decisions, market, and stay true to my farming values. Below you'll find a list of online and phone apps as well as other technologies that I find useful. Are there applications that are useful on your farm? What about applications that you wish someone would create? Let's brainstorm some ideas! Cornell Small Farms List of Tools and Technology Stafix Fence Energizer Polywire for Rotational Grazing BeFunky.com for Photo Editing Mail Chimp Small Farm Central and their "CSA Member Assembler" Facebook iOS App and Android App Twitter iOS App and Android App Climate App for iOS and Android Periscope The Square App for iOS and Android Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

"Despite What You've Heard, Small Farmers are Doing Just Fine". That is the title of a recent article by Brent Preston who runs an organic farm with his wife in Canada. What is so striking about this brief but compelling article is that it is completely opposite of the other articles about small-scale farming that have been making the rounds on social media over the past year. Those articles had titles such as, "Don't Let Your Children Grow Up to Be Farmers" or, "Has the US hit peak farmers' market?" (this one is actually a pretty decent read and very informative) and the most recent big splash, "What nobody told me about small farming: I can't make a living". Can an online article have a more depressing title than those! Thankfully Mr. Preston has taken some time to respond and he is offering a different picture of the small-scale farming landscape, one that I feel is a little more representative of the reality. Obviously the statement that, "small farmers are doing just fine" paints a pretty broad stroke and there are farms out there that are struggling or having tough patches. But, the reality is that there are always some businesses (remember farming is a business) struggling or working to pull themselves out of a hole. A struggling restaurateur could have easily written an article titled, "What nobody told me about the restaurant business: I can't make a living". Thankfully Mr. Preston took time in his article to share some of the "common elements" that he has noticed on successful farms over the years. I could not have said them better! What do you think about the latest installment of the, "how are small-scale farms" doing genre? Were you encouraged by the writing of Mr. Preston or deflated because even the success that he wrote about seemed difficult to obtain? I would love to hear your thoughts! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Pigs! I love to talk about pigs, and that is exactly what this episode is all about thanks to the generous Kickstarter backer's Paul and Delanie of Oak Grove Valley Farm. More specifically though it is a discussion of my thoughts about raising pigs for what I guess can best be described is a "niche pork" buyer (think Niman Ranch, Berkwood Farms, Organic Valley, etc.). This is actually something that I have thought about quite a bit though because it is a route that I have considered pursuing in the past and still think about from time to time. When I set it in my mind that I wanted to have a hoop building on our farm one of the biggest problems I had was what to do with the building when I had the pigs in the woods. I just didn't like the idea of spending quite a bit of money on a building that wouldn't be used for over half of the year! That led me to look at the possibility of raising one batch per year of hogs in the hoop building starting in May and then finishing those pigs before I was ready to bring up my pigs for the winter. My hope was that the building would then work for our farm all year long. In the end though I have not yet decided to go that route for a variety of reasons (herd health issues, infrastructure issues, profitability, etc.). Of course just because I have decided that the time is not right for me to go that direction at this time it does not mean that it is a bad idea. If you are starting from scratch though, or at least just beginning to raise pork for a similar market, there are a few things that I would make sure to have planned before you begin. Actually I'm sure there are a lot, but these are the few that came to the top of my mind: Will you be raising pigs farrow-to-finish? If so do you have the needed infrastructure? If you will be getting in feeder pigs (some may come as small as 20-30 lbs.) do you have facilities to handle them depending on the season? What will your feed source be? Pasture/woodlot can be a piece of the ration, but if you are going to be raising pigs for these types of markets they will want a certain amount of consistency and quick growth. In my mind scale is a benefit with this type of market, do you have the ability/infrastructure to have batches of around 100 pigs that are finishing about the same time? As if that wasn't enough pig talk the discussion also morphed into some more general pig raising talk about pasture structures, hog feeders, waterers, numbers of pigs per acre, and whatever else worked it's way into my mind. What do you think? Do you see any benefits for going selling to a "niche pork market" such as this? I would love to hear your thoughts, and I know Paul and Delanie would as well! Links mentioned in this episode ... The Beginning Farmer Show with Phil Kramer Part One The Beginning Farmer Show with Phil Kramer Part Two Niche Pork Tour Webinar (Click on the Dan Wilson link) Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

As much as possible we try to do our planning in the winter season, but there are just some plans and goals that can't be made until spring comes and you can get a handle on the state of farm. Spring usually uncovers some repairs that need to be made, projects that need to be tackled, and of course all sorts of other problems that come once the new enterprises are started. At least that has been the case on our farm. There are projects that I wanted to get done last fall that have been bumped to this spring ... like the shade wagon for the cattle and sheep. There are projects that need to be done because they didn't get finished before the ground froze ... like the new pig paddock in the woods. And, there are brand new projects that weren't even on the list last year ... like the possibility of building another chicken wagon so I can brood chicks in it. That is the life of a farm though ... ever changing goals and to-do lists! On today's episode I share and update from each of our main enterprises and then talk about some of my short-term goals. This years short-term goals include building projects and marketing projects. I would love to hear what spring has exposed at your farm! What are you working on? What are your short-term goals? Are there any big projects you have starter or plan on starting soon? Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Do you remember those cartoons where a character starts rolling down a snowy mountain and eventually a snowball is formed with the cartoon character in the middle? And then, as they are rolling down, the snowball gets bigger and bigger collecting everything in its path. Finally, there is the fateful end ... usually in the form of some sort of cabin that the snowball crashes into! That is the best description I have been able to come up with for the farm lately, and at this point I would almost welcome the crash into the wall at the end because at least it would stop the snowball! Of course now that I read that I realize I may be exaggerating the difficulties slightly, but the point is that things have been a little rough lately on the farm and even after six years of farming that causes me to wonder if I'm making the right choice. So, the question then becomes, "How do you handle the things that knock you down on the farm?" Simply put I think the answer is that you press-on. Just like most things in life, when something goes sideways it doesn't mean everything else stops. Recently when I had a cow down that just had a new calf it didn't meant that I could focus all my energy and thoughts on her. Sure I did everything I could, I called the vet for help right away and checked with other farmers for tips, but in the end there were still literally hundreds of other animals that needed my care and attention (other cattle, sheep, chickens, pigs, and rabbits). So, I had to press-on and continue to attempt to do my best at the art that is farming. This episode isn't my proudest moment, but it is real and raw. Sometimes real and raw can be a good thing ... I hope! So, when the farm starts to snowball on you how do you handle it? This would be a great discussion to have ... join in the comments below! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Just when I think everything is chugging along like a "sort of" well oiled machine something comes along and seemingly derails everything. This time the "something" was our Guinea Fowl. In the past you have heard me say all sorts of good things about them: they have a good profit margin, they are great foragers, they do a good job of tick control, and they are generally a hardy bird. From time to time though you have probably heard me talk about how they wander too far, that they won't roost where I want them to, and they can sometimes be a general annoyance. All of the negatives have come to a head in the fact the Guinea Fowl won't stay on my farm and roost where I want them to roost, so they will no longer be a part of our farm. It has been a tough week getting to that point, but now we have most of them caught up and in a wagon with feed and water until they go to the processor (we also already have them marketed). All of that has led to me rethinking my support of beginning farmers like myself raising Guinea Fowl. I'm not saying that it won't work in other cases, that there weren't things that I could have done differently, or that I don't have ideas that I would have liked to try. What I am saying though is for me they didn't work out and because of that I can't recommend them to other farmers. All of that being said, if you are having success raising your Guinea Fowl, keeping them on your farm, and getting them to roost in the spot you want I would love to here your thoughts and share them with others! Comment below ... Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

Spring on the farm is often a rushed time because everything is coming to life all at once! On our farm that means projects that have been thought about all winter need to begin, new livestock are being born, work needs to begin in the garden, and so much more. To make matters worse it always seems like everything is a priority and there will never be enough time to accomplish all that we want to get done. That's where a good set of tools come in though. Of course that could mean "mental tools" like using your knowledge of the ground you are working to make decisions on planting or grazing. Or, it could mean "physical tools" such as my John Deere 4020 that is a fixture in most every project that happens on our farm. In the spring though there are often certain tools that shine, and while I may use them from time to time all throughout the year there won't be many days in March or April where you wouldn't finding me using one of them. Some tools make the work more efficient, some bring better quality to the work, and some even make the work more enjoyable! Below you'll find my "top 5 tools for spring on the farm", but I want to hear what some of your favorites are. Comment below ... Five Tools For the Farm in the Spring Stihl Chisel Tooth Circular Saw: This is a blade that attaches to my FS130 trimmer and it makes prep work for the electric fences go much more quickly and take much less toll on my back. Steel Post Pounder: There is nothing fancy about a post pounder, but I like one that has plenty of heft and no handles to cause me trouble. Rear-Tine Garden Tiller: Even though our garden produce isn't something that we sell it plays a huge role in the viability of our farm. That's why a good rear-tine tiller is so important in the spring. Weather App for my Phone: Tools aren't just for hitting, cutting, and building ... sometimes they help you plan your day or week! I've been trying to use the technology I already have for more than just funny YouTube videos (not to be confused with the super educational Beginning Farmer Videos that will be coming soon). Keeping tabs on the weather helps me plan my days, and if the forecasts are trustworthy, my week. Family and Friends: I'm not saying that my family and friends are tools, but they sure are a big help and are more important than any of the other tools that I find myself using on the farm. Even more so than my tractor! Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter

When I dropped our first batch of hogs off at the locker for processing I was completely lost. I didn't know where to drop them off, I wasn't 100% sure I could even get them off the trailer by myself (and I could tell they were too busy to help), and I was even clueless when it came to my cut selections (even to the point where I didn't understand where all the cuts came from on the hog). To put it simply I had no idea what I was doing, which has actually been a pretty normal part of this farming adventure! Processing at a local locker is just one of the many differences between the pork we sell and what our consumers may be used to purchasing at their local grocery store. There are differences in our animal care, differences in our feeding, differences in the space they have, differences in the breeds, differences in the cuts you can purchase, and of course differences in how they purchase our meat! All of that shows just how important consumer education is, and why small-scale farmers need to continually work to educate and encourage a growing customer base. 6 Points of Emphasis for Customer Education & Encouragement Know Your Cuts of Meat (or whatever your product is) Share Your Raising Practices & Livestock Husbandry What to Expect With Frozen Meats It's Not Packaged Like at Big Box Stores The Processor Makes the Final Product What Sets Your Product Apart (your elevator pitch) Links Mentioned in the Episode Crooked Gap Farm Meat CSA Camps Road Farm Chicken CSA Chick Brooder Plans Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!  As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show! I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with "The Beginning Farmer" and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ... Crooked Gap Farm Crooked Gap Farm on Facebook Crooked Gap Farm on Twitter