What do you use your farm for?

[Horns Pure Honey]

We just raise animals to mess around with and ocassionaly to sell.

[Kris^]

We raise vegetables for our own use, and the flowers for sale at the market.  The only "livestock" we have right now are the bees, with the honey for our own use, for now.  Hopefully to start selling some at the market, too.  What goes together better than flowers and honey?  ;-)

-- Kris

[Horns Pure Honey]

that is true, I forgot about the garden and we rent out all of are feilds but the one behinde are house.

[Beth Kirkley]

Well so far we aren't using much of the 21 acres here (3 acres of that is a pond). We've got one 20x40 greenhouse we're using, and one 40x80 greenhouse frame (without the cover). We're doing hydroponics in the one greenhouse, and have a garden in the ground.

We've only stocked the pond once, but there are a ton of fish in it. Plus we have the geese and ducks.

My plan is to get goats and chickens very soon. Other than that, I just have the bees. I don't think I'll ever get big livestock like horses or cows. If I ever do a lot more with the land it will be to fence in the 10 acres of woods and put Kiko goats out there. They're meat goats from New Zealand, and they look like mountain goats.

Beth

[Horns Pure Honey]

yes kikos are very nice and very $$$. I hope to raise many bees myself. And some day I would like to start an orchard, they make me so happy. I thought about it, every year I go to the orchard is a pure happy day so I would like to do that for others and live in one for happy days every day, lol.

[Violacea]

Food.  :D  Milk, honey, eggs, fried chicken, fresh fruits and veggies.  Dogs for protection, cats to ward off mice, and horses to drive up the bills.  :D

We even named the place L.O.M.A.H. ~ Land Of Milk And Honey.

[Horns Pure Honey]

lol, I like the name. Are farm is just named after are family.

[TwT]

got about 1/2 to 3/4 acre for a garden 1 pasture about 2 acres with planted clover and 12 acres with planted pine's about 1 year old, 2500 pines to be exact, and I planted every tree.

[Horns Pure Honey]

love the smell of pines. :D

[latebee]

We try to use our acreage as wisely as we can. Annually tap 1,000 plus Maple trees for maple syrup production. Raise a few animals for fun and a few more for butchering(used by us and other family members)doing the slaughtering and cutting ourselves. Also have a small orchard(19  fruit trees)10 grapevines,rhubarb-blueberries-horseradish-asparagus, 5 filberts and 50 feet of elderberies.Every year it seems the vegetable garden gets bigger.About 150ft.by 200 ft. this coming year.Especially enjoy growing fingerling potatoes,hierloom tomatoes,plenty of sweet corn,sweet potatoes,ruta bagas,celeriac,kohlrabi,cabbage,cauliflower,broccoli, brussel sprouts,hot peppers,beans,and a bunch of other stuff. Usually have enough cull trees to heat our house through winter although some years I do buy cordwood.Have tried ginseng with little sucess. Also pick a lot of the wild mushrooms in the woods that are proven to be nonpoisonous,actually we only are sure of 3 types-boletus,puffballs and meadow mushrooms. And to round it all out we have started to keep bees with mixed sweet success.

[Jay]

That truly sounds like heaven!! :D

[latebee]

I guess it does-but I hope I can take a rest in the real heaven,this one is starting to plumb tucker me out! :lol:  :lol:

[Horns Pure Honey]

I have always wanted a farm like that but I do better when I specialize in one thing, so I am gardener and am doing bees on the side which I hope to largely increase some day. I guess when I get older it would be easier due to not having school and could work on the farm. I have a dream to have a orchard with my bees and that is it, it would support my life style and make me happy and that is what it is all about in my book, why do something you hate?

[Jay]

I do better when I specialize in one thing, so I am gardener and am doing bees

Ryan, count that one more time! :lol:

[Horns Pure Honey]

I counted right, sorta. For Right now the bees are an ADD on to the garden which makes it still one thing, lol, but I get your point, bye

[Newbee]

We use our land to produce all of our meat and eggs, and what we dont produce we go without. I sell surplus eggs and it helps cover feed costs.
We only have a small vege garden at the moment because we both work full time and veges are a little more labour intensive than we can cater for to do them well.
We keep sheep, pigs, calves and fallow deer for meat, have 42 avairies keeping mostly australian parrots, and have a nz native gecko collection. Of course there is the Pest Destruction Team - 3 cats, and the Security Team - 2 dogs, a pair of turtles who live outside, free range pigeons, and some chinchillas.
Our land was quite bare when we bought it so planting is an ongoing programme and we propagate as much as we can on the property.
It is interesting reading what others are doing on their land and how our different climates and geographies affect our possibilities.

[latebee]

Ryan,
          I agree  with you 1,000%. Master one challenge at a time,then you will excell. But,when you have mastered it, move on and try something new-that way life never gets boring!

[Horns Pure Honey]

That is where my bees are coming in :D bye

[firetool]

We have milk goats, chickens for meat and eggs, the bees, and a large garden. I hope to sell the extra eggs, produce and honey. I am getting rabbits soon for meat and munure.

Thanks,

 Brian

[Horns Pure Honey]

I have about 500 rabbits a year firestool. I decided to start running are farm like a company. I am having are barn re tinned and new windows put in this summer and new stalls also. We also got  2 20 foot electric gates so no one goes to the farm without permision on how to get in. We are beefing up on dairy goats, my favorite, and meat goats. We are keeping my horse for rounding up the cattle we just got the other day and will have more soon, about 10-15. I love raising my chickens, just got 50 new layers for meat and eggs. The lamas we use for there coat, my donkey in the protector of all the goats and sheep wich we also use the sheep for fleece. The ducks are just for fun on the pond and my mule is for pulling large loads around the farm if I dont want to use the tractors. We are thinking of getting draft horses again, and we farm or rent out all of are land. bye :D

[Beth Kirkley]

You sure are going to have a lot to enjoy and watch over this summer. :) It really sounds like you got a good start.

I'd still like to see a picture of one of your draft goats all hitched up. That sounds so cool.

You had mentioned "going the easy route" and getting ready to lay chickens from a friend. My husband had tried to talk me into doing something like that. A friend of mine has about 10 laying hens (Road Island Red/Crochin mix), and since I have an incubator, my husband thought it would be just fine to get some eggs from her and raise the babies that way. But for once, I wanted a fancy breed - all purebreds - and something I choose all by myself! :) Heck, if I really didn't care what I had, I'd have a yard full of free chickens - all different colors and sizes. But I have always wanted the Partridge Rocks - and believe me, it took a little bit of whining and begging to get my way. :) (Final answer from the hubby was - fine, waste your money if you want to.) But he's coming round. He realizes now that if I have purebreds I have a better chance selling surplus chickens each year at a higher price.

I'm rambling. :)

Beth

[Horns Pure Honey]

I am busy, with these chickens they are all pure bred so that is good and at the price he is selling them to me I would be crazy, that is crazier than I already am, not to buy them. I would say we will have bought and used or sold 200 chickens this next summer, bye :D

[Michael Bush]

Bees, horses (Friesians), chickens, grandsons, a dog...

http://incolor.inetnebr.com/bush/bush_bees.htm
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/bush/bush_friesians.htm

[amymcg]

If you want to count my half acre as a farm. . ha ha ha

It's mostly a vegetable garden with a lawn.  My main thing is veggies.

Does anyone here want to trade seeds?

[crw13755]

Just trying to keep the house going and started enjoying the lifestyle that has come with it. Hopefully if it goes right I am hoping to expand and help provide work, But the Political hoops are murder LOL. I would also like to purchase Dairy cows cause new dairies opened ( http://www.dairybusiness.com/western/Nov00/texastown.htm ).  Then join http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/who_we_are/index.html  

[Horns Pure Honey]

I was reading a farming book, I will go get the name of it, and it said that any land that raises animals or a type of produce, veggies, than it can be called a farm. bye :D

[crw13755]

wow Thank God I that is cleared up I was so thinking I was in Highland Park or suburb of Bolca Raton LOL  

[burny]

currently....pigs,bees,and maple trees.
                      God bless,
                                burny

[thomashton]

This spring I am planting 3/4 acre of western maples that can be tapped like eastern sugar maples. They grow faster than eastern maples, but have slightly lower sugar content.

In the spring I will include bees, goats (pygmys and nubians), and laying hens.

I eventually would like to dig a large pond and hopefully my next door neighbor will sell me the land behind me so I have stream-front property.

I also have a decent-sized vegetable garden already planted for the winter with multiplier onions, 2 varieties of shallots and 7 types of garlic (soft and hardneck).

In the spring I will also plant a new nut orchard with filberts, almonds, butternuts, chestnuts and probably also pecans. I'm sick of paying so much for all of them in  the store--plus the wildlife enjoy them.

[Horns Pure Honey]

Make shure you order those nut trees early, they sell super fast :D