Those of us living on farms and growing even some our own foods cannot help but spend a fair amount of time outside. That inevitably brings up the topic of sun exposure. And that brings up skin cancer. As the wife of a man who has survived melanoma, as well we more basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and dysplastic nevi that I can remember at this point, I cringe … [Read more...]
Agritourism: 14 Tips to Protect Yourself and Your Farm
As school ends and people start looking for things to do with the family, many farmers decide that this is a great time to open up their farm to the public. Some have a simple open farm day where people can tour the farm and buy farm fresh products while others do things like goat yoga classes. It seems like a great way to earn a few extra bucks, but are you putting yourself at … [Read more...]
What’s So Great About Nigerian Dwarf Goats?
We started raising Nigerian dwarf goats in 2002. I was familiar with the conservation list of the Livestock Conservancy, and I wanted all of our animals to come from that list because I wanted to help preserve rare breeds. The Nigerian and Oberhasli were the only two dairy goats on the list, so I didn't have much to choose from. I can't honestly say I remember all of my … [Read more...]
Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist
My husband may be wishing that I had never requested a review copy of Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist because it was so inspiring that I have all sorts of plans for our flood-prone front yard, which means more work for him. I've read a few books on permaculture in the past, but none got me as fired up as this one. Maybe it's because he focused on landscaping. Being … [Read more...]
Planning My Fall Speaking Tour
This fall the second edition of Raising Goats Naturally will be released, and I'm planning a speaking tour to give talks to goat groups, as well as other groups interested in sustainable living. Last fall, the second edition of Homegrown and Handmade was published, so I'd love to talk about the topics in that book also, which includes gardening, chickens, and other … [Read more...]
Feeding alfalfa pellets to pigs
In modern agriculture, pigs are fed a diet of mainly grains, but heritage pigs love grass, and our American Guinea Hogs are no exception. In winter, we used to feed them hay, but they wasted it terribly! If you think goats are wasteful, try pigs! You can't use a hay feeder with pigs. You have to put it on the ground because their mouths are below their snouts, and they leave … [Read more...]
BioWorma: A New Weapon Against Roundworms in Livestock
Later this month, there will be a new product on the market in the US and New Zealand that farmers and ranchers can feed to their livestock to reduce their burden of roundworms. In goats and sheep, that includes the infamous barber pole worm, as well as bankrupt worm and brown stomach worm. The good news is that BioWorma is not just another chemical dewormer, which worms can … [Read more...]
Kelp: Friend or Foe
Opinions on kelp for livestock vary about as much as they do on politics and religion. While one person says it's a savior, others say it's dangerous. The truth is somewhere in the middle. And as always, keep in mind that conditions vary from farm to farm, so what works great for one farm may not work as well on another farm. Before we dive into the nutritional analysis of … [Read more...]
Diarrhea in Goats
It's not unusual to see someone asking for advice on social media, simply saying that their goat has diarrhea. Unfortunately, that's not an easy question to answer because there are a couple dozen possible causes. In the fourth edition of Diseases of the Goat, author John Matthews has a 28-page chapter entitled "Diarrhea," which should give you an idea that this is not exactly … [Read more...]
Cooking Oil: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
After growing all of your wonderful meat and vegetables, you don't want to make it unhealthy by using the wrong kind of cooking oil. It wasn't that long ago that they were telling us that all fats were the enemy, and we should all be consuming as little of it as possible. In fact, a few people are still saying that. However, we now know that not all fats are created equal. Some … [Read more...]
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