| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Whisperingmeadoworganics |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 06:14:33 AM
Hello all! I have been a Mary Jane fan for a long time and have enjoyed all of the farm girl ingenuity and wisdom she as well as you all have to offer.
Well, long story short... I am a transplant from Cape Cod MA to a little town in middle TN. (Lewisburg- 50 miles south of Nashville)
My two little girls,(10 and 7 ) are I are getting ready to embark on the biggest adventure yet... A holistic faith based retreat on an organic farm for people with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. I have a great vision for our farm and have been working on our 205 acres for 3 years now. In the course of clearing land and running my husbands business(a hunt and sporting clay club),so many trips to Colorado from treatments ect.,sadley, my husband lost his battle to prostate cancer in May.As you can imagine, I am passionate about and determined to do this project and will see it through. When delt lemons make lemonade, and by golly- we will open a grand lemonade stand!!!
We are ready to move forward and are at a crucial point for setting up different fields ect.This is truely on the job training for me and BOY oh BOY am I learning alot. And, the more I learn the more I realize I don't know.
I need advice on everything- Green building materials, heating systems,alternate power sources, limeing fields, grass fed beef, which cattle are the best?
Many times when I go to the farm center- they look at me as if I am from another planet. Sadly- they are behind the times here...
Well, Thanks ladys! Look forward to any ideas, sugestions, advice, ect.
All the best! Suzanne
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mari-dahlia |
Posted - Nov 13 2006 : 05:38:09 AM
Suzanne,
I am an organic farmer from upstate NY. I received my certification this year.
Many green products, solar energy even with subsidies and tax credit and alternate fuel sources are very expensive. Wood is a green and renuable source, for building it is still the best.
I would contact the States organic certifying agency and ask for their help. They usually have a network of people can set you up with a mentor and can give you advice on what to grow and give you all of the resources in which to do it.
I went to the conference for the NE last January and met lots of farmers and brain picked every person I sat next to at every seminar. In the NE people are breeding Scotish highland cattle with Black Angus. It is a very tastey cross. I finished my Purebreed Scottish highlander for 3 months with organic cornmeal but there is another school of thought that does not finish the cow at all. They have a straight grassfed cow. This is the taste difference that many people experience in the organic market.
If you would like to talk more feel free to e-mail me separately. You do that through this site with Maryjane.
Goodluck,
Marianne |
| bohemiangel |
Posted - Nov 12 2006 : 11:53:39 AM
OH yeah natural home magazine is amazing...just stumbled upon it in our library and OH i wanted to just take that copy;) Still meaning to subscribe. Body and Soul Magazine is nice too for all around life tips. I really really miss the Organic Style that really was a superb magazine that I learned a ton from. If you ever see these in like a yard sale etc BUY THEM! Mine are highly treasured. I think you're a great ispiration Suzanne!!! May you have the best of hardwork luck;) enjoy achieving your dream and continue to inspire others:) HUGS
"... to thine ownself be true." |
| emma.birdwhistle |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 7:12:37 PM
Suzanne,
I think what you are doing is wonderful, and I know you will succeed. What is it Thoreau said? "If you move confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life which you have imagined, you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Something like that. I look forward to hearing more about your endeavor, and I hope the farmgirl advice will prove helpful - as it always does!
Sincerely,
- Elizabeth Ann
P.S. Oops...I just realized my Thoreau quote is already in my signature. I guess it's one of my favorites!
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. - Thoreau |
| kitchensqueen |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 4:20:12 PM
Real Goods/Gaiam catalog is a good starting point for things like solar water heaters, wind, solar and hydro power systems, appliances and green household goods. Co-Op America's annual guide is also a great sourcebook. Natural Home magazine will likewise be indispensible to you, and can introduce you to other sources. Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living is a great guide to basic homesteading and farming.
http://apartmentfarm.wordpress.com |
| bramble |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 4:05:25 PM
Suzanne- You sound like a strong and courageous woman. I too am sorry for your loss but applaud your determination and direction.
There is another site www.pathtofreedom.com that is a micro organic farm in suburbia and they have alot of interesting and useful info, pics, etc... Hope your path is smoother now and paved with friends to lift you up. Glad you found us, let us know how you are doing.
with a happy heart |
| blueroses |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 3:35:34 PM
Suzanne,
So sorry for your loss, but your retreat will be your husband's legacy. I've really been interested in straw bale construction lately and there is some great info on the internet if you "google" it. There are many others here who can give you great advice on organic farming, etc.
Welcome to the forum.
Debbie
"You cannot find peace...by avoiding life."
Virginia Woolfe |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 2:34:43 PM
I found a site called treehuggers.com (which sounds so hippy-ish, but it isn't) and they showcase a lot of interesting articles about green products and building materials.
Obviously, magazines on homesteading, cooking with organic foods, holistic health - check their advertisment sections for URLs...
There are some sites that are set up by the USDA or with the state ag departments that offer help with organic farming - check out your state. I will see if I can find the URL for the document I found online... I think it was at the USDA site...
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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| Phils Ann |
Posted - Nov 10 2006 : 11:04:14 AM
Suzanne, I'm so sorry for your loss. It must be one of life's worst griefs to lose your husband. Don't forget to go to the Welcome Wagon forum to introduce yourself. I will look forward to learning all the farmgirls have to share with you... and also all you have to teach us. Oh, our farm centers must be alike!
XO and blessings,
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
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