| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sparrow13 |
Posted - Jul 02 2013 : 5:07:58 PM
Hello everyone. I am a city girl but I have family who use to farm. I always wanted to farm and I have raised chickens as a child. I was wondering if anyone would give me any advice or if they would like to help me learn personally. Sort of like apprenticeship but I would like to make a true friend in the process.
Erica :) |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| nndairy |
Posted - Jul 06 2013 : 5:53:13 PM
Tina - I couldn't have said it better myself!
Erica,
I have lived on a dairy farm all my life except the 4 years I was in college. If you have any specific questions about dairy farming I could answer some of them for you, but as everyone else says I would start smaller (like chickens). Best of luck to you!
Heather
Farmgirl Sister #4701 |
| sjmjgirl |
Posted - Jul 04 2013 : 12:00:00 PM
I agree with everyone here. I do not farm myself, but I have grown up surrounded by it because I have family and friends who farm. That's life in Iowa! Lol! I would again say start slow, plant a garden if you haven't already. Do all your own canning and preserving. Check with area farmers or even a CSA to see if they can use an extra set of hands to help out (most will gladly take the help!). Read, take classes through a college or your county extension office. If you still love it, consider getting a couple of chickens. I would hold off on getting any animals until you're absolutely sure it's what you want. Cause if things don't work out, it's a lot harder to find homes for livestock than it is for extra cucumbers, if you get my meaning! If you have a family, keep in mind that's its a commitment on their part also. So, it needs to be a family decision. With all of that said, I wish you the best of luck! It is a truly rewarding life.
Farmgirl Sister # 3810
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Dalai Lama
April is Autism Awareness month. Autism affects 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys, including my son). Go to http://www.autismspeaks.org/ to learn more and help Light It Up Blue on April 2nd!
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| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Jul 03 2013 : 4:27:08 PM
I agree with Tina, on everything she said - we moved to our "real farm" a year and a half ago (after having chickens at another place a couple years before that. The lessons I learned in the first year here were HUGE. Some of it I don't think you can learn until you're actually there and doing it, but there lots of blogs, books, websites, etc out there to give you a taste.
What state do you live in?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com
www.amydingmann.com |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jul 03 2013 : 1:12:03 PM
The first thing i tell anyone who wants to be a farmer/rancher is : it is a job that is 365 days a year, it does not matter the weather, it does not matter if you have the flu, it does not matter if its dark outside, it is alot of blood, sweat and tears, along with laughter, ear to ear smiles, and bragging rights when everything falls into place, it is a comitment to the earth and mother nature (and she can be cruel sometimes), it takes every ounce of your strenght and more somedays...start small, research, research and then research some more, hands on experience from other farmers/ranchers, ask every question that pops into your head, no matter how small or silly it may seem, start a notebook with everything you learn and see, take some AG classes, talk to the old folks, their knowledge is priceless...and most of all, have fun!
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| crittergranny |
Posted - Jul 03 2013 : 12:52:26 PM
There is a lot of good advice here on this forum. You will probably want to start with something small like a few chickens. Read up on it, fix them a coop and then get a few. Have fun.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrittergrannysLair
www.creamofthecroptrailrides.webs.com |
| Cindy Lou |
Posted - Jul 02 2013 : 9:05:34 PM
Erica,
Where do you live? Knowing that you might find someone in your area as a mentor.
Susan
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Mary Oliver |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jul 02 2013 : 9:03:17 PM
Welcome to the forum, Erica.
You can also see if there are any farms in your area and see if they need interns or apprentices for the summer. Most would be glad to let you help out of their farms. You learn SO much by doing and hands on learning. Books are great and I have read my fair share, but for me, getting out there and getting dirty taught me so much.
Good luck with your new obsession!
Kris
The good beekeeper is generally more or less cranky. C.P. Dadant
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com
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| SandraM |
Posted - Jul 02 2013 : 8:31:38 PM
When we lived in town and wanted to homestead I read every book I could get my hands on about the subject at our library.
The internet also have a lot of resources about homesteading. You could also contact your local extension office and see what resources they have available.
Good Luck :)
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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