Post by Canaan Farms on Aug 29, 2008 7:12:45 GMT -5
My husband and I have always been just a little bit different than the rest of the family and our peers. Somehow he didn't climb the corporate ladder so he could spend more time with our 2 boys. I decided many years ago to quit working and stay at home. We've always wanted land and have always searched.
We didn't quite know which direction we would take, but knew we would move "out" to a piece of land. One day I saw a sign in a Gatlinburg shop window that said, "Without a vision, the people will parish." That Scripture went to my heart as I realized that just desiring land wasn't enough. This family needed a vision. Over the next few months the Lord started to unfold His glorious plan.
I'd been buying milk from the Menonites...why not milk our own cow? We'd been looking for free range beef...why not raise our own? We'd been buying fresh eggs from friends...why not raise a few chickens? I've always had a vegetable garden...why not expand?
We purchased a piece of land (10 acres) in northern Middle Tennessee last September and built a small home, all the while dreaming of what we would do first to make this a farm. We moved in the end of March 2008.
We do have a few hens and a rooster and are gathering the eggs and have even successfully hatched six chicks. We have a turkey and a few guineas. These seemed easiest for a beginner. We've loved awakening each morning to "Colonel" crowing. Life just couldn't be better...unless of course the economy was better and my husband's job was closer and we weren't paying the huge gas prices, and unless of course my husband's company would change back to paying our health insurance because the economy takes a turn for the better. But putting finances aside, this is a beautiful life. Quiet. Exciting. We feel like explorers.
So here we are, not a lot of money left, ready to begin our farming experience. We did plant a small garden last Spring and intend to greatly enlarge next Spring. But what about the animals? We have no barn, and probably not enough money to build one right now. We have no tractor, or even a riding mower. When the grass needs to be cut we just take turns and only push mow about 2 of our acres. We have no pond, but when we're not in a drought we have a few springs that bubble and boil into a creek that fills a neighbor's pond. A someday project would be to build our own pond and have the springs fill it. The entire 10 acres is fenced and only needs mending in a few places. (A project that begins in September.)
We've spent untold hours cleaning our 3 acres of woods into paths, picnic areas, bird and wildlife feeding and watching stations. That seemed a good place to start.
We do eventually dream of a Jersey milk cow. We'd love a steer each year. I think I'd like to have Suffolk or Jacob sheep. My son has an interest in Nubians. But where do we even begin?
We've been told by a neighbor farmer that there isn't an animal alive that will eat our "pasture." Right now it is full of chicory, daisies (by the millions), yarrow, passion flower, rag weed, etc. Although it is a beautiful sight and provides us with fresh bouquets of wild flowers each day, we're not for sure what to do. It seems a bit overwhelming, thinking that to begin farming we've got to get rid of an entire field of wildflowers (probably a total of 5 acres) to make it pasture land. And how do we build a cheap barn that is sufficient for all we want to do?
I've spent hours and hours on the Internet, just learning about the animals we'll have one day. I've read books about them. But somehow I've missed where and how to begin.
We would love advice from the pros! We KNOW this is right for us. We just need a little direction! Where do we go from here?
We didn't quite know which direction we would take, but knew we would move "out" to a piece of land. One day I saw a sign in a Gatlinburg shop window that said, "Without a vision, the people will parish." That Scripture went to my heart as I realized that just desiring land wasn't enough. This family needed a vision. Over the next few months the Lord started to unfold His glorious plan.
I'd been buying milk from the Menonites...why not milk our own cow? We'd been looking for free range beef...why not raise our own? We'd been buying fresh eggs from friends...why not raise a few chickens? I've always had a vegetable garden...why not expand?
We purchased a piece of land (10 acres) in northern Middle Tennessee last September and built a small home, all the while dreaming of what we would do first to make this a farm. We moved in the end of March 2008.
We do have a few hens and a rooster and are gathering the eggs and have even successfully hatched six chicks. We have a turkey and a few guineas. These seemed easiest for a beginner. We've loved awakening each morning to "Colonel" crowing. Life just couldn't be better...unless of course the economy was better and my husband's job was closer and we weren't paying the huge gas prices, and unless of course my husband's company would change back to paying our health insurance because the economy takes a turn for the better. But putting finances aside, this is a beautiful life. Quiet. Exciting. We feel like explorers.
So here we are, not a lot of money left, ready to begin our farming experience. We did plant a small garden last Spring and intend to greatly enlarge next Spring. But what about the animals? We have no barn, and probably not enough money to build one right now. We have no tractor, or even a riding mower. When the grass needs to be cut we just take turns and only push mow about 2 of our acres. We have no pond, but when we're not in a drought we have a few springs that bubble and boil into a creek that fills a neighbor's pond. A someday project would be to build our own pond and have the springs fill it. The entire 10 acres is fenced and only needs mending in a few places. (A project that begins in September.)
We've spent untold hours cleaning our 3 acres of woods into paths, picnic areas, bird and wildlife feeding and watching stations. That seemed a good place to start.
We do eventually dream of a Jersey milk cow. We'd love a steer each year. I think I'd like to have Suffolk or Jacob sheep. My son has an interest in Nubians. But where do we even begin?
We've been told by a neighbor farmer that there isn't an animal alive that will eat our "pasture." Right now it is full of chicory, daisies (by the millions), yarrow, passion flower, rag weed, etc. Although it is a beautiful sight and provides us with fresh bouquets of wild flowers each day, we're not for sure what to do. It seems a bit overwhelming, thinking that to begin farming we've got to get rid of an entire field of wildflowers (probably a total of 5 acres) to make it pasture land. And how do we build a cheap barn that is sufficient for all we want to do?
I've spent hours and hours on the Internet, just learning about the animals we'll have one day. I've read books about them. But somehow I've missed where and how to begin.
We would love advice from the pros! We KNOW this is right for us. We just need a little direction! Where do we go from here?