Hello,

Can I use my fence ground rods for a gfci that I’m wiring up for a water trough heater? I want a really good local ground rod for this circuit due to the inherent risks of water and electricity but just trying to avoid driving another rod. Currently three rods wired in parallel for my 30 mile electric fence.

TIA

Over the last couple of years I managed to burn up both of my tank de-icers. I went to get a new one and found out they require ground wires and outlets to plug into (no extension cords).

I've always just dropped the de-icers into the tank and plugged them into extension cords. Was I doing it wrong? Can I do that with the new de-icers? I don't have outlets close to the tank and would prefer not to have to put in grounds if they're not necessary.

Thanks!

My husband and I both live in the suburbs, but with rent increases it's been hard to pay all bills, let alone save. We've been looking into options to cut back on costs. Since we both work remotely we can live just about anywhere.

We've asked around for ideas, and apparently he has a cousin that owns a farm, and he said (probably jokingly) that he didn't have much advice about low-cost living in his area, unless we wanted to live in a stall in his hog or cow barns. (He has about 200 hogs, 100 cows, iirc?)

My husband asked "really, is that a possibility?" And he said yeah, people have been known to do it on rare occasions but we probably wouldn't want to. He asked "how much would you charge for "rent" for that," and his cousin answered "well, free I guess, as long as you help out a bit with cleaning the barns in the morning."

It sounds crazy but my husband is actually seriously considering it...obviously not having to pay rent at all would be an enormous saving over an expensive suburb. He's researched how we could easily get Wifi in there, put in a mattress, etc.

Needless to say I'm pretty apprehensive at the idea, and think his cousin's offer was more of a joke than a serious proposal (though he clarified that yes, he'd 100% let us do this if we were serious about it).

Anything 2 city folks should know before considering this further? Don't want my husband to get too committed to the idea without a reality check

I have a few acres of land and am looking for a tractor.

I need a tractor that can: • Cut brush • Till for gardening • Use a box blade or scraper for a gravel road • Level dirt for building a shed or two (if possible) • Optionally dig small trenches, though this is not required

Hey all,

I will start by saying we do not have any heated out buildings

My wife and I use a 75ft water hose to reach from our water hydrant to the horse water trough. Last winter I used the expandable hoses to conveniently place into a 5gal bucket and bring in the house. The only thing with those hoses is the inner diameter shrinks so small restricting water flow, increasing the amount of time it takes to fill the water trough.

I have been considering trying out a heated water hose, which comes with a hefty $190 price tag for the length we need. But I also had thought about maybe just attaching a water pipe heating cable ($50) to a hose we already have, which I believe is essentially the same thing.

Thought, opinions? Or maybe just stick with what we’re doing already with the expandable hoses?

Hello Homesteders!

We have a university course where we are designing a new type of modular storage unit, and we need your input to make it truly useful and versatile. Whether you’re storing tools, crops, seeds, seasonal decorations, or something completely unique, your insights can help us create a solution that fits real needs.

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Thank you for your time and thoughts!

Link to the survey: https://forms.office.com/e/p0ULZ45Bmd

Have any questions about the questions, the project or what to complain about your current Storage unit? feel free to dm or put them down below :)

Example images made with adobe firefly

Hi everyone,

I’m new to the world of agritourism and recently started exploring the idea of opening a farm-based visitor program here in New York. It’s exciting but also a bit overwhelming to figure out all the moving parts!

I’d love to hear from folks who’ve been in the industry for a while:

• What’s been your experience running agritourism programs?
• Are there any unexpected challenges or problems you’ve run into?
• What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

I’m here to learn and would really appreciate any tips or stories you’re willing to share. Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

These are the books on raising chickens/goats I own. I know they're pretty old, but I'm wondering if I could use them as a base and supplement the information with stuff I look up online or if I should just toss them and buy the newer editions when I can.

https://preview.redd.it/m2brxoojrd4e1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=c5b23712aaa73a785e553b05123633a0bbd13a61

I have two hogs that need processed and I have only butchered meat chickens up to this point. What is the best way to dispatch them and any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Does anyone use labels on preserving their jars?

Does anyone take to market?

Online or in person?

First time here, but I looked over some posts and saw an opportunity for some learning.

I went to a friends parents place for Thanksgiving and his father was homesteading 30 acres with chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, bees, and cows. I asked him all kinds of questions regarding the "how" of what got him to this point. He told me a couple things about exemptions, head count, property tax... But it was all surface level, preliminary.

I currently live smack in the middle of Texas, literally the middle. I've always had an eye on the market for land, and watch with some despair as everything just keeps getting listed at higher and higher prices. I've looked into buying on my own, and the USDA programs, but it seems like there's always a better way to do something that I haven't found yet because no one bothers to mention it. So I bide my time, just keep researching and finding new things.

When I was young adult I volunteered at places fixing fences, feeders, plumbing, and doing basic carpentry. Spent the majority of my early years hunting, fishing, crabbing, spearfishing, sailing/boating, foraging, gardening, camping, and being a general nuisance-child of the pine woods. Eventually trained under a journeyman blacksmith, even got some soldering, welding, sintering, casting, lathe/mill, HVAC, heavy machinery, and fabrication experience in my adventures. I graduated college with an AS in mechanical engineering. Self-taught IT, FDM manufacturing, and CAD. Eventually found a comfortable career that makes use of my engineering and systems knowledge working from home. I contract and and train technicians all over the country building corporate network infrastructure.

What I don't have any experience or knowledge in is property tax law and acquiring land. This aspect was completely skipped in my upbringing. I'm used to the idea of DYI in nearly every aspect of my life and rarely, if ever, rely on outside assistance... But this one has stumped me. There's no concise information, everything seems to be buried deep in codified articles that vary wildly across counties, and finding a good deal appears to rely heavily on social networking.

I'm at my wits end, where does someone even start in this venture?

I have about a 1,000' driveway that runs N to S in MN. To the west is a 4 acre field that I dont own. I only own about 10'-15' to the west of the driveway. Drifting can be a problem during those very cold blizzards.

I know from ready a snow fence should be a good distance west of the driveway, but I dont own that land. Theoretically I could ask the farmer if I could put one up in the future.

Ive always thought about putting up a line of evergreens along the driveway for privacy/aesthetics (and before i researched, i also thought it might help with snow). Is there any way i can make that help with snow? If its tall enough will the snow drift start later than the driveway? Are there any options for putting a fence NEAR the protected area?

My wife and I are early phases of homestead prep. Cutting out the last bits of debt, touring properties, finally telling friends and family about the plan, etc. Our current plan has us making the move before spring.

We both work fully remote and the plan is for her to slowly phase out of her job after a year or two while I maintain mine.

With Christmas coming up I’d love to hear any suggestions folk may have for gifts. In your experience, are there any EDCs, tools, attachments, games/entertainment, etc that have made a big difference and would make a great gift to a fresh homesteader?

Editing to clarify: I'm looking for advice on cleaning the pig feet coming off of a freshly killed pig to make them ready to cook with, NOT RECIPES.

We have been harvesting our own pigs for almost a decade and we've never eaten the feet because we don't know what to do with them. I've tried Googling and I'm sure the information is out there but I can't seem to get the right keywords. How do you make raw pig feet straight from the pig ready for the kitchen???

We do use the scald and scrape method so everything is skin-on. However, the toes make it quite hard to scrape in all the little nooks and crannies.

Pic for attention. TIA!!

https://preview.redd.it/nz7q510ki94e1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61c0f9e9cda470acd2f6a7f138e097c5b6bb7e83

I live in central Indiana. I have been renting land for farming for several years. A developer has just bought all the land around me. There is no road access for heavy farm equipment. I am looking for ideas to keep the land profitable I would love to hear ideas.

I have some beefy locust posts I was hoping to use for a treehouse. But, they were salvaged from a tree that fell in mid summer.

I’ve read that they’re supposed to be cut in winter if used as posts……

…am I gonna die? Should I go find new ones?

Hello, I just built roughly a 1 acre pond, 14ft deep. Besides the vegetation that should go along some of the shoreline, what kind of ground cover would someone recommend? I’m going to some grass along the shore where my dock is but I’m wondering what else I can do around the rest of the berm.

I was thinking maybe a wildflower mix and possibly a creeping thyme. Any opinions on shoreline seed mix or erosion control seed mix? Thanks.

I've been wondering this for a few years, and when I google it I find nothing. We've had chickens for about 7 years now. When we first got our hens the 50lb bags of oyster shell at my feed store was these flaked bits of shell, very obvious shells from oysters. One day several years ago (I don't remember now if it was right before or right after the pandemic) the bag of shell was suddenly filled with this coarse, pebble looking oyster shell (looks more like limestone to me, but the cats show enough interest I do think it probably comes from some sort of sea life). I have looked high and low for the flakes again and all I find is a tiny box that's close to 20× the price per pound.

Does anyone know why the flaked stuff vanished? Several of my hens refuse to eat the pebbles and We've had a few weak shells here and there as a result. I'd like to put them back on flakes, but not for a 20x mark up. Any ideas?

I love animals! I'm obsessed and I have a tender heart. We currently have a good sized herd of goats, Nigerian Pygmy, two horses, some cats, dogs and of course chickens.

With this many animals there is a lot of love. I feel a strong diligence towards them, to give them my best at all times.

So, when things are more difficult or I fail, we lose and animal by something preventable but not noticed. Or you know there are instances where ist unavoidable but it's hard not to find a way to blame myself.

Does anyone else struggle with this balance? I'm a hobby farmer with goals of making a profit enough to sustain my family-but long term I feel like it's making my anxiety worse in some ways.

I would appreciate some seasoned guidance.

Been doing this shit for a good while and sometimes it don't go according to plan. Just gotta keep putting one step in front of the other 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 overall worth it.

Last fall and winter were wild, this photo was taken over the cattle water troughs