Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: Ash, chainsaw safety, Emerald Ash Borer, logging, Small Farming, tree cutting
July 28, 2018
I started removing our dead and dying Ash trees. They have fallen victim to the Emerald Ash Borer, a pest from overseas. They have no natural predator here in the USA. My wife took these pictures as she stood by while I fell the first few. In the photo above, I am completing the notch cut. This cut determines the direction of fall. This tree had some lean so a few things came in to my decision, as to where the tree would fall. I simply wanted to guide it where it would do the least amount of damage to surrounding trees.
I am not a novice. I have been trained in the art of directional felling and have many years of experience working at this craft. I wear my safety gear always. I have someone nearby to call for emergency services if needed. I get help from seasoned professionals if I find myself with a tree that I am not comfortable doing alone. I suggest that most folks leave tree cutting to professionals, as this is a dangerous job.
In this next photo, I am making my “release” cut. I have cut all but the small hinge, looked around one last time for any changes to the area, like people or pets, perhaps even a limb I hadn’t noticed beforehand. Once I am sure all is well, I make the final cut, “releasing” the tree to fall. I walk a path 45 degree angle from the tree as it falls. My chainsaw has been shut off or the chain break set, at a minimum.
The release cut above…..Me walking safely out of harm’s way below.
My wife even caught the falling tree, just as it was about to hit the ground.
I am watching above the tree for anything that would snap back from the falling tree or trees nearby as it brushes them on the way down. The tree is stripped of its limbs to expose the marketable logs. The logs are measured and skidded out to be loaded. This tree yielded two logs twelve feet long. The limbs will be all used for boiling maple syrup. The trees will not be wasted. I feel bad that this specie will disappear from our landscape in the way of the American Elm and Chestnut. I am glad to be able to at least utilize the ones in my control.
I’d like to write a bit more, but I better keep my “Ash” busy. :o)
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: Compost, crops, draft horses at work, happiness, labor of love, rain, retirement
July 27, 2018
Last night we got some much needed rain. The whole landscape has greened up. The gardens and crops seem to have jumped, thanks to the needed moisture. It has rained all around us for over a week. It was finally our turn last night and we appreciate it very much. The rain gauge said 2.5 inches…everything else said, thank you!
Compost hauling continues…
I take a load or two each day. We have lots to move, but this is almost fun! I have been trying to work when the air is cool and the flies bite less. This is good work for all of us and the farm benefits from my labor. I am liking retirement. I get to do what I love every day. Man, this is awesome!
Here, I am hitching up to the powercart and spreader. The horses seem to be looking forward to the work as much as I am. It is very true, when your hands are doing what your heart tells them to do….there is no work in it at all! I am looking forward to an amazing weekend.
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: Compost, environmental steward, manure, nutrients, Small Farming
July 22, 2018
It’s finally time to spread manure and our compost. The farm work is mostly caught up. The weather is a bit unsettled and rain is forecast to be spotty and scattered. I like to spread on the recently mowed pastures and hay fields. The grass responds well. The rains wash the nutrients into the soil. I get much satisfaction from handling this job well.
I don’t spread manure in winter, on soggy, wet ground or anytime that I could make ruts. I want the manure to stay put, not wash off into road ditches and watercourses. First of all, I want the nutrients to enrich my soils. Secondly, I am a good steward for the land, being responsible with this raw material is a passion. Lastly, I want my fields to stay in smooth condition whenever possible. Smooth fields are much better to farm…especially with horse drawn equipment with steel seats!
I will be working on this task everyday for several weeks. I will take 3 or 4 loads out a day, while working on other jobs around the farm. Once the pastures and hay fields have been given a light coating, the field where corn will grow next year will be given a liberal amount. It will then be plowed under in the old way of farming.
Summer is zipping by, this job signifies the halfway point for me. So far, we are on track. I steady rain falls as I write and all the plants seem to be looking skyward enjoying the life-giving moisture. Today we rest, watch the rain and enjoy family….tomorrow…I’ll be laying it on again!
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: butchering, canning and freezing, farm to table, farmstead, gardening, homesteading, pigs, pork, self-reliance, Small Farming
July 17, 2018
Several years ago, a young man stopped to visit with me. He was full of excitement about living a homesteading lifestyle. We had many talks about farming, gardening and family. He was a well read man, who knew what he wanted. It was easy for me to expand his knowledge. At the time, he was very interested in trying to raise his own pork.
I talked with him, showed him and encouraged him to try raising pigs. I explained what I believe to be the best methods. Buy young pigs at weaning called feeder pigs. Keep the pigs in a pen on full feed and water ration. Give them treats like apples, garden leftovers even weeds. Keep their pen clean and keep the pigs comfortable, shade for summer, deep bedding and a warm hut for cool fall days.
The young man, Mark, went home to try and convince his wife that they could grow their own hogs. Sure enough, he wore her down and pigs soon graced the landscape at their farmstead. I went over that autumn and taught him how to humanely butcher his pigs. He learned well and was a quick study. They have raised their own pork now for seven years.
Mark has a young family. He is teaching his children all about gardening and animal husbandry. Mark’s wife too has a hand in teaching. She cans and freezes their food. They make cider, raise chickens for eggs and meat, and produce lots of vegetables in their raised bed gardens.
After using a makeshift yet sturdy pen for a number of years, Mark built this nice permanent pen. At the gate where the pigs enter the pen, he set a stainless steel fork into the concrete. The pigs pass this fork twice. Once when they enter the pen and the last time as they are slaughtered for food.
The fork keeps everyone grounded. The children know that the pigs are not pets. Sure, pet them, scratch their ears and rub them down, but keep in mind the purpose of the pig is to sustain the farmer and his family. The fork also signifies that the pork will be going into their mouths, so the pigs will be only fed wholesome grain, vegetables and other gleaned produce from the farm like apples and pumpkins.
I am pleased to have helped this young man out. He is paying it forward by helping others return to the land. This makes me very happy. We must teach the young ones where our food comes from. They learn kindness, responsibility, nurturing and become self-reliant. They learn patience and tolerance. They learn many things about “farm to fork”. Congratulations on your homestead Mark. Thanks for being such a good student, but most of all, thanks for helping others.
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: bed and breakfast, draft horses, Hay help, hay loft, hay tedder, haying, Spelt, speltz, straw
July 16, 2018
The last week has been a whirlwind! Hay dried very nice in the sun. We raked and baled, hauled and stacked until we got it all in off the fields without any of it getting wet.
I modified the the hay loft door and am able to set the hay bales up into the loft with the skidsteer. I can set 5 bales up before I have to go up and roll them out of the way. This makes haying much easier for me. Most importantly, I don’t need help. Hay help is getting harder and harder to find, having overcome this fact is awesome! I can store the equivalent of 400 small square bales by doing it this new way. I will unroll the bale at feeding time and fork the hay down chutes to the horse mangers below.
The speltz straw also had to be mowed and made ready to bale
The horses and I fluffed the straw with our hay tedder. There was a lot of nice, new seeded grasses in the straw. I treated this bounty as hay. The animals will get to eat anything they want, then sleep on the rest. It gives new meaning to “bed and breakfast”. It was a hot week. The temperatures were 90F and above for many of them. The horses and I both sweated together, but we made 42 nice bales. Those bales have all been hauled in and stacked near where they will be used.
We are now ready for some needed rain. We are thankful that it held off while we scrambled to get the last of the first cutting hay harvested, the speltz combined and the straw gleaned as well. Today, it’s hot and sticky, but all of us will rest and wait for the rain…while I make a new list of work for us all.
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: baby, childbirth, granddaughter, harvest, Spelt, speltz, straw
July 9, 2018
The 2018 Speltz harvest is done. It was a good crop. This will meet the grain requirements for my horses for the next year. The straw will be clipped and baled soon as well. The weather was perfect, the combine worked great and the field was in great condition.
The crop grew well with no lodging. (Lodging is when the crop goes flat to the ground) Wind can sometimes knock the crop over, but lodging usually comes from weak stems. I am very pleased with the speltz crop, but also with the emerging hay that the speltz “nursed” through the winter. The new seeding hay is robust and doing very well.
I was busy combining the speltz, while my daughter-in-law was busy too. We welcomed a new baby girl to our family. She is sweet as ever…of course she is made from… ” sugar and spice and everything nice”!
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: Ancestory, chainsaw carving, Diana Gabaldon, Dougal McKenzie, Highland War Chief, inspiration, Outlander, Scotch/Irish, Scottish Highlander, sculpture, sycamore tree, welsh
July 7, 2018
We had this Highland War Chief carved from a dying sycamore tree stump. The man who carved it, Bob Anderson, from Rock Creek, Ohio did an amazing job. We chose the Highlander due to my Scottish heritage. We picked the pose. This war chief now stands to watch over the farm.
There is much more to this story… Bob credits his talent to our Heavenly Father, but also to his Earthly father. You see, Bob was taught as a small boy to whittle small animals and people by his dad. They would whittle faces into walking sticks as they talked about life and all the things that turn small boys into men. Bob has taken a fun hobby to the next level. He is an artist, a true craftsman and a humble man.
He started with this stump
He painted some crude lines and reference points on the face of the stump
He would look at a picture of the Highland dress as he chainsawed from time to time
Our War Chief started to take shape. Bob worked steadily, pausing to look at the wood and ponder his next move.
The tree grew close to the sugarhouse making it a little difficult for Bob to work on the back side, but you would never know. He carved onward reaching inside himself for skills that were learned many years ago.
Once he had shaped the sculpture as far as he wanted with the chainsaw, he went to work with small tools, sanders and his vivid set of skills. What was once a dying stump has been turned in to a work of art. We are very pleased. I think my ancestors are pleased as well. I had the vision, but Bob Anderson has the expertise. His wood carving prowess exemplified under the watchful eye of his father, now taken to the next level by his own desires, is an awesome thing to see.
I recommend Bob Anderson highly. He creates many wooden sculptures in his studio just north of Rock Creek on state route 45. He will do commissioned pieces as well. Look for his pieces at places like the Medievel Faire or even on the square in Mesopotamia Ohio. Bob carved Paul Bunyan in the white oak stump by the “End of the Commons” General Store.
July 2, 2018
I ask myself if I am measuring up? Soon, corn is supposed to be “knee high”. This field was a forlorn space on our farm just a few years ago. It still has a very long way to go. It needs drainage, fertility, pH adjustment and gentleness. I need to continue my efforts, but go slowly on this sensitive part of the farm. The corn here, where the cows fed on round bales last winter, looks real good. The rest of the field is behind, but looks like it will make a crop.
The corn in the picture proves that the field has potential, it just needs more tender loving care. Our grandson, the row monitor, shows much potential too. Like the field, he needs time, gentleness and tender loving care. I hope to see him reach his potential too. We owe it to ourselves, our family and friends to be the best that we can be. Inside of each of us is a light. We must let that light shine!
I am working on a few writing projects. The heat outside makes me want to work in the house. I am working at writing much more now that retirement has afforded me the time. I hope to use the gift I have been given to reach others through my printed words, to share and to teach. I will work hard each day to push myself, like the small field and the little boy, to attain our full purpose!
I think a guy has two birthdays. The first is the day he was born…the second is when he realizes why!
Filed under: July 2018 | Tags: draft horses, equipment manufacturers, family fun, farrier, Horse Progress Days, innovation, Michigan, oxen, pony equipment, small farm equipment
July 1, 2018
I spent the last few days in Clare Michigan, attending an annual draft horse event called Horse Progress Days. It is an event that showcases draft horses and draft animal power paired up with modern farm equipment. But wait…there is more! Vendors galore, a whole program for the lady homesteader, pony equipment, saddle horse stuff, blacksmithing and farrier tools, oxen, and great food.
The wire horse in the picture is a creation of an artist named Jeff Best. It was made mostly from barbed wire. Jeff lives in Clare Michigan. This work of art is just one interesting thing to see. Equipment manufactures were on hand demonstrating their equipment and answering all sorts of questions. Many breeds of horses were represented at this amazing event.
Seminars were given on many subjects for the farmer, grower, horse lover and even aspiring beekeepers! Produce, even ripened tomatoes in a hoop house, were to be marveled by this attendee. I do these types of things daily, yet I was amazed at the innovation, simplicity and complexity of many items demonstrated.
In this photo, a hay mower capable of mowing 24 feet in one pass, was a big hit with us farmers. A 20 horsepower motor ran a hydraulic pump that powered the machine. The horses only supplied the traction power to make the mower go forward or backward. This machine is much too big for me, but man can it lay hay down!
This was the twenty-fifth year for Horse Progress Days. I hope it will still be growing strong in another twenty -five years. Judging from what I saw and the young people in attendance, I’d say the future is very bright.
Next year HPD will be held in Arcola, Illinois…. then here in Mount Hope, Ohio in 2020
RicelandMeadows 