Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 6, 20202 minIt is STILL RainingWe have had more rain that we can remember. The picture above is of one of the fields on our road. Ours is not nearly as bad, but the gro...
Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 1, 20204 minCan you raise enough meat on a homestead to be sustainable?We are able to be sustainable on our farm with meat. Because we concentrate on larger animals for our meat, sustainability is possible. B...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 30, 20202 minWhat eats chicken?Lots of animals eat chicken! We have discovered that over the years. We are so thankful to have such a wonderful Great Pyrenees livestock...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 29, 20202 minRabbits: Is the Easter Bunny Really Worth It?This post is from my 13 year old grandson. He says it well. In this past century, rabbits have exploded onto the scene of homesteading. W...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 29, 20202 minWhere's the Guernsey? That's a HolsteinBack in the day, I had decided that maybe we should switch to guernsey cows. I had been doing my “research.” I had decided maybe guernsey...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 29, 20202 minA Bull on a Small Farm“Don’t keep a bull.” “For heaven’s sake, don’t keep a dairy bull.” “If you’re going to keep a dairy bull, don’t ever keep a jersey bull.”...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 29, 20201 minI Poured All the Milk OutWe get a lot of milk, but in general, we use every drop. But there are weeks where we end up being gone every night. The kids have been s...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minThe LegacyMike's grandmother, Pluma, was an amazing woman. She lived in the Appalachian mountains where they dip into northeastern Alabama. When I ...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minThe Daily Journal January 28, 2020Two of the grandkids fed the dogs and the chickens before 7:00 AM. We only had half a bucket of scraps this morning so it required feed s...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20203 minCan you really save money canning?You would not consider us wealthy by many people’s standards. We have always been somewhat careful with how we spent our money. Early in ...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minTick Killing MonsterEverything loves guinea or hates them. Their sound is some of the most annoying noise ever. It is SO LOUD!! We have had guineas for years...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minOur Squash SolutionAfter losing so many squash plants and dealing with so many bugs, we decided we needed to be smarter, much smarter. Enter a new variety o...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minThe Mindset of a HomesteaderFrom the first time you decide to homestead, you make the choice to sacrifice your time and build your skill sets. Even if you do not hav...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minWhy You Really Need a Lactating Animal on the HomesteadThe single most dynamic change to our homestead has been the adding of the milk from our cows. One gallon a day will fatten a pig to slau...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhat We Feed Our AnimalsThe pigs and chickens are the clean-up crew of the farm. We plant kale for us and the animals. We plant lots of extra squash to store for...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minHow We Built Our SmokehouseWe built our smokehouse from trees we cut and had milled on our property. It will hold 18 hams plus middlings, bacon, fatback. At Thanksg...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minDeveloping PastureOur plan for pasture development is rotational grazing and trying not to overgraze the grass. We want the grass to still be tall enough t...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minPig HarvestWe harvest the pigs for ourselves on the farm. We made the decision to sell the excess pork which our customers can pick up from the butc...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhy Raise Pigs?Our first venture with pigs was feeder pigs. We were amazed at how easy they were to raise and how much meat they gave us. We decided to ...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhat to consider when buying animals for your homestead/farmIf money is no object, then spend it on good breeding stock. Buy the best breeding stock you can afford from a breeder you trust. This is...