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fsuadamson
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As a family we would like to learn more about starting a hobby farm (a 2-5 year plan). Can anyone recommend a favorite book or resource? This will be an extended rabbit trail/report 
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Leslie
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lilac hill
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Leslie,
Yeah! You certainly won't regret this rabbit trail.
Finding resources is a running frustration of a a few of us. We have a couple animals (2-3 beef, 2 goats, 3 sheep, 4 hens, and batches of 20 meat chickens). We do not want to live off the grid, have thousands for tractors and equipment, and we still want the place to look peaceful.We used the library and interlibrary loans--I only bought books after I had renewed them a few times and could not do without them. Of course buy the ones that you love and inspire you.
Just picked up Hobby Farms magazine last night. The articles do not seem in depth but a nice overview. Sometimes the best thing about that kind of magazine is the advertisements.
Some overviews we read in the early stages were Five Acres and independence,Barbara Damrash (sp?) has a nice overview, Elliot Colemen on year round harvesting, Organic Gardening in the 1990's, books about small farm buildings, and Storey's books on the different animals. I am on my second moveable net fence form Premier--great product--plan on using 2 this summer to rotate the sheep, goats, and mini's that will be arriving soon.
If you can find organizations that are trying to save heritage breeds, they oftne have to juggle many animals with little money (Kelmscott in Maine was a great place--that is where we got our chicken tractor plans and saw them in action. Unfortunately that place had to close.
Might as well make sure you have some basic construction skills too because there are always feeders, gates, fences and buildings to add.
When we added the goats, had to rebuild the barn stales, build another manger and string more fence. The minis will need to have rhe run in finished, more fencing and a feeder, with a possiblility of a moveable shelter for the summer.
Have fun.
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Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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Maddie
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This has been our favorite, hands down. Mine is dog eared and needs replacing.
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JennGM
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I'm a urban gal, but have done lots of reading on this subject, and actually did a my bachelor history thesis a little on this subject. Are you interested in taking your rabbit trail on the Catholic aspect of this? More theoretical/philosophical books/pamphlets than practical? I have lots of links and books I can give.
To whet your appetite, see
Sacramental Protection for the Family Emerson Hynes
Seven Keys to a Christian Home Emerson Hynes
Standing on Both Feet Reverend Patrick T. Quinlan
For This We Stand Right Reverend Monsignor L. G. Ligutti
Woman and Post-War Reconstruction by Janet Kalven is one of my favorites. It really explains why a woman fits so well in a homestead, as it appeals to her nature in so many ways. (This is also by her: The Task of Woman in the Modern World .)
Now, to practical, one I really, really like is The "Have-More" Plan for a Little Land - a Lot of Living by Ed and Carolyn Robinson. This isn't the complete original, just a small portion of it. The original was published by the Macmillan Company in 1947. If you can, find the original. The reprint is only 72 pages stapled softcover, whereas the original is hardbound is 326 pages. I found copies of the old version on www.bookfinder.com.
Now of course, some things are outdated, but the layouts for ideas for houses and acreage putting to the best use are priceless. Many homesteaders swear by this book. And that leads to the subject line: their estimate is that 1 acre is good, 3 to 10 better. But that depends on what you will do on the land, how it laid out, etc.
After typing this, I found that Mother Earth News in Issue Two reprinted most the book, with pictures and graphics. It is online here, Mother Earth Index scroll down to Issue 2. It's not
in order, and the chapter names do differ, just a few are missing, and they subdivided some chapters. I've listed the chapters in order below, so you could read the book as it is...I'm always the type that the "book is
better."
1. Why We Moved to the Country
2. A Letter To Wives from Mrs. Robinson
3. What Sort of Place Do You Have or Want?
4. Setting Up a Homestead
5. Houses Especially Designed for Country Living
5. A Little House Can Grow Into a Homestead
5. Plan a "Harvest Kitchen" For Your Wife (I always wanted to plan my kitchen after this model)
6. Finding a Suitable Place
7. Water... Sanitation...Electricity... Roads
7. Locating The Rural Water Supply
8. Landscape Your Place-Increase The Value 20%
8. "Score Card" of What to Look For
9. Plans for a Small Barn
10. The Importance of Raising Part of Your Food
11. A Good Garden With a Lot Less Work
11. Vegetable Planting Chart
12. Herbs
13. The Kind of Berries & Grapes Money Can't Buy
14. Two Ways To Have Tree Fruits on a Small Place
15. New, Easy Ways To Raise Tender Chicken
15. Fresh Eggs From Your Own Hens
16. Geese Grow On Grass
17. Turkeys Can be a Profitable Sideline
18. Ducks are Easy to Raise
19. Squabs
20. Rabbit - 8 to 14 Cents a Pound
21. Ham, Bacon, Pork, Lard
22. A Family Cow
22. The Modern Dairy Goat
22. The Miniature Dairy
23. A Few Sheep For The Small Place
24. Veal and Beef on the Homestead
25. Our Little Sugar Factory
Missing 26: Home Wine Making (I wonder why?)
27. Have More In Winter, Too!
28. Winter Garden: Cold Frame, Hot Bed, Small Greenhouse
29. Grow Your Own Fish
30. The Woodlot
31. Transportation and Power
32. Housekeeping on a Homestead
33. Homestead Mechanics
Missing: 34. Record Keeping -- Painless Style
35. Earning Money in the Country
Here's a list of resources, although in my browser the website is a little off-kilter.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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bfarmmom
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Wow Jenn that is an awesome list!! Believe it or not I have one more to add. Barnyard in Your Backyard. I believe by Storey's
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JennGM
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bfarmmom wrote:
| Wow Jenn that is an awesome list!! Believe it or not I have one more to add. Barnyard in Your Backyard. I believe by Storey's |
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Believe it or not, I didn't even scratch the surface. That long list of urls is only to one book!
Storey Publishing has such great stuff! I could spend lots of $$$
ETA but it's all in theory. I do a little gardenings in our tiny HOA yard. Dh's job isn't quite right to move farther and do a little homestead. Nor is he willing to muck it up...not sure if I could do it, either, in reality. We're more gentleman farmers and idealists. I totally admire the ladies on this list that make it a reality, instead of just reading in books.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Mary G
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JennGM wrote:
[QUOTE=bfarmmom] Story Publishing has such great stuff! I could spend lots of $$$
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Jenn,
This is an awesome site (and bad for the budget ) but I'm thinking they might be the place to publish a general knitting book .......
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fsuadamson
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Oh my goodness  , Oh my goodness , Oh my goodness ! Thank you so much Jenn and Maddie.
I am swimming with excitement. My mil has 38 acres and each living sibling will inherit 9 acres. She is getting up there in years and we would really like to move down there to be closer. She is thrilled with the idea. We will have a choice of acreage so I am very interested in learning more about practical layouts and ideas of houses.
Of course the thought of growing our own food organically and having freash eggs, and milk and a couple horses is also a major exciting and motivating factor that lately has been feeding into my pregnancy insomnia  . I hope these years of planning fly by.
We really don't know where to begin. I have been doing quite a bit of research on google but I rather get personal recommendations of books and resources on these 'practical' aspects. We will be starting from scratch so any help would be appreciated.
Jenn I never thought of taking a Catholic perspective and since this is a long term rabbit trail I think we might look into this side as well. Jenn keep sending the resources as time permits 
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Leslie
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fsuadamson
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JennGM wrote:
Now, to practical, one I really, really like is The "Have-More" Plan for a Little Land - a Lot of Living by Ed and Carolyn Robinson. This isn't the complete original, just a small portion of it. The original was published by the Macmillan Company in 1947. If you can, find the original. The reprint is only 72 pages stapled softcover, whereas the original is hardbound is 326 pages. I found copies of the old version on www.bookfinder.com. |
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Jenn,
I tried a couple searches and couldn't find it. Could you help me?
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Leslie
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JennGM
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fsuadamson wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Now, to practical, one I really, really like is The "Have-More" Plan for a Little Land - a Lot of Living by Ed and Carolyn Robinson. This isn't the complete original, just a small portion of it. The original was published by the Macmillan Company in 1947. If you can, find the original. The reprint is only 72 pages stapled softcover, whereas the original is hardbound is 326 pages. I found copies of the old version on www.bookfinder.com. |
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Jenn,
I tried a couple searches and couldn't find it. Could you help me? |
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The problem is the title is so inconsistently entered. You have to search with "robinson" as author, and title as "plan" and scroll down for results. I found two, at rather hefty prices. Read the online source for the chapters. I might have an extra lying around that I could sell to you. I just have to find it...
ETA and edit: I'll have to retract that offer. I picked up an extra copy years ago for my aunt and I think I finally gave it to her...and that's why I can't find it now.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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If you can find a copy (it's out of print)
The Manual of Practical Homesteading by John Vivian
Has lots of practical advice from what type of land you might look for to what animals you might choose to raise and how.
I haven't read it for a while.. but while he's talking living almost entirely from the land.. he's also talking small scale (several acres, not hundreds).. I do know he talked about not using tractors.. he may still be talking bigger than you are.. but it's broken down so nicely that you can go right to the chapter on... chickens and read just that.
It was written in the early 70's so there may be stuff that isn't as practical as it was.. and prices and ideas of prices are way out of date
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marihalojen
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We had the older version of Back to Basics. Excellent overview with recommended books for each topic for further study.
Contact your extension agent in the area you are looking at, they'll have a ton of very specific info for you.
Mother Earth News, especially the old ones. I've written about how I've gotten rid of my Victoria's but neither my husband nor my father would let me get rid of my nearly complete collection of TMEN. 
Backwoods Home Magazine is an even more extremely alternative resource.
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The Mari Hal-O-Jen
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marihalojen
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FWIW, here is a TMEN article by our neighbors who had a baby one year ago, though they are currently on the land trying to sell Rubicon.
Even boaters find things of value in that magazine!
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~Jennifer
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The Mari Hal-O-Jen
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What a great thread and great resources. Making me get that "move to the country" feeling again. Just not sure my allergies would cope. But...have finally seen a place 2 hours away - which on paper looks ideal - still too many practical considerations - but... one can always start by dreaming....
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Kim F
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I love the Storey series as well. The topic books are really helpful and easy to understand. And the Robinson bk from '47 was a huge inspiration to me a lot of years ago. I dont know how much practical help it is today but for vision and inspiration it was great! The Encyclopedia of Country Living is probably the best one book to start with.
Kim
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fsuadamson
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I just wanted to give a quick update and again say thank you for all the resources suggested so far. I think we finally have a rough outline for our longterm hobby farm unit study that we will keep record of on our blog.
Here are a couple of the resources we ordered so far that by no means complete my *huge* wish list on amazon  . If anyone wants to add to it please feel free to chime in.....
The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour
The "Have-More" Plan, by Ed Robinson (unable to find the older version)
The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book by Carla Emery
Building Your Own Home For Dummies by Kevin Daum
Hobby Farms Magazine Subscription
The Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin
This should give us an overall good start. From there the children seem to picking up personal interests that they want to study further.
I keep telling them one step at a time ...
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Leslie
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I second Maddie's suggestion of the Carla Emery book "The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book" . It is the absolute best practical guide to small farming I have ever read, hands down. And I do mean practical. I had it beside me the first time I killed, plucked and cleaned my own chicken and it walked me through step by step. I loaned out my copy a few years ago and never got it back, but I sure do love that book.
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chicken lady
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I totally agree about Carla Emery's book! BTW did you know she died last summer. I grew up on a farm and I cannot tell you how often I refer to this book. A defiant must have. Even for city folks it is fun reading!
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Bumping this up.
I have been reading some of those booklets that Jenn linked to above.
Specifically:
Sacramental Protection for the Family Emerson Hynes
Seven Keys to a Christian Home Emerson Hynes
Standing on Both Feet Reverend Patrick T. Quinlan
For This We Stand Right Reverend Monsignor L. G. Ligutti
I have been thinking on all of this for a very long time but up until very recently didn't realize the Church had anything to say on the matter (I hadn't seen this thread before!). Really I should have known better. Jenn actually gave me copies of these booklets a while ago but I didn't read them and just "found" them again the day before Christmas eve. I spent a few evenings reading all of them and feel like God has given me a beautiful Christmas gift explicitly expressing the desires of my heart. He has shown me that what I want is not only good but that the Church has so much good to say about it. I can't express how grateful I am because I have been trying to discern these things for a long time.
I am a country girl at heart. I grew up in a rural area. We had a large garden and my grandparents had a dairy farm. We canned, we froze food, we had a root cellar etc. I never actually wanted to live in the city but in this area it has typically been less expensive to live in the city so it really was our only option at the time. I have tried to make the best of it and there have definitely been some good points but as the years go on I am pining for the country. My husband didn't quite understand that for a while (mostly because I didn't express it him) but thanks be to God he not only understands it now but he shares my desire.
Through a complicated, but I believe providential, series of events we moved out of the city to a nearby small town this past November to a lovely house that sits on about an acre of land. We are currently renting here with a 6 month lease which is ideal as we discern our next move. We've gone from a postage stamp yard to an acre (that already has raised planting beds) but we are looking to go a bit bigger. We really like the house we are in now (and it IS for sale) but we want more land.
I am excited as we move forward on this new journey and wonder if anyone would care to share their experiences.
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JennGM
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fsuadamson wrote:
| Jenn I never thought of taking a Catholic perspective and since this is a long term rabbit trail I think we might look into this side as well. Jenn keep sending the resources as time permits |
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I never came back to this thread. I have loads of suggestions, but a few that are online:
Rural Life in a Peaceful World
Manifesto on Rural Life or .pdf file
Rural Roads to Security
And a back in print book The Church and the Land by Father Vincent McNabb
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Topic: Hobby Farm Books?
