Comments on: Notes From Polyface http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/ Christian Agrarian Counterculture Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:39:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Northern Farmer http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-470 Northern Farmer Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:59:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-470 Scott, That must have been something going there. There's been so many things here that are right with Joel's way of thinking, not all by any means because every farm is different, but enough to keep this place in the family as far as I can see. Speaking of silos, I'm on the northern edge of one of the largest dairy areas in the country and you wouldn't beleive all the silos that are empty. It's not cost efficient to fill them anymore.We don't even have one, always just made a packed pile, but now for what it would cost to buy a mid-sized JD riding lawn mower we're making a pit.And if I ever give up making silage it looks a little like an ancient Greek theater so there's a backup plan anyhow. It would hold a couple hundred people. Anyway, I'm glad that you and your family had a safe trip! Tom Scott,
That must have been something going there. There’s been so many things here that are right with Joel’s way of thinking, not all by any means because every farm is different, but enough to keep this place in the family as far as I can see.

Speaking of silos, I’m on the northern edge of one of the largest dairy areas in the country and you wouldn’t beleive all the silos that are empty. It’s not cost efficient to fill them anymore.We don’t even have one, always just made a packed pile, but now for what it would cost to buy a mid-sized JD riding lawn mower we’re making a pit.And if I ever give up making silage it looks a little like an ancient Greek theater so there’s a backup plan anyhow. It would hold a couple hundred people.

Anyway, I’m glad that you and your family had a safe trip!

Tom

]]> By: Scott http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-469 Scott Wed, 27 Jul 2005 18:20:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-469 Hey Jeff No, Joel dosen't grow any row crops. I know a lot of grass farmers that plow and fit up ground for new seedings and such. I have found there are better ways to establish good pasture though. I have 4 upright silos on my place, but don't fill them with grass silage becouse I can't afford the fleet of machines I need to do it. If I ever did fill them I'd hire it done from someone who already made the huge investment. The equiptment you would need for a small market garden CSA wouldn't cost too much. A lot of the smaller stuff is pretty cheap now a days. There is a lot of stuff that old timers will even give you. When we were kids we used travel around looking in hedgrows for old farmalls and implements. Many times they would let us just haul it away. We'd spend our evenings in the shop fixing it up. My friend Ethan built a whole line of equiptment that way. Plows, discs, planters, drags, tractors, even an old Allis Chalmers left hand direct cut forage chopper! He had quite a fleet of misfits but they got the job done. Hey Jeff

No, Joel dosen’t grow any row crops. I know a lot of grass farmers that plow and fit up ground for new seedings and such. I have found there are better ways to establish good pasture though. I have 4 upright silos on my place, but don’t fill them with grass silage becouse I can’t afford the fleet of machines I need to do it. If I ever did fill them I’d hire it done from someone who already made the huge investment.

The equiptment you would need for a small market garden CSA wouldn’t cost too much. A lot of the smaller stuff is pretty cheap now a days. There is a lot of stuff that old timers will even give you. When we were kids we used travel around looking in hedgrows for old farmalls and implements. Many times they would let us just haul it away. We’d spend our evenings in the shop fixing it up. My friend Ethan built a whole line of equiptment that way. Plows, discs, planters, drags, tractors, even an old Allis Chalmers left hand direct cut forage chopper! He had quite a fleet of misfits but they got the job done.

]]> By: Jeff Schmidt http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-468 Jeff Schmidt Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:57:00 +0000 http://www.homesteaderlife.christianagrarian.com/2005/07/27/notes-from-polyface/#comment-468 Thanks for the report, Scott. Sounds like a very profitable time. Be sure to post more as you remember anything else that struck you. You said, <I>"First, the lack of machinery. No plows, disk, drags, planters, silage wagons or any of the other contraptions that make farming so expensive to get into."</I> But Joel does not row-crop at all does he? He is strictly dealing with grass/pasture if I am not mistaken. It would be interesting to see what equipment would be neccessary for a successful market-gardening CSA venture. For small scale, I don't think that most of those implements are that expensive and seem to be ubiquitous in my neck of the woods. Thanks for the report, Scott. Sounds like a very profitable time. Be sure to post more as you remember anything else that struck you.

You said, “First, the lack of machinery. No plows, disk, drags, planters, silage wagons or any of the other contraptions that make farming so expensive to get into.”

But Joel does not row-crop at all does he? He is strictly dealing with grass/pasture if I am not mistaken.

It would be interesting to see what equipment would be neccessary for a successful market-gardening CSA venture. For small scale, I don’t think that most of those implements are that expensive and seem to be ubiquitous in my neck of the woods.

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