Wednesday, June 3, 2009

the seven farm essentials

Continuing on the "essentials" theme...

Aside from good infrastructure such as high tensile woven wire fencing, a reliable source of water, a decent pasture and a good hay farmer nearby, there are seven farm essentials I absolutely can not live without —

1. Muck boots. Worn every single day of the year. A good pair will last forever.


2. Hog panels. Just about the most useful dang thing on the planet.


I have used them for displays, keeping goats out of the new apple trees


a sheep fold, gates, pens, a five-bay composting bin and temporary fencing.

3. Pallets. If you don't store your hay off the ground, you'll be wasting a lot to mice and mold. Good for stacking firewood in the winter. Good for firewood when they start breaking up. I don't lust after $400 Italian shoes (actually, these are three times that much).


Well, okay, those are kinda cool.

I lust after 40 new solid-top hardwood pallets.



4. T-posts and a post pounder. It's pretty hard to get a 6 foot fence post through clay and shale unless you have one of these.

5. A rooster. Ornamental, protective and loyal to his girls.




"How about me? Am I essential to you, mom?"

Hmmm.

Moving along...

6. Muck buckets. The more the merrier.


7. A couple of goats. Anyone with even a quarter acre of yard could use a goat or two to trim weeds and poison ivy. The nicely distributed fertilizer is an added bonus.


8. How could I forget? the best thing to have on a farm is a couple of good friends to help out when you can't manage to do it all.

1 comment:

Lily Karmac said...

:) That says it all! Mac is essential Except for when he goes haywire!