Tough Decisions on the Farmstead

This week we had a bit of a scare with Scar the Goat.

Our Pretty Girl. #ScarTheGoat #farmstead #homestead #milkgoat #missouri #ozarks

A photo posted by Lorella & Chris (@planbeeorchardandfarm) on May 13, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

Like cows, goats are bred for either milk or meat. I want to have milk goats. Correction. I want to have goat's milk. And goat cheese. Especially goat cheese. In June of 2014 I purchased a doe kid with the intention of having her bred so I can milk her.  Scar the Goat is is a sweet little mix of kiko and nubian, so she's a meat/milk cross.
This fall I took her to a friend's farm to hang out with her boyfriend for a couple weeks. I didn't have her vet tested, and wasn't sure whether she was pregnant. We found out that she was when she miscarried earlier this week. A goat's pregnancy is 5 months, so she was mid term. It was quite sad.
We took care of Scar as best we could. I donned medical gloves and pulled the afterbirth and felt inside of her to see whether there was a twin that needed to be pulled. I couldn't tell.
We provided her with water, fresh bedding, and a heat lamp. We gave her vitamin shots and a special feed called Calf Manna. We put Apple Cider Vinegar in her water. Then we watched and waited. And we discussed our options.
Our farm animals are livestock, not pets. The cost of having a vet treat her would easily have cost more than twice what it cost to purchase her. Since Chris has left his city job and moved here full time our budget is extremely tight. We had to decide how much we would be willing to pay to save her life if infection set in or if indeed there was another baby inside her.
Farmers make really hard decisions like this on a daily basis.
I recently was part of a conversation with a farmer who had spent hundreds on a weak calf trying to restore it's health. He said, "I finally decided I couldn't spend anymore and the calf would have to either make it or not."
In both his case, and ours, there were happy endings; his calf lived, and Scar seems to be doing well. I'm still keeping a close eye on her.
Her buddy Timon is also sticking close.

Le goats. Settling in. #goats #countrylife #farmstead #weedeater #midwest #homestead #missouri #farming #farm #nigeriandwarf #goatsofinstagram

A photo posted by Lorella & Chris (@planbeeorchardandfarm) on Jul 26, 2015 at 10:29am PDT

But now I have some more decisions to make. Will I have her bred again? What are the risks of a second miscarriage? Do I need to make any changes to her environment or care? She won't be ready to breed again until fall, so I have some time to research and make a plan, but I certainly don't want to do anything to risk the health of one of our animals.
The loss of an animal is just one example of the types of hardships homesteaders and farmers face every day. Another friend of ours came home to a dead sow with eighteen dead piglets inside her. Not only does this take an emotional toll, especially after one has done his best to care for an animal, it affects the finances of the family as well. Those piglets would have grown up to provide food for his family, and the rest would have been sold and provided income. I don't think I fully understood how hard that would be when I decided to leave city life and be a farmer. We read and watch videos and attend workshops and ask mentors, but there are still times unexpected realities happen.
At Plan Bee Orchard and Farm we aspire to lead a more organic life with close ties to our food and land while providing quality produce and products for our consumers.
Being a small farm and keeping such "close ties" means we feel the pain of loss when we lose an animal, but it also means we celebrate all the more when an animal is saved.
Last year my mom had a calf that "was down". This means the animal is so sick that it can no longer stand. Often times it's impossible to bring an animal back to health after it's down. I had been busy working on our house build and mom was busy caring for my dad, and neither of us realized the calf was malnourished. I worked with the calf every day. I rubbed his muscles. I fed him a special diet. I got car straps under him so we could lift him and make him walk and exercise.
And to end on a happy note, here is his story:

Hitch up your wagon!

Before I moved to Missouri, this was how I envisioned homesteading:

When Chris and I decided to leave the Los Angeles area, and move to the country, we had this crazy idea that we would like to support our family by growing and raising most of our own food, and by running agriculture based businesses from our own farm. This idea was inspired by friends of my cousin, whom we had never met, who left SoCal and moved to Colorado and are doing something similar. In so doing, we would be leading a more organic life, with close ties to our food and land, while providing quality produce and products for our consumers.

Turns out, it's a thing. And it has a name:

Homesteading.

The modern day homestead, sometimes called a farmstead, doesn't start out on a wagon at the sound of a gunshot. It starts when one decides to become more self-sufficient, and takes action towards that end. In our case, homesteading is a process. We are not attempting to go completely off grid from day one. While we will have our own well and septic system, we will rely on electricity from the power company at first. We will gradually build our orchard, kitchen garden, market garden, and increase our animal stock.

Our goal is to make fewer trips to town for supplies and to be able to depend on our own resources.

As we build zone by zone, we will keep you updated on the progress of our little homestead. It's an interesting journey from city life to country life. We are transforming the way we think about everything we consume as we try to live more simply. 

Have you made any decisions to become more self sufficient, simplify your life, or have a healthier lifestyle? What changes have you made? What challenges have you faced along the way? What would you like to know more about as we document our progress?

Organic Ideas

In our move from the city to the farm we are completely changing our lives around. And as we do so, we have been taking the opportunity to decide what is really important to us. What are our values? What is essential? What is extra? 

  

How do we want to shape our home and our businesses? 

I'm sure these values will change as we grow. Most of them are very different than the list I would have made five years ago, and that list is different than the one from ten or fifteen years ago. But it's where we are now. 

Here (in no particular order except for the first one) are some of the things that will govern our decisions in the next several months:

Biblical Principles

We are followers of Jesus. First and foremost we will strive to live life the way God wants. We will incorporate principles of stewardship, honesty, integrity, reliability, respectability, and kindness (and many others) in everything we do. We decide things after prayer and study. We make mistakes and we forgive one another. This guides everything we do. 

Buying Local

When possible we prefer to patronize small businesses. We recognize the hard work and immense effort required to run your own business. We want to see our friends and neighbors be successful, so we will be a part of that as much as possible. 

Building Community Relationships

We want to know our neighbors. We are part of a church here, and when we move we will join a church there. We look people in the eyes. We listen. We will learn your stories and be honored that you share them with us. We will partner with local businesses. 

Authenticity

Y'all know me. I not only share my successes, I also tell you about my mommy fail moments, my goofy side, and some of my disappointments. We are real people on an exciting adventure. We will share with you our attempts to try new things. We'll let you know what works and what doesn't. We truly care about our friends and family, and as we start businesses we desire to be authentic with our customers as well. 

Barter

We believe in trade. Cash is just paper. Credit and ATM cards are even less than paper. They're just promises of transfers between banks. But do they actually send a physical dollar over for every electronic transaction? I doubt it. Money has no intrinsic value. Don't get me wrong. I'll take your money. But "barter is better". Want something we have? Make an offer for trade.

Family 

Part of the reason for this move is to be nearer my parents, and also to provide a better family life for ourselves and our daughters. If we start an endeavor and it impacts our family negatively, we'll make changes. We will look for ways to support families in our sphere of influence. We will treat our customers and community as extended family. 

Gratitude 

We are thankful. We have been given so much. We are thankful for each and every customer. We can not adequately express the gratitude we feel for our family and friends who are cheering us on and encouraging us, but we will try. Thank you. We love y'all.  

Giving Back

I like purchasing from companies that do good for others. TOMS is one example. For every pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to a child somewhere in the world. There are others; Burt's Bees gives money to non-profit start ups. I want Not A Farm Girl to be that kind of company. I recognize how extremely blessed I am. I want to now bless others and make the world a better place than I found it. I haven't worked out all the details, but to start with I am going to donate a percentage of Not A Farm Girl products (lotions, soaps, shampoo, etc.) to shelters for women and girls. I have other ideas for future service projects after we move, more about that as we go.

Organic

Most people associate organic with food. However, there are several definitions in the dictionary, and one definition from Dictionary.com is: organic - simple and healthful and close to nature.

That's what we're about as a family and that's what Not A Farm Girl will strive to be as a business. 

Naturally Urban Farm in Bellflower, CA

I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon and Eric Schermerhorn at their home yesterday. They, along with their seven children and Jay (helper on the "farm") have a large organic garden and raise chickens right here in my town. 

They call their city farm "Naturally Urban". Be sure to visit: Www.naturallyurban.blogspot.com

I enjoyed visiting with them and learning about gardening. The interview will be posted on my YouTube channel: NotaFarmGirl. 

              Shannon and I

Here are some take-aways that I learned during our chats between takes. 

*keep your ground covered by mulch or foliage. Exposed ground loses both moisture and soil. 

*walking barefoot while you garden allows you to feel what's going on in the soil. 

*blackberries and raspberries like to grow downhill. 

*if you live in the country, keep a couple extra chickens for their predators. It's natural, unless they're eating more than their fair share. As Jay says, "Everyone's got to eat."

Me with Jay and either Fluffy or Puffy. (They're sister chickens that look alike.)

Shannon also highly recommends this book:

She said, "When they say 'Five Minutes a Day' they actually mean ONLY five minutes a day." She gave me a loaf and it was super yummy! I've already ordered my own copy. 

I am amazed every day by how willing people are to share their knowledge and expertise. I am thankful for friends old and new as I journey from the city to the farm.