Jeff n Jenny

Exploring new pasture.

Howdy!
I sure liked Montana but the winters started to get long and my feet took to itching so after a lot of prayer and reflection we set out to find our next home. After a great American adventure, camping, fishing, and lots of looking, we bounced off the east coast and found our farm in northeast Tennessee.

It's an old farm with character, which means that it needs a lot of work! This is good too, as we have lots of learning to do. I've been fixing an old barn, clearing trees and brush, mowing fields & pasture, fencing, building up gardens, chasing animals, erosion mitigation, watershed management, making firewood, sleeping well and having fun.

We are in a natural direction, more interested in quality than quantity, which also means that I will need to pick up some employment pretty soon. We're pretty self-sufficient but not self-sustaining.

Some of our early lessons:
rain - Montana (9" ave. annual rainfall), Here (50-55").
pH - Water brings H (hydrogen) to the ground. Alkaline there, acidic here.
Bugs - Cold, long, hard winters = fewer bugs. Here, bigger & meaner!
Everything starts from dirt - ***The better the soil, the better the forage/hay/crops/etc., the better the critter's health, the better the people's health. (Simple logic) ***
This includes them little micro-organisms too (especially them). Composting is good!
Nutrients - Minerals before Vitamins! A body (man or beast) can metabolize minerals without vitamins BUT can not metabolize vitamins without minerals. ***********
Copper - a natural antihelmintic and deficiencies invite diseases. yes, Sheep too, w/care!
Check with UK if you don't believe me (that's Univ. of Ky)
Dolomite - Dolomitic lime has several forms of Ca and Mg., and superior to ag-lime.
It is good in the ground and good in feed rations.
AU and NZ - lead the world in sheep production. I like to read up on them.
VAM - is a Vitamin And Mineral supplement from down under (PetsMegaStore online). This was developed for racing stock and is amazing for anything looking a bit off or in trouble.
Sodium Ascorbate - (SA) A buffered form of Vitamin C. I eat it and the herd gets some too. If anyone (yes, critters too) ain't look'n quite right,
we start with oral VAM, dolomite & SA. 2-3x week. No losses yet.
Soil Testing - If it ain't in the ground, in the animal it won't be found.
Composting - Good dirt has all the stuff you need. Add some to your pile and stir.
Predators - Lambs are especially vulnerable but sheep in general.
Hawks will snatch lambs! I've stood guard w/shotgun watching Red-Tailed Hawks try their luck. To hear about it, I would have thought someone was pulling my leg.
Dogs and coyotes really like sheep.

Looking forward to getting back to Bees, pigs & Chickens, want to try Rabbits and Ducks, more other critters.

Books/Authors we like. I will add to this -
Pat Coleby, William Albrecht, Newman Turner, Joel Salatin, Fletcher Sims Compost, Weeds of the South, Southern Forages, Garden Insects, and the Bible.
"Goat Husbandry" by David Mackenzie, "Diseases of Livestock" by Hungerford
As for me, you can teach an old dog some new tricks.