Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[CntryBoy777]

Well it is Rubber boots here....too many chiggers, ticks, and varied types of mites....not to mention the mud, poo, and slick clay....and the poison ivy, oak, and sumac...thus, the animals...each has a Purpose....

 

[NH homesteader]

Ticks

Serious tick issues the past few years

 

[CntryBoy777]

Mom always had chickens....but, they had a pr of peafowl, 2 dz guienas, and some turkeys....all free ranged and they never were very bad....not a Poison person...so, that's why we got the birds....and for eggs...for now....but there is always an 'Option' for dinner...besides Fish....

 

[NH homesteader]

I don't like poison but I really don't like Lyme disease... So I use Frontline on my dogs. I only use it for a month in spring and a month in fall though. We stay out of the woods when the ticks are out!

 

[CntryBoy777]

That's another reason that we Burn too....this is the 1st yr that I have been able to work on the field, because Dad had a man that cut it for hay...for his cows...but, the man is up in age and doesn't need as much...cause of downscaling...so, Dad turned the Land over to me...to do as I Pleased...he is 94 and a retired CTC E8....so it had to be 'Official'....anyway, keeping the fields cut has Helped tremendously ....this is our 'Starting Out' per se...

 

[Devonviolet]

The front passed through here starting about 6:30am. Heard some thunder then saw some lightning flashes then heard the rain start

Our rain started a while before yours did. We had a couple different really heavy rains pass over, for a total of 3/4".

It's amazing how much rain comes off the roof. One of our rain water collecting water totes (holds 275 gallons) was empty before the rain started. By the time it stopped, the tote was full & overflowing.

 

[babsbag]

My house is basically 70' x 24' and if I get 25" of rain I year I could harvest 15,709 gallons of water off of my roof and that is assuming that I am only recovering 60% of the water. Now if I only had a way to store it. We do have a pond that it all goes to by pipe but the pond does not really hold water; someday I might have a real pond made.

 

[greybeard]

@Latestarter, here are some prices back in 2014. Might give you a base.

http://procure.ohio.gov/pricelist/800183revpricelist.pdf

Good lord!! are they gold plated?

That wouldn't last a day on my place, and my place is mostly finished. Ground clearance too low, and no way to mount a fel. I have to have some way to handle hay.

I don't remember how much acreage you have LS, but take the long view--without going overboard, buy what you think you will need in the extreme, not the least you might can get by with.

Not ready?
Rent a tractor with the implement you need for the fencing. 35-40 hp tractor with PHD to drill holes, and a fel to drive in tee posts.
Most people do rent trenchers for water lines, tho I plant most of mine with a trench cut with a single blade middle buster on my 3 pt.

Most of my stuff I bought used, from individuals, from trade-ins at a farm equipment dealership or from the monthly tractor/implement auction down near Beaumont . Didn't go a couple weeks ago and regret it--a 45 hp Leyland tractor went for $100--and it ran & even had good rubber on it. I have one like it--it's a hoss.

And there's always
https://easttexas.craigslist.org/search/grd?query=tractor

 

[babsbag]

My little John Deere isn't big enough to lift my 1200 lb bale of hay. I wish she were bigger. But when I need that tiller to get in my garden her smaller footprint is nice. I need a bigger tractor...and more implements for my walk behind and then I can sell my JD. Did I mention needing more money too?

 

[babsbag]

Flip flops on a farm work at times; like in the garden. I used to wear Croc like clogs all summer but I got tired of pieces of branches and alfalfa coming up through the soles and poking my feet. I also learned that it is much harder to dodge 160 goat hooves than it is to avoid 40. I do wear tennis shoes though, seldom resort to boots except in the winter. Reading about the damage that a rattlesnake bite can do after my dog got bit kind of put a kibosh on my flip flop days on the farm. I have lived with rattlesnakes most of my life but never worried too much...ignorance was bliss.