Chatroom

[flourish]
 All Forums
 Welcome Wagon
 Welcome Wagon
 Greetings from Michigan (but not for long)
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Author Topic  

kimlohr67@aol.com

6 Posts


Posted - Sep 23 2015 :  09:16:21 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I do not have a cow yet, but I have been planning a small farm for years in my head and on paper. Veggie and herb gardens, greenhouse, chickens (and other fowl), a milk cow, bees, rabbits, vermicomposting...it all looks good on paper, but will I still have time for my sewing???

Finally it is taking shape in Southern Kentucky. The driveway is in, the basement is dug, and I'm buying light fixtures and doors It will be a little while before my milk cow dreams can come true, but its the light at the end of the tunnel for me. After the house is finished they will start on the 20x24 dairy barn, so if anyone has suggestions as to MUST HAVES for that please let me know.


Mother of 2 boys and an American Water Spaniel
Competitive Firearms Shooter
Cheesemaker
Historical Costumer and Quilter

NellieBelle

11214 Posts


Posted - Sep 23 2015 :  10:41:55 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Welcome KimL. Nice to have new folks join HJO. Dreams can come true. Sounds like yours is on it way. There is a thread under HOUSING that talks about milk parlors. MaryJane describes hers and some things she has changed, and others are in the process of building milk parlors and barns and have wonderful ideas. So join right in the conversations and I'm sure everyone will be willing to help out. Once again, welcome!

To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown

Edited by - NellieBelle on Sep 23 2015 12:37:50 PM
Go to Top of Page

CloversMum

3486 Posts


Posted - Sep 23 2015 :  12:04:24 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Greetings from Idaho!

Isn't it delightful to see a dream starting to take form and become a reality? This group is a great place to ask questions and learn from others' experiences. I've so appreciated it!




Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens
Go to Top of Page

txbikergirl

3197 Posts


Posted - Sep 23 2015 :  6:27:15 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
greetings from east texas! my hubby and i just bought our property three years ago so have just started our dream that is very similar to yours. the only difference is we weren't willing to build from scratch so are making due with a bit of a rundown little farmhouse ;>

one general thought, i can only mention what has worked for us... and what so many others have told me they wished they had done. lover boy (my hubby) and I agreed to start ONE major thing per YEAR. so year one it was chickens, and he built a few raised beds for grins and giggles. the second year was the real garden year, so he built all the rest of the raised beds and installed irrigation. year three, this year, is year of the cow! so we have spent the time repairing/installing fences, making sure water access is everywhere needed, and getting a small milking parlor ready.

almost everyone i know that has gone "back to the land' has become overwhelmed very fast. although we both have full time jobs, and spend every weekend and most evening working our little farmstead, it is small enough for us to handle. and as we embark on one thing each year it lets us tweak things as we go along.

also, the best thing we have done with EVERY project is get water and electrical installed as we went. so the chickens have water and electrical, which makes daily maintenance almost non-existent. they also have a solar door that opens/closes with the daylight daily. electric fencing to keep them safe. just check up on them, collect eggs, and make sure water and food is plentiful. for the garden it means i don't have to garden every day in the heat, it is irrigated so i can go a few days in the week if I am swamped and just pick produce for meals and let the garden go. and for the cows it means we have water and electrical in the barn for them to spend the night, and also in the milking parlor to get it all done easily, and also in the pasture so waterers are automatic. for me not having to carry water each day was a major thing, when it is hot or cold.

one thing everyone here will agree on, get Mary Jane's "milk cow kitchen" book. she goes into details about every aspect of the cow - feeding areas, milking parlor (milking and cleaning), bedding down, feed storage, etc. with that book and this forum you will get all the info you need. everyone is very generous with sharing their knowledge so they'll answer any question you have, and be patient to answer the same questions again and again.

finally, we are just putting together a milking parlor for our cow that we get in one week (our first cow). for me we had a ramshackle barn that we could put two corrals in for the momma and baby at nights and during illness - so we have put a new nice barn off for 7 years or so... but I needed somewhere to milk. we had an outside patio we where building that we were putting water, electrical and gas to - so we added a milking parlor onto one end of that. for me I wanted concrete floors with hot and cold running water (with an on demand water heater) as well as good lighting and good ventilation. two large sinks, and then everything else for me is mobile - a large pantry like cabinet on casters for all the stuff needed, two small stainless tables on each side of the sinks for separate dirty and clean dishes, two large sinks to clean and rinse things, a small tool box to hold all my small stuff that can roll around, and a few stainless shelves with slats above the sinks to let some things drip dry on.

stay tuned over the next three weeks as i start posting pictures of what i am doing as a newbie... and then watch over the next 3-6 months as i realize what was impractical and that i need to change as i gain more experience

Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy")
Go to Top of Page

maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Sep 23 2015 :  8:58:48 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Welcome Kim!! Your signature speaks volumes. No doubt you'll be adding "successful homesteader" to your line up. One of my employees is a historical costumer. What does "competitive firearms shooter" entail? What kinds of cheeses have you made? I'm anxious to find time someday to get into the more exotic cheeses but for now we're pumping out the basics and keeping our cellar full.

MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~
Go to Top of Page

kimlohr67@aol.com

6 Posts


Posted - Sep 24 2015 :  08:29:41 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I have gleaned lots of great suggestions and information from the site already. There is so much to learn, but as someone who truly enjoys learning new things it is an exciting proposition. I do have MaryJane's Book and I love it. Others have attempted to discourage me "you'll be tied down to the farm when you're milking every day", "That sounds like alot of work, why not just buy your milk at the store" but after reading 'Milk Cow Kitchen' I feel so much more comfortable...I can really do this and I'm excited!
I shoot in a sport called Cowboy Action Shooting, we dress up in clothing from the late 1800's and shoot period correct guns for a score based on time and accuracy. It is really fun and has afforded me the opportunity to shoot at national and international level championships, but I must say my true passion is the research and construction of my victorian period costumes and the friendships I have made along the way.
MaryJane, your cheese recipes pretty much cover all of the cheeses I have made. But now I am ready to start all over making them using the buttermilk and cultured yogurt instead of purchased cultures. This really simplifies things. Our ancestors didn't always have a freezer for their array of cheese cultures.
Thank y'all again and I am looking forward to being part of such a great group as I embark on this new chapter in my life.

Edited by - kimlohr67@aol.com on Sep 24 2015 08:31:29 AM
Go to Top of Page

Andrea0509

155 Posts


Posted - Sep 24 2015 :  5:11:17 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi Kim! Happy to see you're a fellow Michigander! Kentucky is absolutely beautiful and will be an awesome place to start your new adventure there. I've always loved visiting there and swoon over all of the miles of fencing and thoroughbreds grazing the fields. That's exciting you'll be adding a family milk cow to your homestead in the near future!! Will be fun hearing the details as you plan for her arrival and when you get her! Thanks for sharing your story
Go to Top of Page

GingerBKelly

274 Posts


Posted - Sep 28 2015 :  09:17:42 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Welcome Kim! Kentucky is a very beautiful place and you are a very lucky woman, indeed! You are also quite talented in many areas that sound way interesting. You are a competitive shooter and a costumer? WOW!

Of course you will have time for it all, if you have the desire and motivation and take your dreams one day at a time. No worries! Winter affords a good measure of indoor time for sewing and cooking and many many good things.

I used to work the tobacco market in Kentucky and Tennessee, (next to Franklin and into Fayetteville Kentucky) so I know how wonderful and magical many places can be there, especially in the fall and in the winter. I bet your farm is lovely. (send photos, if you will, please)

Your milk cow dream is coming true, yey! I really look forward to your posts, questions and (hopefully) photos. Stories, we love stories...lol

~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~

gingerbkelly@gmail.com
When a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown


Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/
Go to Top of Page
  Topic  
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Jump To: