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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "McCormick, Rebecca (Genworth)" <Rebecca.McCormick AT genworth.com>
  • To: "'thamnophis AT gmail.com'" <thamnophis AT gmail.com>, "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Farming Advice
  • Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 14:15:42 -0400

I have done some research. We do have a tractor with a tiller and a bush hog,
and my father in law has a bobcat. We talked to the local extension agent and
he said we had the perfect land for Blueberries and blackberries. The land we
have was originally a cutover and we cleared about 5 acres of that and then
we have 5 wooded acres. My brother has a Buffalo farm in Culpeper VA about 2
hours away from me, and has offered $65 a piglet if I will breed Tamworth
pigs. I work full time, however my husband is a realtor with a lot of down
time and I have 2 teenage sons which can be helpful in making sure that we
are able to care for what we choose to take on. I have been following this
blog and researching, and honestly I just want to make sure that I don't get
in over my head. I realize that a big part of farming is trial and error. I
purchased the bootstrap garden system to use as a resource. My husband and I
are planning to purchase some fencing and the materials needed to house the
chickens and the pigs. I thought I would start out small with maybe a dozen
laying hens and 3 Tamworth Pigs. My goal is to start small and gain
experience. We decided to go with raised beds to help with keeping the weed
issue under control. I know that this will be challenging and hard work but I
am excited to get started. I appreciate all the advice!


Rebecca McCormick
E-mail: rebecca.mccormick AT genworth.com
-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Thamnophis
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 11:43 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Farming Advice

Rebecca,

I bet most on the list could author a book on this subject! I wouldn't
know where to even begin, other than the most general of advice:

Find local groups - horticulture, university extension, food coops,
etc and attend meetings - get networked with people who are doing what
you want to do. Absorb everything you can from other farmers, etc. but
be skeptical. There is a lot of "wives tales" out there, or practices
that are common but have little basis in fact.

Try to understand the marketing side of this business - who/what is
your market. This will become as important as the actual farming.

Don't buy expensive equipment unless you have to or your sure its a
wise investment.

Get to know your soil - follow directions to sample properly and get
it tested by a good lab.

Start small. "A few pigs" translates to a lot of work. Even chickens
require work: usually twice daily, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And
even a "smallish" garden space can tun into a weeding nightmare
depending on how/what you've planted, equipment used, mulches,
irrigation, etc.

If you don't watch the weather 3 times a day, you will soon :-)

Cancel your gym membership - you won't need it, nor will you have the
time or energy to use it...

Buy insect repellent and sunscreen in bulk.

Call relatives and cancel summer vacation plans.

Joe
Boone County, IA
Zone 5a

On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 9:58 AM, McCormick, Rebecca (Genworth)
<Rebecca.McCormick AT genworth.com> wrote:
> Hello -
>
> I have 10 acres and I am very interested in using this land to generate
> extra income through farming. I have no farming experience what so ever and
> I would like to begin with a low investment, so I will need to start out
> with something easy to manage. I live in Central VA (Appomattox) and we have
> red clay soil . I was thinking about starting out with just a few pigs and
> maybe some chickens. My husband and I have built 3 raised beds to start
> with. I would appreciate any ideas, suggestion and good websites and
> resources that anyone may have found helpful in guiding them when they first
> started out.
>
> >
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