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Countryside Magazine Contributor
Articles by Countryside Magazine Contributor
H-brace Construction For Your Permanent Fence Line
When homesteading or farming with livestock, fencing is arguably one of the most important considerations there are in regards to the containment and safety of your animals. Whether you’re planning fencing for chickens or cattle, H-brace construction is an important part of the permanent fencing process.
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Fire Evacuation Procedures for Your Livestock
The year 2013 was an informative and challenging year for Half Creek Farm in Bickleton, Washington. In late July and early August, we got our first “opportunity” to give farm fire evacuation procedures a try.
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Milkweed Plant: A Truly Remarkable Wild Vegetable
Milkweed plant isn’t your average weed; in fact, I feel guilty calling it a weed at all. The common milkweed, Asclepias syriacqa, is one of the best known wild plants in North America.
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How to Treat Colicky Calf Bloat
Some calves develop calf bloat, an acute enterotoxemia (toxic gut infection), caused by bacterial toxins. These calves are usually about a month old but may be as young as a few days of age or as old as two to three months.
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Building a Cheap, Seasonal Greenhouse
A greenhouse can be crucial for extending the growing season. It keeps plants warm while letting in a full day’s worth of sunlight.
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What Not to Feed Pigs
As important as it is to know what to feed pigs, it is just as important to know what not to feed pigs. Raising pigs on your farm or homestead is a rewarding experience.
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How to Start Pig Farming Today
I’ve always wanted pigs and been curious to learn how to start pig farming. I’ve never owned pigs, never even was a close friend of someone who raised homestead pigs.
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How a British Family Constructed Their Own Root Cellar
In Buckinghamshire, England, Ali Freeman and her family, farm an impressive eight acre smallholding with a menagerie of animals and abundant vegetable plots. I went to meet them last August and was very impressed by the root cellar, which they’d built themselves.
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Don’t Panic! Recognize and Treat Lyme Disease Symptoms
With approximately 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. each year, the search for knowledge about Lyme disease symptoms is increasing. Although several different types of ticks can carry Lyme disease, the blacklegged tick is the biggest carrier.
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Selecting the Best Dairy Cow Breed
When selecting a family milk cow or choosing from the best dairy cow breeds to start a small dairy, there are a number of options. The most “ideal” breed will be one that best suits your own situation and purpose.
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Feeding a Pig (For Market)
The spring and summer are a great time to bring pigs onto your farm or homestead. Within a few months, it is possible to have homegrown pork to fill your freezer.
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Why You Should KISS Emergency Preparedness
How many of you are confident the economy is solid, your employment is secure, the value of the dollar is sound and the power grid is permanent? It’s no wonder the subject of preparedness has gone mainstream.
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Water Storage Tanks for a Low-Flow Well
Water storage tanks can be a practical solution if your well doesn’t fill fast enough for normal household use. But how do you get a building permit if the flow is less than local code requires?
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A Guide to How to Butcher a Pig
The hardest part of getting that homestead hog from pen to freezer is the part that most people don’t like to talk about: harvesting. While using such words may soothe the conscience of some, it avoids the hard truth.
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In Old Small Farm Tractors, Lubrication is Key
Call me sentimental, but I have a soft spot for old small farm tractors and here’s why. Just a couple of weeks ago, my wife, Becky, surveyed my latest acquisition, a nearly four-foot diameter by 10-foot oak log that I had salvaged from a residence in town after it had died and a tree service company cut it down.
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