Farm Mission 101
x-posted to mission101
For those who don't know, my family uprooted ourselves from Western North Carolina at the end of last year and moved onto 40 acres in Southeast Missouri. We are trying to realize our dream of owning a self-sufficient farm. It's mostly trial and error, since we have never farmed before, but we're moving along slowly but surely. Our first harvest was sad, much worse than my awesome newbie garden last year in NC. We're working on improving though. We now have 23 Buckeye chickens (two died, one en route and one shortly after arrival), and we're in talks with someone about possibly getting two goats and a few sheep in the near future.
My last 101 list was never really completed, having been first interrupted by our engagement/wedding and then interrupted by my mom's death and our subsequent legal battle/depression/move. My dreams and goals drastically changed, so I finally just kind of gave up on it. This time, my husband and I created this list together, so we're both on the same page with our goals & dreams. We are dedicated to making this work. Now, we're not so tied to the time-line, so there is some wiggle room. We just tried to list things in order of priority. I know we have a lot of goals packed into the first year or two, but we're not dead-set on that. A lot of goals are things we'd like to accomplish by then, but will depend on whether or not we're making enough money to, say, redo the bathrooms or whatever. If not, those types of goals will get pushed back.
Goal number 101 isn't anything specific. We just want to leave room for more awesomeness that we might not be able to consider at this point. Leaving room open for “this or something greater”, so to speak. Hopefully we'll get some surprise awesome on our quest.
Start date: Friday, July 23, 2010
End date: Friday, April 19, 2013
ASAP
1. Get fireplace fixed
2. Get goat pens up
3. Weed garden & prepare for 2nd planting
4. Mop walls (LR -7/14)
5. Finish unpacking
6. Get/make furniture
7. Install gutters
8. Make rain barrels
9. Get the cats fixed
10. Catch up bills & establish bill paying routine
11. Get a tractor/ATV thing
12. Reflector lights for mail box
13. Replace backdoor
14. Get trailer blocked/boarded up
15. Make A-frames
16. Pick a farm name
17. Do better with keeping up homeschool book
3 Month Goals (Oct. 23, 2010)
18. Start more seeds - 1 plot for humans & 1 for chickens
19. Pumpkin patch
20. Make seed tubs
21. Finish chicken run
22. Get goats (2?)
23. Get sheep (3?)
24. Get to know neighbors better
25. Put up the trampoline
26. Put up the play yard
27. Get a dinner table
28. Go to the county fair
29. Get bike fixed & legal
30. Meet with a financial planner
31. Write a budget
32. See about windows
33. Get a ladder
End of Year Goals (Dec. 31, 2010)
34. Go turkey hunting
35. Go deer hunting
36. Collect fire wood
37. Try greens or sprouts in the cold frame
38. Learn about & try butter &/or cheese making
39. Cut back & try planting the roses
40. Ceremony for mom
41. Start a trail
42. NaNoWriMo
43. Explore farm sitting options
44. Explore local farms
45. Make bread
46. Find midwife
47. Paint the girls' rooms
9 Month Goals (April 23, 2011)
48. See Tina's place
49. Have at least two large plots
50. Start seeds indoors earlier
51. Seed/Plant shopping through MO Conservation & others
52. Try at least one new plant/variety
53. Plant berries (blackberries, raspberries)
54. Plant fruit trees (apple, cherry)
55. Plant chestnut(s)
56. Research Christmas tree farms
57. Get taxes done on time
58. Build a farm stand
59. See about selling trees
60. Try a new type of poultry (ducks, geese, guineas?)
61. Buy hauling trailer
62. Take down pool & start a small pond
63. Get medical insurance
One Year Goals (July 23, 2011)
64. Work on planting schedule
65. Research business plans
66. Create vision boards &/or decorating album
67. Pick date for housewarming party
68. Practice sewing & mending
69. Get canning equipment
70. Get involved with 4H
71. Research beekeeping
72. Begin repairs on the other trailer
73. Fix the car port
74. Have Emergency kit
75. TTC
2011 Goals (Dec. 31, 2011)
76. Have yard fencing complete
77. Get the girls in a dance or martial arts class
78. Buy a truck
79. Have a dairy goat
80. Have at least one good trail maintained
81. Hold reiki classes
82. Try canning/preserving
83. Know how to make at least one good bread
84. At least have floor & windows fixed in trailer
85. Buy a telescope
86. Be able to identify a dozen wild edibles
87. Be able to identify a dozen different trees
88. Know how to skin & clean animals
89. Fix bathrooms
2012 Goals (Dec. 31, 2012)
90. Survive worldwide apocalypse (ha ha)
91. Get dairy cow (Jersey)
92. Know how to make good cheese
93. Know how to make bread without a recipe
94. Be able to identify at least 2 dozen wild edibles
95. Be able to identify 2 dozen different trees
96. Learn how to quilt
97. Have a winter's worth of home canned foods
98. Build a better barn or milking area
99. Homebirth
2013 Goals (April 19, 2013)
100. Run a profitable farm
101. Reserved for something awesome
For those who don't know, my family uprooted ourselves from Western North Carolina at the end of last year and moved onto 40 acres in Southeast Missouri. We are trying to realize our dream of owning a self-sufficient farm. It's mostly trial and error, since we have never farmed before, but we're moving along slowly but surely. Our first harvest was sad, much worse than my awesome newbie garden last year in NC. We're working on improving though. We now have 23 Buckeye chickens (two died, one en route and one shortly after arrival), and we're in talks with someone about possibly getting two goats and a few sheep in the near future.
My last 101 list was never really completed, having been first interrupted by our engagement/wedding and then interrupted by my mom's death and our subsequent legal battle/depression/move. My dreams and goals drastically changed, so I finally just kind of gave up on it. This time, my husband and I created this list together, so we're both on the same page with our goals & dreams. We are dedicated to making this work. Now, we're not so tied to the time-line, so there is some wiggle room. We just tried to list things in order of priority. I know we have a lot of goals packed into the first year or two, but we're not dead-set on that. A lot of goals are things we'd like to accomplish by then, but will depend on whether or not we're making enough money to, say, redo the bathrooms or whatever. If not, those types of goals will get pushed back.
Goal number 101 isn't anything specific. We just want to leave room for more awesomeness that we might not be able to consider at this point. Leaving room open for “this or something greater”, so to speak. Hopefully we'll get some surprise awesome on our quest.
Start date: Friday, July 23, 2010
End date: Friday, April 19, 2013
ASAP
1. Get fireplace fixed
2. Get goat pens up
3. Weed garden & prepare for 2nd planting
4. Mop walls (LR -7/14)
5. Finish unpacking
6. Get/make furniture
7. Install gutters
8. Make rain barrels
9. Get the cats fixed
10. Catch up bills & establish bill paying routine
11. Get a tractor/ATV thing
12. Reflector lights for mail box
13. Replace backdoor
14. Get trailer blocked/boarded up
15. Make A-frames
16. Pick a farm name
17. Do better with keeping up homeschool book
3 Month Goals (Oct. 23, 2010)
18. Start more seeds - 1 plot for humans & 1 for chickens
19. Pumpkin patch
20. Make seed tubs
21. Finish chicken run
22. Get goats (2?)
23. Get sheep (3?)
24. Get to know neighbors better
25. Put up the trampoline
26. Put up the play yard
27. Get a dinner table
28. Go to the county fair
29. Get bike fixed & legal
30. Meet with a financial planner
31. Write a budget
32. See about windows
33. Get a ladder
End of Year Goals (Dec. 31, 2010)
34. Go turkey hunting
35. Go deer hunting
36. Collect fire wood
37. Try greens or sprouts in the cold frame
38. Learn about & try butter &/or cheese making
39. Cut back & try planting the roses
40. Ceremony for mom
41. Start a trail
42. NaNoWriMo
43. Explore farm sitting options
44. Explore local farms
45. Make bread
46. Find midwife
47. Paint the girls' rooms
9 Month Goals (April 23, 2011)
48. See Tina's place
49. Have at least two large plots
50. Start seeds indoors earlier
51. Seed/Plant shopping through MO Conservation & others
52. Try at least one new plant/variety
53. Plant berries (blackberries, raspberries)
54. Plant fruit trees (apple, cherry)
55. Plant chestnut(s)
56. Research Christmas tree farms
57. Get taxes done on time
58. Build a farm stand
59. See about selling trees
60. Try a new type of poultry (ducks, geese, guineas?)
61. Buy hauling trailer
62. Take down pool & start a small pond
63. Get medical insurance
One Year Goals (July 23, 2011)
64. Work on planting schedule
65. Research business plans
66. Create vision boards &/or decorating album
67. Pick date for housewarming party
68. Practice sewing & mending
69. Get canning equipment
70. Get involved with 4H
71. Research beekeeping
72. Begin repairs on the other trailer
73. Fix the car port
74. Have Emergency kit
75. TTC
2011 Goals (Dec. 31, 2011)
76. Have yard fencing complete
77. Get the girls in a dance or martial arts class
78. Buy a truck
79. Have a dairy goat
80. Have at least one good trail maintained
81. Hold reiki classes
82. Try canning/preserving
83. Know how to make at least one good bread
84. At least have floor & windows fixed in trailer
85. Buy a telescope
86. Be able to identify a dozen wild edibles
87. Be able to identify a dozen different trees
88. Know how to skin & clean animals
89. Fix bathrooms
2012 Goals (Dec. 31, 2012)
90. Survive worldwide apocalypse (ha ha)
91. Get dairy cow (Jersey)
92. Know how to make good cheese
93. Know how to make bread without a recipe
94. Be able to identify at least 2 dozen wild edibles
95. Be able to identify 2 dozen different trees
96. Learn how to quilt
97. Have a winter's worth of home canned foods
98. Build a better barn or milking area
99. Homebirth
2013 Goals (April 19, 2013)
100. Run a profitable farm
101. Reserved for something awesome