Category Archives: GMO

by | January 21, 2013

GMO Products

GMO Products

GMO = Genetically Modified Organism

GMO is a term that is commonly applied to “Round-up” Ready crops such as soybeans and corn.  So what does genetically modifying crops do to the crops ………. then the animals.  Continuing on the theme of “You are what you eat,” I will try to evaluate this further and pass the information along.

There are some claims on the internet about new organisms that have been identified within genetically modified soybean meal.  These claims are from an expert in the field of Horticulture.  So what are the claims”  The claim is that this organism is capable of causing severe disease in Cattle, Hogs, and Horses to name a few.  In addition to causing diseases, the professor claims that veterinarians have found this organism and it is linked to infertility and abortions.  Dr. Don Huber is the scientist who is making these claims.  An aside is that his claims are very interesting and very concerning, however they appear in the Youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nHCw36wIhs)  and are very vague at best.  Dr. Huber fails to name the organism nor does he even identify what classification the organism belongs to.  What does that mean?  Well he does not name it as a bacteria, a fungus, an algae, or a prion (responsible for mad cow disease and Kuru).  This definitely leaves the claims open to interpretation.

A larger question is what are the effects of Round – Up on the soil and plants?  The increase in GMO crops facilitates the increased utilization of Round Up. Again Dr. Huber claims that Glyphosate destroys various organisms within the soil.  These oraganism, he claims, are responsible for the production of the trace mineral Manganese.  Again from Wikipedia : “Manganese is an essential trace nutrient in all forms of life…….Manganese is also important in photosynthetic oxygen evolution in chloroplasts in plants. The oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) is a part of photosystem II contained in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts; it is responsible for the terminal photooxidation of water during the light reactions of photosynthesis, and has a metalloenzyme core containing four atoms of manganese.[41] For this reason, most broad-spectrum plant fertilizers contain manganese.”

The active ingredient of Glyphosate.  According to Wikipedia: “Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses known to compete with crops grown widely across the Midwest of the United States.”  Other portions of the Wikipedia write up state: “While glyphosate has been associated with deformities in a host of laboratory animals, its impact on humans remains unclear.[6]

Glyphosate’s mode of action is to inhibit an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the aromatic amino acids: tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine. It is absorbed through foliage and translocated to growing points. Because of this mode of action, it is only effective on actively growing plants; it is not effective as a pre-emergence herbicide.”

While there is a lot of information that is yet to be gleaned and revealed,  Glyphosate has allowed for the rapid production of GMO crops.  This is another reason to consider homesteading.  Homesteading centers around the conservation of of soil, plants, and animals.  This is what we focus on here at Heritage Breed Farms.  Check out the previous posting about building soil.  Hopefully more to follow.

 

 

http://viewfromabuzz.com/2012/12/22/poisoning-ourselves-daily-part-2-gmos/

 

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by | November 19, 2012

Basic Equipment for Chickens

Basic Equipment for Chickens

So you are thinking about getting those first few chickens.  What do you need to get started?  The basic needs of all animals are food, water, and shelter.  In addition, chickens require fencing, lighting, and heat (in northern climates).  Additional indoor equipment for chickens includes nest boxes and lighting  (unless seasonality is not an issue and forced molting is not required).

Food

Chickens are good at foraging.  They will eat grass, roots, and bugs.  Most owners supplement their chickens in one of two ways: complete feed (such as all mash) and scratch grains.  We purchase GMO free, certified organic All Mash for our girls.  We also purchase various organic grains.  We currently use whole organic wheat berries.  We sprinkle them on top of the manure pack/ straw every day.  This encourages the chickens to scratch, which adds oxygen to what is basically a compost pile.

Feed is typically fed through a feeder.  These typically have open tops to allow easy refilling.  Many people will get enough feeders to allow them to fill the feeders every three or four days.  Feeders will generally be round, to allow access from all sides.  These typically hang from above.

Water
image

Generally anything can be used for a chicken waterer.  We utilize a three gallon, heated waterer.  The most important thing is to keep fresh waterer.  The waterer must be set up in such a way to minimize the amount of contamination.  We use a heated waterer all year round, but do not plug it in during the warmer months.  The 3 gallon resevior allows us to fill the waterer about every 3rd day.  At that time, we clean the waterer whenever we refill the water resevior.

Shelter

Most people keep their flock contained within a chicken coop.   Designs of chicken coops are as unique as the people that own chickens.  Some prefer a chicken tractor (a mobile chicken coop), a hoophouse, or a more permanent building.  We keep our birds in an old outbuilding that we fixed up just for them.  In general the floor space should be adequate for the number of birds that you plan to have (2 to 3 sq feet per hen is the ideal minimum).  We converter an old outdoor shed into a two compartment chicken house.  We then made a smaller third compartment that allows us to raise the peeps separate from the old chickens to prevent cannibalism and pecking.

A chicken coop in a Seattle backyard.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nest Boxes

We built our own nest boxes when we first purchased our original 6 hens.  We recently purchase materials and built two more chicken nest boxes.  The previous next box was located inside the coop, but the newer ones are now mounted on the outside.  The birds can get into the nest boxes from inside the coop, but there is access for egg collection from the exterior of the building.

Lighting

Chickens need to have some supplemental lighting, especially during days with fewer hours of natural daylight.  Chickens will stop laying eggs if the daylight continues to decrease.  The hens typically lay eggs when the day length is in excess of 14 hours.  Therefore, supplemental lightening is needed.  You may also need to include a brooder, or heat lamp.  Young chicks require heat in order to stay healthy.  The are not born with feathers, so they lack the ability to maintain their own body heat.

Miscellaneous Supplies

Roosts:  You will want to add some perches/ roosts to the coop.  Locate these where the fecal dropping will land in a convenient area.  The hens will typically sleep on the roosts, the higher ones preferred most of all.

Bedding:  Chickens adapt well.  This allows for various types of bedding to be used.  These include straw, sawdust, and materials such as cedar chips.

Leg Bands:  These are used for identification purposes.  Not all homesteading setups will use these leg bands, but they do come in handy to keep track of the ages of your flock.

Chickens

Chickens (Photo credit: Allie’s.Dad)

Hopefully this helps as you continue to consider and research your chicken project.  There is a lot of equipment for chickens available from a variety of sources.

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by | November 8, 2012

Open Pollinated Crops- The pathway to profit?

Open Pollinated Crops- The pathway to profit?

Due to the drought that has hit the United States this year, prices of agricultural products are inclined to increase, yet the profit by the farmer is likely to be decreased.  With the prominence of high fructose corn syrup in so many foods, what is going to happen to the price of food in general?

To increase the genetic diversity of U.S. corn...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am not looking into that at the moment, it is basically food for thought.  What I want to look into is the effect that it will have on the animals and the plants that we produce in this area.  Since some vegetables are made up of 90% water, it is obvious that lack of water will lead to decreased production, but by how much?  How about the corn crops that we are anxiously awaiting and in need of?  Corn needs variable amounts of water depending upon which stage of growth that it is in.  Here is a chart that was adapted from a University of Nebraska publication:

Day 0-10         Emergence period      0.8 Inches

Day 11-29        4 Leaf stage                   1.8 Inches

Day 30-46      8 Leaf Stage                    2.9 Inches

Day 47-55      12 Leaf Stage                  1.8 Inches

Day 56-68       Early Tassel                   3.8 Inches

Day 69-81       Silking                              3.8 Inches

Day 82-88       Blister Kernel                1.9 Inches

Day 89-104     Beginning Dent            3.8 Inches

Day 105-125   Full Dent                         3.8 Inches

Day 126-140  Maturity                          1.4 Inches

So looking at the chart, the corn basically needs 3.8 inches every 12 days.  This seems like a lot and I think that the growth numbers may be off a bit.  I know that there are varieties of sweet corn that mature in 82 days, so 140 days seems very long.  As I read further into the chart, it appears that this is for 113 day corn, so that seems a bit more realistic.

Public relations of high-fructose corn syrup

Public relations of high-fructose corn syrup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now on to the reason for the title “Open-pollinated Crops- The pathway to profit”:

There are some who think that Open pollinated crops will adapt to the environment in which they were grown.  This also means that some of the crops potentially become drought resistant.  A proven example of this is the garlic plant.  Garlic is noted for adapting to the soil in which it was grown.  This will affect its hardiness, as well as its flavor.  While some GMO crops are modified to select for drought tolerance, the seeds that are collected from the GMO plants are not typically viable.  The same hols true with hybrid varieties of plants.  They may grow  a plant, but it may or may not have the traits that they were modified for.

With Open-pollinated crops, the seeds will grow plants that are just like the parent plants that they were collected from.  By selecting the hardiest of the plants that grow, the grower is selecting for plants that did well under the particular conditions.  This means that plants that do well in drought years will produce seeds that should be increasingly drought resistant.  Likewise, plants that do well in years in which there are high winds, will typically have a strong root system.  By saving seeds from these plants, the offspring should have deeper, stronger roots.

I seems to me that there is a lot of potential for open-pollinated crops.  Perhaps the biggest money saver is simply the ability to save your own seeds for the following year.  Not only does this make the farmer truly more independent or self-sufficient, but it also save the farmer a lot of input costs.

 

English: Brown Flax Seeds. Français : Graines ...

Brown Flax Seeds.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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by | September 10, 2012

How to Make Organic Alternatives to Roundup Weed Killer | eHow.com

The increasing use of Glyphosate herbicide is of concern to many.  The use of this product has reportedly been linked to birth defects, autism and ADHD to name a few.  Here is a blog I follow with some newer studies on the potential dangers of GMO products.  http://ourtinyearth.com/2012/09/19/french-gmo-is-dangrerous/

glyphosate

glyphosate (Photo credit: the weed one)

Anyway, there are many alternatives to Roundup for weed control.  We have several posts about these.  Toward the bottom is a link to an eHow.com article on how to make some alternative weed control products and concoctions.

 

 

Here are a few quick hitters:

Mulch:  This created a physical barrier to the growth of weeds.  Mulches can be made out of organic or non-organic products.  Our favorites are reusable black plastic, grass clippings, leaves and bark mulch.

Boiling Water:  While we do not routinely boil water specifically for weed control, we routinely boil water for cooking and activities such as canning.  Once we are done with the boiling water, I take it outside and pour it on larger patches of weeds.  The most common place that I use boiling water is on our gravel driveway.  The weeds wilt very quickly and die off.

Physical Removal:  This method is time consuming, but very rewarding.  We often burn the weeds if they have already begun to produce seeds.  Those that have not gone to seed, get placed into the compost pile, which turns them into organic fertilizer!

Vinegar concoctions work as well.  I do not have a specific recipe on hand, but any people like vinegar.

Click below for a great resource with some good recipes to try.

How to Make Organic Alternatives to Roundup Weed Killer | eHow.com.

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by | September 9, 2012

Safe Alternatives to Roundup

What are some possible safe alternatives to Roundup for weed control and eradication?

1)  Mechanical:  this involves some process to damage or destroy the weeds.  Some examples are hand picking, frequent cultivation, digging, hoeing, and covering the weeds up. I once found a tool called something like the dragon. It was a hand held flame thrower designed to burn weeds. O how I long for one of those to try.

Mulch Mania

Mulch Mania (Photo credit: terren in Virginia)

2)  Physical Barrier/ Mulch. Gardeners the world around will swear by the ability of a physical barrier to prevent weed growth. There are many forms, some of which are biodegradable, so they actually add organic matter back into the ground. This results in better soil overall. Examples include grass clippings, mulch and straw. There are other options that will break down as well, including newspaper. Many hardware stores also sell a weed barrier the is a fabric of some kind.

Raised vegetable beds covered in plastic mulch.

Raised vegetable beds covered in plastic mulch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3) Plastic. Though this is another form of physical barrier, I elected to place it into a category of its own. There are many types of plastic, as well as several ways to use it for weed control. Red plastic is supposed to enhance the growth of tomatoes. Black plastic is often used on paths and surrounding plants. I tried clear plastic this year to no avail. If the ground is watered and a piece of clear plastic is then laid over it, the sun will heat up the underlying plants essentially cooking to weeds below. One word to the wise, do not forget to water first and to make sure that your plastic is sealed all the way around. There also should be no hole in the plastic. Holes allow the heat to escape. The failure to seal the edges allows the plastic to blow around. Both scenarios will result in a greenhouse effect. You will then end up like I did…..with a super weed patch!

 

4)  Chemical alternatives.  These include vinegar. Regular table salt will work if applied prior to plant seeds or prior to the first growth of perennials. This method is recommended for asparagus. Boiling hot water may work well too. I am not too certain of other safe, non-toxic chemicals, but I am certain that others exist.

Let me encourage you to try these things to see what works well for you. The thought of Round Up simply scares me. I suggest you google round up and see what comes up as far as possible problems and issues. Therein lies my concerns with GMO products.

Until Next Time.

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by | March 24, 2012

Elite Eight

Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables on an ...

Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables on an organic farm in Capay, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is another list that honors the NCAA college basketball tournament known as March Madness.

As the teams are down to the Elite Eight, I decided to come up with an Elite Eight list to complement our Sweet Sixteen list of Vegetables.

So what would be a good list of Eight Things?  How about the Elite Eight Reasons to go Organic, GMO free and all natural with farming/ homesteading?  So here goes:

  1. Organic farming and gardening is better for the environment in many ways.  The first is that there is a focus on conservation.  I am not a naturalist nor a “tree hugger,” but rather I believe that God gave us a great planet, which we need to protect and respect.  Organic and natural farming tends to placeconservation in the forefront.  Compost is recycling at its basis.
  2.  Organically grown foods contain fewer harmful chemicals than conventionally grown foods. In a conventional system, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and glyphosate (Round Up) are sprayed to increase production in various ways. These chemicals can be taken up by the plants and then eaten by the consumer resulting in toxin buildup within the body.
  3. I would make a case that growing thing organically actually gains in yield over time. This is due to the better soil structure and the better ecosystem. By continuously amending the soil with organic matter, the earthworms and other organisms flourish. This can make to yield as good or better than a conventional system. The health of the soil leads to good health within the plants leading to reduced disease and fewer pest problems in the long run. Healthy plants, like healthy people,
    are better suited to fight off disease and pests.
  4.  I will again cite Dr. Don Huber in regard to some research that is ongoing about potential problems with the use of Genetically Modified Corn, soybeans and now alfalfa.

    Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms ...

    Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or other caterpillars on a cotton plant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)n insecticide is utilized.

  5.  The reduction of chemicals that are relied upon for insect and pest control will allow natural processes to take hold. For most every pest that invades a garden or crop, there is at least one predator. These predators can be killed along with the pest when an insecticide is applied.  If natural cycles are allowed to run their course, predators will find area that their prey are thriving in.  A lot of prey, will ultimately lead to a lot of predators, which will reduce the population of the pest.
  6. Though this point may be disputed, I believe that naturally grown foods contain more nutrients. I also believe that these nutrients are much easier for our bodies to utilize. This means that even a naturally grown vegetable or crop that is lower in nutrients will actually provide more usable nutrients, thus making it more nutritious for the body.
  7. I would love to do a study on this one: Animals will eat naturally grown crops with more vigor. This means less stress to the animal and perhaps greater yields. Perhaps one day I will be able to do a study in this subject. The study would have to control just about every other variable other than the feed in order to be valid.
  8. Finally, there is simply a self-satisfaction that goes along with producing your own food naturally.
    Growth of organic farmland since the year 2000...

    Growth of organic farmland since the year 2000 Development of organically managed land by world regions since 2000 Data: www.organic-world.net

    Something that I found very interesting is the chart above.  This chart shows that North America is not growing as much in Organic farmland, yet the world is.  We often look to other countries for many other things, why not look at others as the lead for this trend.  We need to figure this out, before it is too late.

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by | March 18, 2012

The Organic Farm Challenge

As can be noted from this blog and our previous posts, we are fans of natural and organic farming.  Our basis is rather simplistic in the fact that we would not drink roundup or fertilizer so why put it on our foods or in our animals.
Herein lies the dilemma:  what do you do when you have a sick animal or a crop being ravaged by pests?  There are limited options in this area, as the focus of organic farming is prevention and overall health. Of course, you can reach for a home remedy. The quick fix is antibiotics or a chemical pesticide. Since I am a veterinarian and not a botanist, I will talk on the animal side.
Many sick animals can be treated with something to bolster the immune system. They can be given things such as IV fluids and vitamin C. Many organic dairy farms depend heavily upon aloe as a treatment for mastitis. I like to infuse hypersonic saline into the udder and then milk the affected quarters out 15 to 20 minutes later. Some animals can be fed dandelions as a natural diuretic if there ia a lot of edema (extra fluid) present in the udder.
The condition that presents the greatest challenge is bacterial pneumonia. This requires the use of antibiotics, which are restricted of course. I am hoping that there are some things in the works as far as research in this area. I think that for the moment organic dairies should be allowed to use the antibiotics, but the withdrawal times need to be extended out to allow residues to clear. A traditional dairy will have a milk withhold of 4 to 8 milkings, which amount to 2 to 4 days. Perhaps the organic dairy association should consider a 2 week or 1 month withdrawal time. This would allow the farmer to retain the animal, yet would be a long enough withdrawal time to strongly discourage the use of antibiotics. Just my 2 cents of course…..but it seems that a longer withhold that allows the farmer to help the animal and keep her in his herd is much better than having to wait to the last minute to treat her and then be forced to remove her from the herd. Afterall, are we desiring organic farms just for the purity of the food or do we desire the best for the animals as well?

Another dilemna is finding alternatives to Glyphosate (Roundup) herbicide.  We are exploring the idea of heirloom vegetables, which will hopefully be more weed resistant without the creation of GMO types.  We also feel that the soil is one of the most important factors.  Various weeds grow in various soil types.  There was an old farmer in our area who claimed that he could read the soil based upon the weeds that it contained.  He claimed that nutrients (or likely lack of nutrients) tended to predispose soils to invasion by weeds.  He also could tell the structure of the soil based upon the weeds.  Certain weeds thrive in compacted soils versus soils that are more loamy.  It is an interesting concept.

We have several articles related to alternatives to Roundup, so I will not be repetitive at this time.  Click below to navigate to those articles.

Until Next Time

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by | March 10, 2012

Outcast

I oftentimes keep my opinions to myself throughout daily life.  This is likely due to the fact that my farming beliefs and eating beliefs lie outside of what is commonplace.  I deal with traditional farmers every day.  These farmers work very hard and are very wise in their ways.  The traditional view of farming is geared for maximum profit and maximum output.  In order to accomplish this, expenditures are a must.  These expenditures can be justified by the bottom line of increased production to a level above that of the expense.  This has to include time in my humble opinion.

English: Amish family farming using traditiona...

Traditional farming is centered around the idea of maximum yield.  In order to do this, fertilizers, growth hormones, daily antibiotics, daily dewormers, daily coccidiostats and production hormones are given.   I worry about the end result in the food chain.  What are all of these chemicals truly doing to the people that consume all of these end products?

I watch as little girls mature at an earlier age and wonder why.

I watch the cancer rate increase and wonder why.

I watch the rate of ADD and ADHD increase and wonder why.

I watch the increasing rate of Autism….especially among males skyrocket and I wonder why.

No Artificial Growth Hormones

No Artificial Growth Hormones (Photo credit: Tillamook Cheese)

There has to be a reason for the increases in these diseases and concerns that I can raise off the top of my head.  Many things could go into these issues.  It could

be the increase in nutrition has allowed young ladies to mature at a faster rate.  It may be that there is more radiation in our daily lives due to cell phones, electricity, microwaves, and supposed reducti

on of the ozone layer (whatever happened to that concern by the way?…..o yeah I think it was replaced with the rabid religion of global warming if you ask me).  Could it simply be blamed on hormones, glyphosate, GMO products, antibiotic usage, fertilizers and other factors that we have attributed to progress?

I will reference Dr. Don Huber as far as the concerns about GMO products and glyphosate application at an increased rate.  In fact, he states that he would rather drink DDT than glyhposate.  What is glyphosate you ask?  It is the ingredient in ROUND UP that basically kills just about every living plant that it comes into contact, except those that are GMO products.  GMO stand for Genetically Modified Organism.  A lot of information can be found using google.com.

I will stop with the questions for now, but back to the title of the post.  This makes me a bit of an outcast.  I am okay with that title.  I will take being an outcast if it ends up being for the betterment of my family and friends.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like having to be against the grain, but it is fine in this case.  I figure it this way:  They defend the practices stating that there has never been a problem with these practices and that “science” has proven that all of it is safe….I, however, am not going to drink the stuff, so I will strive to provide my family with food that is free of all the garbage.  In the end, the result is that I may have wasted some time and money, but if I am right….I will be standing strong in the end.

So Stand Strong and Live life to the utmost!

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by | March 8, 2012

Support Local Farmers Markets

It is vital to support local farmers markets.  It is beneficial to the consumer and the producer.  Locally grown food has many benefits.  Oftentimes products are sold at the local market for a similar price to that of the larger retail stores.  The difference is that more profit goes to support the farmer,  the one who is actually doing all of the hard work to produce the food.

One benefit of buying from a local farmers market is the freshness of the food that you buy.  The products at the local farmers markets are not shipped long distances and are likely picked that day.  The fresher the product, the better the nutrients.  I do suggest trying to buy organically grown and GMO free products.  There are many websites and much information regarding the potential negative effects of GMO corn and soy.  (Organic Consumers Website) (Dr. Don Huber)

Another benefit is that locally grown food tends to have fewer preservatives than food that has been shipped to a supermarket.  Having worked as a produce clerk in high school and college, I have seen firsthand that supermarket food is sprayed with preservatives.  The bananas are a good example.  Bananas are sprayed with something to slows down the ripening process during shipping, then treated with high levels of nitrogen to get them to soften and turn yellow once they are close to their intended market.  This is not a natural process.

Interestingly enough, Dirk Benedict (the actor that played “Face” in the great 1980s television series the A-Team) has a theory about eating local foods.  I attempted to research further after hearing an interview years ago on the radio.  My conclusions of what he said appear to be consistent with the macrobiotic theories of traditional Chinese medicine.  To find out more about the Macrobiotic Diet, click on the highlighted words.  I took his interview at “face” value (LOL get the pun there?).  What I heard him say is that Eskimos should not eat tropical fruits such as oranges.  Why not?  I am glad you asked.  The reasoning is that oranges and related fruits tend to thin the blood, where as whale products (meat and fat I guess) tend to thicken the blood.  Thickening the blood keeps you warm per Mr. Dirk Benedict.

So now that I have let out the fact that I am a traditional A-Team fan and digressed, I hope that you find shopping at local farmers markets to be of interest.  This supports the farmers and benefits you.

If we don’t help in some way to protect our heritage, we will lose it.

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by | February 4, 2012

Acquisition Ready?

I have been mulling over many thoughts in my head the past few days.  The most recent topic that I discussed with a dear friend (over coffee of course) is that of our declining confidence in the food system and supply.  We discussed our roles in how to combat the big factory farms and the chemical abuse that we see going on in regard to our precious lands around us.  Neither one of us is necessary a “green” geek or an environmentalist, yet each of us feels a role to protect the creation that has been given to us by our Creator.  We feel an obligation to best provide for our families and then as many people as possible after that.

We have had many a discussion about the state of the world, politics, instability, threats to the current systems and things of that nature.  We truly believe that God is in control. yet we have an active role to play.  So in light of that, we both want to be as prepared as possible, yet realize that no one is called to do this alone.  So where this leads as far as this blog and the concept that we are developing is, how do we do this in a practical way.  The other question is whether or not there is an economy of scale when it comes to producing GMO-free, natural, organic, etc foods?

gmo

gmo (Photo credit: decorat)

I believe that we need to be active in planning ahead.  We also need to formulate a plan that is what I call acquisition ready.  What I mean by that is structuring our lives in such a way that we are focused on the goals that lie ahead.  We also need to structure our finances in such a way as to be the most responsible that we can.  That means living as debt-free as possible.  Can you imagine what you would be able to do without a mortgage payment?  Anyway, I digress.  Acquisition ready when it comes to the homesteading life means several things.  I will define it as being in a position to capitalize on opportunities that present themselves.  For instance, can I get my finances into such a state that I can buy the 10 acres up the road when and if it becomes available?  Can I purchase that next animal, or crop, or piece of equipment that becomes available out of nowhere?  This is more than simply having a strict budget, it also means finding the opportunities and identifying the good ones from the bad ones.  Easier typed than done I suppose.

Well, that may be enough on the sounding board for one post.  Hopefully more to follow.

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