[Billy Foster]

one 12V battery does not have nearly enough power to run a heating element, not by a long shot. There are some propane heaters out there and some guys have built wood fired heaters. Here is a link to another forum where I asked a similar question about keeping water from freezing.

http://www.ruralheritage.com/messageboard/frontporch/16728.htm

Billy

[Billy Foster]

We work it this way at our place:
If whatever they are doing is for the house and family they do not get paid, it is part of being a family.
If they are doing something that we will get paid for, i.e., farm chores, cord wood, vegetables, then they will get paid.
Not sure if it is the right way but it is the way my mind works.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

I only use mine to clip over grown or headed out pasture, never brush. When acquiring a new field that needs to be cleared we will use a 4-wheeler to pull the mower. I hate using the 4-wheeler but deal with it every once in a while to be safe. I do a lot of clearing with electro net and our flock of sheep, I don’t think we would have any success reclaiming or establishing pasture without the sheep.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Jonathan
The mowers pull very easy. All you are pulling is the weight of the mower on wheels since they have their own engine. I do not think you would have any trouble at all pulling 2 of them. I have seen some fairly large mowers and would think it would be more efficient, and cost effective, to pull one large mower than 2 smaller ones.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

I mow 15 to 20 acres a year with a 48″ DR type brush mower hooked to the forecart. Saw a bunch of Amish doing this over the summer when we went to HPD.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Mark
I think I&J makes just what you are thinking about.
http://www.farmingwithhorses.com/forecart-options
Billy

[Billy Foster]

I have thought about putting a hydraulic pump on a drive wheel to pressurize a hydraulic accumulator to run the hydraulics. Not sure if it would work but may look into it.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Maybe this will help, at least I can say I know what you feel like. I used to race sled dogs, for about 15 years, and won a lot of races towards the end of my doing it. When I first started working with the dogs (early days) I would get frustrated and am ashamed to say I would sometimes take it out on them. I would ultimately feel bad about this but the cycle would continue. I think my training strategy was built around hoping the dog(s) did the right thing, if it did not they would be disciplined. I wanted to do well at racing and certainly the pressure I put on myself contributed to my short fuse. Eventually, after several years, I was so sick of the negative that came with training that I decided I had had enough and wanted to train differently. A friend of mine was using positive reinforcement training so I decided to give that method a try. As you know this method is based on setting the animal up to succeed and rewarding them for it. For me this was a huge success. The dogs responded well and I had a different attitude towards training. Using this method I had a couple mantras that I would use: 1. I am smarter that the dog don’t let yourself be made a fool of by them, 2. The dog never does anything wrong, he does exactly what a dog would do in that situation (George Attla said this). I think the second mantra was what really made the difference for me. When I started using horses on our farm a year ago I have found they respond very well to this as well. Now if the horse does not do what I want it is because I made the mistake, not him. Remember the horse is only going to do just what he would in that particular situation, it is my fault if I did not set the situation up correctly for him to do what I wanted. I am not saying I would never use “negative” reinforcement, I am just saying I work hard to set the horses, or my dogs, up to succeed.
With the horses, as with the dogs, I work on keeping them relaxed. One of my overriding goals for every time I work with them is keeping their heads calm while asking them to do what I want. I would not EVER let the horse have their way but I would spend as much time as needed to get them mentally ready to comfortably do what I say. When they do become stressed I will work on calming them, maybe by just asking them to do something they are very comfortable with. Take that problem situation and break it down into such small pieces that you can get them comfortable with each piece as you build up to where you wanted.
This method may sound “touchy feely” or that I let the horses walk all over me, I promise you this is not the case. I make no excuses for my hoses and have them to use, not to coddle. If something I need to do can be done using horses I am going to use the horses, I do not want to be looked at as fake or a poser. I have horses to farm with and not a farm to have horses.
Take this as you will, they were just some thoughts on what I have experienced.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Marshall
I have had very little actual problem with this either but that has not stopped me from worrying about it :-). My wife and I say that our concern for the details is why so many “things” work out well for us. You are on the right track.
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Oh…also make sure you drop some of that corn off at some of your neighbors houses. I drop some fire wood off to the “old guy” that owns one of the pastures we use, another neighbor gets lamb every year and another I keep the entrance to her driveway plowed out. All for free but I figure it keeps them looking out for me.

[Billy Foster]

Marshall
my experience with this type of person has allowed me to realize they tend to be fairly simple minded and paranoid..Luckily. What I mean by luckily is they can be fairly easily out witted. I have found keeping gates or equipment in plain sight for all to see, i.e., by the road reduces the chances that someone will screw with it since they are at risk of being caught. I would think a fake video camera (having a little flashing light indicating it is on) placed on a pole in the direction of gate or roadway could have the same effect. I am always courteous to these people and never bad mouth them in town, even to others that don’t like them . Often the only “thing” they have is there pride so by all means do not insult it or they will go to extremes to defend it. We are lucky that most of our neighbors like us and let us know whenever a strange vehicle comes around.
Not sure that was an answer but hope it helps
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Jarrod
I tried what you are suggesting with planting spring oats into a “failed” Timothy/red clover planting and ended up grazing the whole thing because it was so polluted with Timothy. The sheep didn’t think it was a failure 🙂

[Billy Foster]

I second the electrified rope for all the same reasons.

Billy

[Billy Foster]

I like that process Brad. Do you dry each bird before vacuum sealing? we were thinking about doing this but wondered how the moisture getting pulled out of the bag would effect the process. how long do you rest the birds before freezing them?
Billy

[Billy Foster]

Excellent.
I have a couple barrels I can use and I like the idea of using frozen milk jugs to keep the water cold.
Thanks guys

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