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Kyle:

We milk an average of 55 goats from which we produce around 11,000 lbs/year. Kristan and I work full time and we employ one full time person March-October and our employee works part time the remainder of the year. I believe there is a “sweet spot” – a scale at which your farm/business can thrive. Big enough where you can support 2-3 full time people (or whatever your goal may be) and small enough where you can maximize margins. The size depends on your location, strengths, competition, etc. I believe we are at the right size and have not interest in getting bigger. I farm b/c I love it and have no interest in managing people and debt (within reason and to the extent is meets my goals). The woman who works for us does most of the cheese work. Kristan and I prefer being outside working with animals and doing field work rather than working with white coats and hairnets washing dishes in our small cheese plant.

In terms of quality of life, I couldn’t ask for better. We make a comfortable living and do what we love doing. That said, we paid our dues – hard. I worked as a teacher for 10 years trying to put $ in the farm as we grew our business. Kristan managed the farm with 1-2 interns (and me when I wasn’t at school). We built everything from the ground up. Trying times both financially and personally.

From an outside point of view, we “work” hard. For us it is what we do. For 3 months of the year, I have about 2 hours/work/day that needs doing (mostly milking and chores). The rest of the time is mine. I still “work”, but it is stuff I love doing (mostly logging and some telemarking when the snow is good). On the other hand, June to September 60-70 hour work weeks are not uncommon. We have 2 kids (10 and 13). Again they would say we work a lot, but we always have time to shoot some hoops, play a game of cards, go for a swim, and ,yes, go to all of their games (at least one of us). We involve them in the farm and we are around all the time. They certainly see and interact with me more than I did with my father who worked 9-5.

In a nutshell, great life but not easy getting here and it is not for everyone. We have had 4 sets of interns who have started goat dairies – 3 are still going strong after 4 years and 1 has failed due to divorce.

Good luck.

George

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Steve:

I just finished spreading our first 25 loads of compost with our Lancaster spreader. It is an outstanding machine. Gone are the days when we would say a prayer to the spreader God, spread a couple of loads, jam up the spreader, have to unload it with a pitch fork, bring the spreader back to the shop, repair the beaters, bed chain, tensioner, etc., etc.

Now we heap composted manure with loader and off we go. I started spreading 3 abreast yesterday until I bent my neckyoke and then have been spreading with the team. You can spread all day, up and down hills with 3 but a team in good shape will spread a lot of loads.

Lancaster spreaders are made in PA and run about $3500.

George

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Ethan:

Try Ron Cutting in Brattleboro. His number is 257-4832. I know he has a logging cart that might serve as a forecart as well.

George

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I have the same plow for sale if you are interested. You can pm or email me.

George

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Peyton:

I am no rider and my wife and daughter (both riders) regularly make fun of my posture and technique. But I ride my horses daily during the spring, summer, and fall back and forth to pasture. I ride one horse and “pony” or lead the rest. I find it much easier (and more fun) to pony horses rather than lead them. Our horses follow where our goats have grazed and consequently they get a new paddock every evening and then they are in loafing yard during the day. Lots of back and forth.

All the horses are ridden with a halter and lead rope. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of carrying around a bridle going back and forth to pasture. I started driving them single with their halters (not working, just messing around) and made the transition to riding them that way. I use verbal commands and cues from my lines to direct them. It is nice to able to hop on a horse with no gear and go anywhere. I will often trot out to pasture on a horse to gather goats or ride a horse to the woods to mark timber. It is one more use for our animals and I encourage you to stick with it.

Good luck.

George

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I purchased some linseed oil and terp today. I have some pine tar and will mix it in. How do you get the pine tar to blend with the oil and terp? About what proportions do you use? I have mixed linseed oil, terp, and spar varnish in equal proportions in the past.

Mitch, I plan to oil the bobsled and likely just the runners on the scoot. I like the idea of not having to replace the runners in my lifetime, but maybe I am too optimistic. Makes sense to leave the stoneboat.

George

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Tristan:

I like the bent tubing on the front of the go-devil. I imagine that serves as your bumper -preventing your sled getting hung up? How did you get that nice consistent bend?

George

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@mitchmaine 33270 wrote:

but i have used used motor oil and it works great, but it comes out and you will be the same color as the oil if you use them hard enough.

Mitch, can I assume you mean that the wood does not fully take-up the oil after it has penetrated and dried and that every time you pick up the pole you get a sheen of oil on your hands? Do you think it is worth oiling the runners on my scoot and leaving the shoes? I expect to replace the shoes but am hoping the runners will last a lifetime.

George

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John:

I would definitely spring for an actual peavey rather than the “mill favorite”. The peavey has a pick, essential for prying and levering logs, while “mill favorite” does not.

George

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Kyle:

You should be able to train a dog that possesses good instincts at any age. I have trained 2 adult border collies and two pups. They all work(ed) well. A good book on herding should get you started if you are interested in training the dog.

George

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Doug:

I have used a 48″ peavey for a few years and purchased a 36″ peavey this year. My thought was that I would use the bigger peavey on large logs and the smaller on firewood. However, I use the 3 footer exclusively. I have found that rolling logs is much more about technique than leverage and force. Generally speaking, if I can’t roll it with the 3 footer I won’t be able to with the 4 foot peavey. The 3 foot peavey is much easier to handle.

George

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Tim, at least on my scoot, I sometimes have 4 logs on the bottom against my bunks and 4, usually smaller, logs on top (i.e. they don’t rest in the junction between the logs). I get away with this b/c there are less forces acting against the logs compared with a bobsled. My question is whether I can get away with that on a bobsled or am I asking for trouble?

George

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Ok, so I could have put the larger diameter logs on the outside and squeezed a smaller one in between thus providing a nest or depression for the logs on top? Just so I am clear, your top logs do not necessarily need to rest at the junction of the two below them, kind of like a pyramid?

George

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Carl, when you are chaining only 2 logs on your bottom tier against your bunk you use the same chaining system as multiple logs, correct (like the picture below)? This is one of two 20 foot but logs and I chained them both the same way (they did not come off). Also, when you only have two logs on your bottom bunk are you limited to just one one top? I ended putting on a 12′ log on top but wasn’t sure about the dynamics of putting more.
[IMG]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P6M1f0eo3YU/T1krATAG7tI/AAAAAAAABSo/jYa_W_4Qf-0/s800/P1030710.JPG[/IMG]

I found what I thought was the perfect nook to load these large logs. I However, ground skidding those logs made a waterway right into the depression where my sled was parked. By the time I had the load chained down the water and 60 degree weather turned the depression to soup and the horses were up to their hocks. I tried a couple of times to get tem hitched – no go. They couldn’t back up in the muck. I ended up making a little water bar to divert the water and cut a bunch of wood and hemlock boughs to throw in the pit :eek:. An hour later, finally got them hitched and off we went.

Despite the learning curve, I am loving the bobsled. I now understand why you call it the “weapon”
[IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZcG2Gl9GcWE/T1krCBE5nRI/AAAAAAAABSw/3BSbNW3GiB4/s800/P1030711.JPG[/IMG]

George

George

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Here a some pictures of the new bobsled. I ended up printing this thread and sending it to Dwayne Langmaid – the Walden, VT sled-maker. He was impressed by the thought and reasoning and agreed to make a sled with the same basic principals as Carl’s bobsled. I headed up the “mountain” yesterday and took down a load of firewood which is a good half mile skid. Before purchasing the bobsled I envisioned logging this part of my property by twitching to my main skid road and hiring a fowarder because of the steep terrain and long skid. Having learned about the benefits of the bobsled, I figured it would be a good alternative to this plan.

My first load went surprisingly well. I figured the bobsled would be harder to load than the scoot. However, I found it much easier to find small depressions to park the sled because it is so much smaller than the scoot. The first tier of logs went up easily and I got them chained down based on Carl’s directions. The second tier of logs was a little more challanging as my skids tended to roll back toward the back of the load and my log would slip back a bit. I compensated for this by pulling my logs further forward. I really liked being able to load 20 footers on the sled – very difficult to do with the scoot.

The trip down went great. I thought I would have to put on the bridle chains, but the horses seemed to be holding back the load o.k and I left them off. The sled pulled well on the steeps and flats with the load pivoting beautifully on the fixed bunk. I have a good hill leading up to the barnyard where I cut my firewood and had to get after the horses to make it up, they did. More pics of the sled can be seen here: https://picasaweb.google.com/102626207397974443261/Bobsled?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnM5-3ep9qVDg#5717283283848248674

Thanks again to all for the input on this.

George
[IMG]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WzgWKPr46-M/T1fe4ScP8bI/AAAAAAAABSQ/2a6f7I7tlsk/s800/P1030707.JPG[/IMG][IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZZWi8VOixjQ/T1fe2u4NvWI/AAAAAAAABR8/KtqN4mFPtc0/s800/P1030706.JPG[/IMG][IMG]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YTouc0hurTU/T1fenppmqeI/AAAAAAAABQ0/KgcdAa4sRO4/s800/P1030697.JPG[/IMG]

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