[dominiquer60]

Hi All,

4/2/12 Meeting Agenda

1. Approve last minutes

2. Website Commitee- Jen

3. Discuss/edit eNews

4. Membership Committee- Ethan, update on what letters where sent out to where, brochure, logo, etc.

5. Sponsorship- Lets keep at it, choose 4 from the list and have at it. Jen has had some success.

6. Event Promotion- What can we do to get the word out?

7. Newsletter- Erika, Articles/Advertisements due 4/1 Jean will get out to us ASAP for editing rounds. Need more advertising, see if we can get a couple more before this meeting.

Newsletter content
-President- Jen
-Editor- Erika
-DAP.com- Mark
-Perry Farm- Neal
-NE Logging History- Ethan done
-Womans Land Army? Ethan
-Organization Networking- Ethan done
-Spring Wood Bee- short and sweet, emphasize the social and the community building of the event coming up Ed Done
-Doc Hamill- Jen done
-Plowing Tips- Erika done

For Future Issues
Using horses to build roads- Pam
Clinic article for summer issue- Erika

Let me know if I forgot anything or if you would like to add to it.

[dominiquer60]

The most current Comm Comm minutes are here http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?4813-Comm-Comm-Meeting-Minutes

The next meeting falls within the week before the next BOD meeting and minutes will hopefully be posted on 4/3. I will email all when they are posted.

Thanks

[dominiquer60]

Starting small somewhere is a good point of entry into farming. It is good too that you have a trade. I have been working the last 10 years on various farms and have a good feeling for that trade, but in the mean time I have my own business and use it to accumulate start up capital. I now have some knowledge, some equipment and something of a savings account, but am still looking for the right place and man (sorry you are too young:)) It will come in time.

Take every opportunity you can to go to workshops, other peoples farms, conferences and such. I have a couple friends that started farming right out of high school and their biggest regret is not taking the time to visit other farms for an extended time to see what other farmers are doing, it would have taken some of the guess work out of it and given them some mentors to consult with. I hated the thought of “marketing” but with the retail dollar it is important to have a handle with how to interact with customers and how to attract more of them. So don’t be intimidated by marketing it is vital, and if you are lucky your local extension or other Ag organizations will have workshops about this topic.

And as far as that girl, going to workshops and other farm related places and events (or what ever activities you are into), it is the best way to meet someone that has similar interests.

Best of Luck,

[dominiquer60]

“All teamsters need to have their own insurance and we need to have a certificate.”
Just to clarify is this teamsters that are being paid to instruct only? or in the case of the plowing clinic does this include the teamsters that are paying to be there?

If people mentioned are not on the committee can you please use their last names too. I think I know who Ben is, but Bob doesn’t sound familiar.

Thanks

[dominiquer60]

I made some into equipment tongues, but was warned that it rots fast if not kept under cover. A farm that I used to live on had a ton but wouldn’t use it for fence posts because they would rot fast, they cut all the dead ones for fast easy drying firewood, gives off some great BTUs.

[dominiquer60]

Great work Andy! There really is nothing like real work to train steers. I just got home to mine after 7 weeks of working out of state. I fit a borrowed yoke to them on Saturday and put them to work yesterday moving some hay and doing a little work with a chain harrow. They were so good for me, they stood like statues when I went into the house a couple times, and there was no quit in them with the chain harrow. Of course I gave them some good breaks and did not have them out very long. In the end they were breathing a little hard, but recovered very quickly while I groomed them.

I agree about the benefits of a working cadence in regards to effective training. Picking stones, harrowing pumpkins and a break at a headland of a field can provide so much more that dragging dead weight in a circle. However when you don’t have wood to move or fields to work, dragging dead weight to condition has its place to prepare for the real work.

Happy Spring Work!

[dominiquer60]

I am in the same boat Marshall, but I have not germ tested yet. I grew a 120 day in NY, Hickory King a white hominy/grits variety, thankfully we had just enough growing degree days to mature some of the 1000 transplants that I put out. I was rather amazed that they made it at all, I planted them late, never fertilized other than a little fish at planting, they survived a minor drought with no irrigation, a storm cell that knocked over acres of trees all around us, Irene and Lee which resulted in a lot of flooding. I chose from plants that remained upright and from that ears that seemed the most mature and filled out. I will be culling the yellowish kernels for I suspect that they cross pollinated with the field corn, though ours was NonGMO, the next farm over uses GMO seed. My fingers are crossed. I wish you well with your seed corn project, keep us posted.

[dominiquer60]

You can make enough money on a farm to take care of yourself, but you really need to focus on retail dollars, not wholesale dollars. Don’t send a finished steer to the auction when you can make so much more on selling cuts if you have a decent direct market for such products. And if you don’t have a good way to get rid of cuts of beef, make one. The biggest limiting factors are reducing your costs (think grazing instead of buying grain) and marketing. You can do it if you keep an open mind, educate yourself and promote a quality product.

[dominiquer60]

I think that they need to kennel and destroy their dogs!

[dominiquer60]

It’s a Syracuse alright!

There is a before and and after pictures of my 455 buried in this thread http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?2444-Lets-See-Your-Plow!/page5&highlight=show+plow There was a little red paint left, but I went with my own color scheme. The cross brace I believe to be original with a few red paint chips left on it and now a few good coats of Danish oil as well.

We’ll work some thing out. Happy restoration, it’s fun to rediscover well crafted tools.

[dominiquer60]

you are welcome glad you had a good time. Let us know when any other auctions are by posting here 🙂

Happy Sales to You!

[dominiquer60]

I took draft classes in college and after putting 4 weeks into them with a harness we waited for a good snow, strapped on a brain bucket, 2 lead ropes to their driving bridle and a leg up in the round pen. They got it rather quick and we never had a problem with anyone coming off. If owners wanted them to take a saddle we took our time bitting them around a little and they all took to it well.

[dominiquer60]

You are welcome, Ben’s mill is such a classic.

I don’t have the ability to scan right now, but I will be bringing the Plow and the Catalog to the Plowing Clinic at Sam Rich’s in April. If you can’t make it we will work something out. I keep thinking it would make for a good reprint to sell on ebay or through Small Farmers Journal.

[dominiquer60]

Looks good and easy for them, great work.

[dominiquer60]

My friends in NY shut their evaporator down on Thursday, they got as much as they did last year, but the season ended 26 days sooner this year than last.

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