Barncast 59 -- A Little Broody

I think I learned about you from Zee and Zed, who referenced Cheap Date, which referenced you.

You guys sounded a little down this week.

Any chance of having poll archives?

There is very LITTLE genetic difference between goats and sheep. In fact, archaeologists cannot tell the difference between them in their digs.

Hey JohnG!

We were both tired and we forgot to have lunch. There was serious debate about skipping this week but then can you imagine how long the show would be next week??? ;)

I updated the poll software hoping it would work a bit better. It looks like it can actually do archives now, but then it also nuked all the old value. Maybe before I tear down the old site I'll save all the answer off of it.

Hi Andrew, Hi Misty,

There is a website about agriculture in Indiana that listeners can check out and learn more about farming around the state. The link is: www.hoosieragtoday.com

Andrew, what would be the possibility of sharing the name of the gentleman who you purchased your new beehives from?

Great show this week. On the gardening front we're about 2 weeks ahead of you here in SW IN. We already have lettuce growing in the plant bed at the farm and it should be ready for eating in another week. Can't wait for fresh homegrown veggies!

Goat-Lamb Picture: 'Wow... what a sight.' I can't think of anything else to say about that...

Sherry was really excited about the show this week about Patra's birth and the end of kidding and lambing season.

Hot day, no lunch, tired... We were worried that you might be wearing thin on the podcast thing. Thanks for being troopers, we truly enjoy listening in every week.

James & Sherry (Just East of Seattle)

P.S. - Sherry said you might be able to figure out who the winner of the last poll by searching the previous podcasts... any podcast might do, but she suggested GLF #55... maybe randomly scan it; like 1:49, or maybe 2:12 to 2:13....

Hey guys!

That's a great site DK, we'll make sure to mention it in the next podcast. The guy we bought the hives from is Danny Slabaugh, and his business is Slabaugh Apiaries.

As for the gardening we're always behind. Between the kids/lambs and spring activity we end up starting the garden a bit late. I'm sure John G will have red tomatoes a month before we do.

Hey James & Sherry! Oh we're not getting tired of doing the podcast, it was just a busy weekend and there was even more to do!

I'm glad Sherry was excited about the podcast! It's always fun to hear people look forward to the show. :)

I don't really understand the PS though.

John G,

There's now an archive link on the main page under the poll, or here:

http://geekfarmlife.com/poll-archive-page/

Hi Andrew,

Today our local newspaper ran a story about land prices in Indiana being up 15% due to corn and ethanol plants. At a recent auction in Clinton Co. farm land sold for $5000.00+ per acre. Rent prices have been around $100 - $150 per arce, but rent prices are expected to rise also.

It will be interesting to watch and see what happens with corn prices. An alternative to feeding corn to livestock is soybean hulls. Not sure what availability is in your area, but we have a soybean processing plant here that sells the waste (hulls) to farmers.

Andrew,

Thanks for the poll archive! Excellent job! Yes, you can bet we'll have ripe tomatoes before you, but that is due more to our more southernly latitude than to our green thumbs. However, we had major damage to our Norway Spruce trees during the last ice storm and I burned the boughs in the garden for the fertiliferousness (yes, it is a new word) of the ash. So we will see what effects that will have.

Oh, just yesterday I saw that we have asparagus coming up. There are 12 stalks that that are 3 inches high and we will eat them tomorrow. I don't think we've ever had a mess in March before. I guess Al Gore was right.

Best to Misty and the kids!

Hi Misty, a spinning-related question for you. Do you dye your fibre, or use it 'au naural'? If you do dye, what do you use? I'm about to try some naural dyeing later on in April, after I go to a class (I could learn from a book, but I like spending time with like-minded folk). I love some of the colours that can be obrtained with natural dyes, but don't like some of the toxic mordants, so it's nothing but alum for me. Where do you stand on that? I've just dyed some fibre with cofffee grounds. The picture on my blog really sucks, and the one of the dried fibre that I've just taken is no better. However, in real life it is pale honey - a bit like Tussah silk. I don't think I would use coffee very often, but I think that a fibre with some sheen to it, such as Wenslydale, would look really good. Phew, long comment - well, I can talk for Scotland, after all! Hope you, Andrew and the animals are all well, India

Hi India! First of all, I left some ideas on your blog for how to possibly 'fix' your coffee-dyed wool. :)

I have not done a lot of dyeing. Most of it has been with kool-aid (which works well, but takes an amazing amount of the stuff). Last summer I did make one attempt at natural dyeing. You can read about it there, but it was less than successful. I do have some natural dyes but I have not had / taken the time to use them yet.

Misty - Have you been to what was the Greencastle Fiber Fest? This year it is The Fiber Event - http://www.thefiberevent.com/ April 13, 14 in Greencastle, IN. I know you said that you don't buy much wool, since you have so much of your own, but it's so fun to be in the midst of so many knitters and spinners. The group of knitters/spinners that I play with in Evansville always goes. Maybe we could do a meet-up!

Great show - Kate (who learned of your podcast from Donna K)

Hey India!!!

John G, sorry to hear about the mess in your yard. I use the ash we get from the wood stove in the pole barn. Not sure if it helps or not. Maybe it helps balance all the acid from the manure. Hmm, now I have to go check our pathetic asperagus row.

Dk, dang that's getting expensive for Indiana. Don't tell our assessor up here, our property taxes would go through the roof. :| The soy bean hulls seem really interesting! I'll check into that.

-Andrew

Hey Misty,

I'm with Kate....it would be great to do a meetup at The Fiber Fest!

I do have a spinning question for you - What is the most exotic fiber you have spun?

I have not thought of going to Greencastle. It's a bit of a drive, but it's something to think about. I usually go to Salomon Farms in Fort Wayne every year. It happens about the same time. Are any other listeners going?

This story was in the Des Moines Register today talking about corn & ethanol.

U.S. farmers to plant most corn since 1944 PHILIP BRASHER REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU

March 30, 2007 Add comment

Farmers plan to plant more than 90.5 million acres of corn this year, the most since 1944, to take advantage of soaring grain prices, the U.S. Agriculture Department reported today.

If farmers follow through with their plans, that would be a 15 percent increase from the acreage planted to corn in 2007.

In Iowa, farmers are being a little more cautious, but they still plan to increase their corn plantings by 10 percent this year to 13.9 million acres.

That would fall short of the record 14.4 million acres of corn Iowa growers planted in 1981 when President Reagan ended the Soviet grain embargo.

The USDA report, which is based on an extensive survey of farmers that is conducted every March, has been widely anticipated by everyone from farmers to ethanol producers, farm equipment manufacturers, food processors and government officials.

The price of corn is at 10-year highs as farmers try to fill the demand from the nation’s growing ethanol industry.

The increase in corn acreage means that farmers will plant less land to soybeans.

In Iowa, farmers expect to plant 9.2 million acres of soybeans this year, down from 10.2 million in 2006. Nationally, soybean acreage is expected to fall from 75.5 million last year to 67.1 million in 2007, a drop of 11 percent.

Iowa typically leads the nation in production of both corn and soybeans.

Thanks ValerieC!

That's a little scary to see the amount of soy beans planted going down. They use that as a rotation crop with corn. Normally it's 2 years of corn, then one of soy beans. I wonder if that extra corn planting will be sustainable in the long run.

Hi Misty and Andrew,

Got a couple of things for you.

I've been listening since the beginning. I found you after your second podcast by googling farm podcasts.

About the ethanol thing. Here's an interesting article about using citrus to produce ethanol. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/04/ethanol_from_ci.html The nice thing about that is that it would take what is already a waste product and turn it into something useful.

The greenhouse. When I was a kid my mom had a greenhouse. She had it built so that the back wall had shelves that were high enough to hold milk gallon containers (the plastic ones). She filled them with water and some sort of dark dye (ink?). During the day they absorbed the heat and at night after she put down the shade cloth they gave off heat to keep the greenhouse heated. Just one idea for you.

:;; I am really thankful to this topic because it really gives useful information '~"