Getting Closer

Its the beginning of June and the farms are a buzz with activity. Most farms a busy growing corn and soy, cutting and bailing hay and managing their livestock. As of right now I am trying to get our Rhubarb, blackberries, basil and flowers to grow on our tiny residential lot in town. While trying to grow a few plants I have been spending time reading and preparing for our farming future. I am trying to get a grasp on pigs, cattle and chickens through the only source currently available, books. I am currently reading "Everything I want to do is Illegal" and "Grass fed Cattle". Both books are informative and give me a heads up of what I need to be looking out for and some basic principals for pasture based farming.

Every step brings us closer to our goal of farming. About a week ago I laid out a 10 year plan broken down into two year groups expounding on different enterprises, costs, timelines and projected profit analysis. I set up a farming system with the overarching goal of starting and growing debt free. This means owning land may be a few years down the road. However, in the mean time I will start looking for a land owner who is willing to lease us land at a reasonable rate.

Our goal for beginning a land lease is March 2013.

If you happen to know someone who lives within about 15 minutes of Forest Lake, MN willing to lease land to a grass farmer, let me know.

Raising Capital

Acquiring capital for most small businesses and/or farms is as simple as going down to the bank and applying for a loan. However, in my desire for a farm, I will not put undue financial pressures on my family. I really enjoy the way things are right now. The one who brings home the bacon is me and the one who cares for our child is my amazing wife. I cannot find the sense in sending her to work and my daughter to school just to make a few extra bucks to pay off a loan. So I'm challenged with raising capital for my farm without financing everything. So, I will be keeping my family home and being creative about saving.

One idea I have is something I started doing while in Colorado, and now that I have a place to work it is even more convenient. Maintenance and small repairs on cars and light trucks can be a good source of additional income. I can charge 1/3 of what dealerships charge for the same work. I get closer to my goals,  and the person I am helping is pleased they got a great deal on their auto repairs. Since I am already doing this as a full time job at a dealership I already have the tools I need to complete most any job.

Another idea I have is creating a small woodworking shop in my garage making jewelry boxes, music boxes, humidors, mantel clocks, etc. Since I have a serious lack of wood tools I will need to find some tools for a reasonable price. Craigslist is a resource I can use for finding cheap used tools. And I also have Menards just down the road. I do still have the challenge of finding a marketing plan that will get things off to a good start. I believe I will be checking out "Gorilla Marketing" from the local library. And in the Spring/Summer months I will try to get connected to some farmers markets and arts and crafts shows. Until then I will try to get an inventory built up and check into some of the legal matters of what I am trying to do.

This will not make me rich overnight, or at all. My goals are simply to start a self sustaining farm in the Forest Lake area. The name of our farm will simply be Johnson Farm with many headings (example: Johnson Farm Woodworking or Johnson Farm Meats and Eggs). As we go along things will change and ideas will keep coming and going. The main goals however will stay the same.

Raising Bison

Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to raising Bison as a main enterprise. There are farmers that advise not to raise exotic breeds as a main income source, and with the advice from the old is usually the advice of the wise. So my pursuit of bison farming is definitely in the "lets think about it stage".

So, what am I thinking about?

I want to know how my animals are going to manage the cold Minnesota winters. With wind chills dipping down into the -50's to -100's I need to make sure cold weather will not be a problem. Before commercial hunting in the 19th century, Buffalo roamed from Canada's Great Bear Lake (in the Upper Northwest Territories) down to the center of Mexico. So the freezing cold winters and the sweltering hot and humid conditions we are currently experiencing will not slow the growth or production of this great animal. I also want to raise an animal that attracts attention from the public. I want to educate people about bison and how to responsibly steward God's beautiful creation in ways our ancestors never did.

The sad history of the bison. At one time there were bison herds as large as some of americas largest cities. They roamed across the land in such great number it literally made the ground shake. In the 19th century bison ware hunted commercially and endorsed by the US Army in order to force the indians onto reservations by depleting there food supply. Indians were hunting bison as they have for thousands of years. The indians alone were killing about 250,000 per year. Most indians would utilize the entire animal. Commercial hunters would strip the bison of there hides and leave the carcass in the field until all that remained were the bones.

Currently in america there are about 225,000 bison. Most are being raised by farmers that are trying to steward these animals well. This is considered an inspiring comeback from just a couple thousand in 1874 when President Ulysses S. Grant pocket vetoed and bill protecting the bison.

Bison are powerful, graceful, efficient, fast, beautiful and delicious. Far more nutritious than beef, the taste alone is truly amazing and will bring delight to any meal including breakfast.

On a later blog I will explore the special requirements for raising Bison as opposed to beef and how it will all fit together with my pigs, chickens and other enterprises.