Hobby Farming
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spine=.76” Tips on eco-friendly farm The fun and easy way® to management set up the small-scale farm of your dreams Hobby Farming Hobby Hobby Farming Find and buy rural properties Get along with your Find your own green acres neighbors and live a simpler life Select and maintain Do you long for the country life? This practical guide shows you how to equipment handle all the basics of small-scale farming, from growing healthy crops to Raise and care for animals raising livestock to managing your property. You’ll see how to decide what to farm, provide shelter and utilities, select plants, and protect your invest- Use and preserve food items ment. It’s all you need to dig in and start growing! Avoid common farming Theresa A. Husarik is a freelance writer and photographer who raises pitfalls animals and plants small crops on her ten acres of farmland. Explanations in plain English ” “Get in, get out information Icons and other navigational aids ✓Find listings of all our books Online cheat sheet ✓ Choose from many diff erent subject categories Top ten lists ✓ Sign up for eTips at A dash of humor and fun etips.dummies.com ISBN 978-0-470-28172-7 Cover Image: © Ron_Thomas/ $19.99 US Theresa A. Husarik Getty Images $23.99 CN £13.99 UK ® FREE eTips at dummies.com® House & Home Husarik A Reference for the Rest of Us! Get More and Do More at Dummies.com® Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff! To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/hobbyfarming Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on • Digital Photography • Microsoft Windows & Office • Personal Finance & Investing • Health & Wellness • Computing, iPods & Cell Phones • eBay • Internet • Food, Home & Garden Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. 01_281727-ffirs.qxp 7/1/08 4:12 PM Page i Hobby Farming FOR DUMmIES‰ by Theresa A. Husarik 01_281727-ffirs_2.qxp 12/28/09 3:28 PM Page ii Hobby Farming For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008931635 ISBN: 978-0-470-28172-7 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 01_281727-ffirs.qxp 7/1/08 4:12 PM Page iii About the Author Theresa A. Husarik is a writer, photographer, crafter, fiber person, and animal lover who lives on a small plot far away from the heart of the city. When she is not tending to her brood (which includes llamas, alpacas, angora goats, cats, dogs, peacocks, and chickens), she can usually be found either behind the computer writing something or in the craft room making something. Dedication To Max, for shining his light in my life if only for too short a time. Author’s Acknowledgments Thanks to Charlie for enthusiastically sharing his knowledge of all things farming; to Todd for helping with the parts dealing with animals; to my agent, Barb Doyen, for finding this opportunity for me; and to all the editors at Wiley for helping make this book the best it can be. 01_281727-ffirs.qxp 7/1/08 4:12 PM Page iv Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Media Development Project Coordinator: Erin Smith Project Editors: Stephen R. Clark, Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis, Natalie Faye Harris Special Art: Lisa Reed Acquisitions Editor: Mike Baker Proofreaders: John Greenough, Penny Stuart Senior Copy Editor: Danielle Voirol Indexer: Beth Palmer Editorial Program Coordinator: Erin Calligan Mooney Special Help: Alicia South, Emily Nolan, Connie Sarros Technical Editor: Susan Brooks Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck Editorial Assistants: Joe Niesen, David Lutton Cover Photos: Mike Hill Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_281727-ftoc.qxp 7/1/08 4:12 PM Page v Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: Hobby Farms 101 ..............................................7 Chapter 1: Heading for the Country.................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Before Taking the Plunge: Is This the Life for You?...................................19 Chapter 3: Finding Your Place in the Sun......................................................................33 Chapter 4: Getting Along with Your Neighbors ............................................................49 Part II: Down on the Farm: Getting Your Property in Order ................................................63 Chapter 5: Getting Out of the House: Outbuildings and Enclosures .........................65 Chapter 6: Gearing Up with the Right Tools, Clothes, and Equipment .....................77 Chapter 7: Saving, Using, and Making Power on the Farm........................................101 Chapter 8: Managing and Accessing Your Land and Natural Resources.................115 Part III: Calling In the Critters: What’s a Farm without Animals? ..........................................133 Chapter 9: What Kinds of Critters Should You Get?...................................................135 Chapter 10: Acquiring Animals for Your Farm............................................................165 Chapter 11: Caring for and Feeding Your Animals .....................................................177 Chapter 12: Critter Care: Providing Medical