Prepper to Farmer - The Natural Progression. My Long Term Survival Plan.
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Once you've been prepping long enough, you'll end up farming. It's the only way. Seriously.
Back to Eden (wood chip gardening): • Back To Eden Gardening...
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City boy turned into sustainable farmer
AMAZING 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
This is AWESOME! I roll my eyes at people who say they will just hunt for several years. It's like, yeah, so will millions of others.
Animal husbandry and farming is the way I want to go. Thank you for this video!
I love the investment you've made. Go big or go home they say, you have certainly gone big!👍🏻
Big investment. But mostly in my time really. Lots of work getting set up. 🙏✌️
Speaking our language, we have a real simlair story!
I have a 1952 8N Ford, runs great. I love it :)
My grandmother didn't know there was a Great Depression until she left the family farm for college. Her father only went into town once a week to buy coffee, sugar, & the occasional odds/ends. They had about eight families living & working on the farm, with more than enough food for everyone; however, everyone (even the townsfolk) were still "poor", but fed.
For a city boy you're doing an awesome job!
Awesome,.I agree!
Right on man!!
Love the content brother!
Dean,
a whole video on Irrigation ?
Please DO !
I like your way of thinking and I praise you in your hard work both the learning of and physical work in getting where you are. I’d say you’re a TOP Prepper! More of us need to be this determined to be self sustainable. Again, Awesome Job!!
Thank you. 🙂 My best trait that gets things done might be stubbornness. 😂
Awesome, Im gonna be using that hay bale concept =). Thank you 4 equipment tips too, I feel the same about the bells and whistles. Funny, I am a city boy to from Edy, to Northern Peace and I brought in chips last spring to start my own Eden.
You are an inspiration.
Spent all morning getting a mulberry out of the pond from last night storm... Hard work.. but like you.. I love it too!!!!
You are an amazing person and thanks for sharing your experience with us. Very inspiring.
Great job! Best of success to you and your family
You are living my dream that setback after setback after setback prevented, and now I'm in my 60s and an advanced cancer survivor just trying my best to maintain a relatively small garden.
Always just do what you can. 👊✌️
@@ArkopiaRUclips I do. I'm stubborn, too. 😉
No, you are not the only crazy person out there. Permaculture is the most important way. It's not the way to neverending mass production, of course. Here in Germany farmers are scared by the skyrocking prices of fertilizer. I know farmers producing their own food for the animals: they plant corn, barley and wheat. Need of huge amounts of fertilizer. And they have to buy soy products to make the animals grow in a short time. Mass production for food industry will become a whole mess in the nearest future. So your way is not crazy. I'm a gardener, not a farmer, but I use wood chip gardening for years. To keep my soil fertile, I use self made Terra preta. You can use old hay (if you have some), to make charcoal an mix it in your compost system. It helps to keep moisture in the soil, important because drought is everywhere.
Greetings and my best wishes from Germany. I'm here from Canadian Prepper too and subscribed.
Good planning. Some ideas you may find useful: Do plant some corn+wheat for the humans. Square or round bales each have issues for storage and handling, think through the handling. Round bales tend to waste a lot with spoilage (ok for cows, not for other animals like horses and sheep). Look up the Greg Judy channel for pasturing methods (central water and move the herd every day, not just dump them in a big paddock). I like your antique tractor + equipment use.
Thank you. I’ll look up that channel. We do a block of corn, but haven’t done any wheat. Might be fun to try. 👍✌️
I'm in Canada too, getting back to my roots as well. Building my home this year. Left town got a pig and some birds. Garden growing and going for it. Touch base maybe if you'd like. At any rate take care.
I hear those Guinea hens 😀 good buggers and good alternate food source 👍
But sooooo annoying. 😂
I have had a few neighbors with them over the years. So very annoying but they are an amazing security system as well. Guinea will let you know when anything is the slightest bit off in my experience.
We had turkeys that we free ranged around our farm for a few years. They were less obnoxious but would also sound the alarm if anything was off.
Always love seeing what's going on at the farm, I like your approach to use whats around now before it's gone. Not sure if your land is the whole area in the camera field or not, have you considered putting in some agroforestry/silvopasture lanes for the cows and other animals? It would give you more a savanna type ecosystem which is the most productive one out there, Mark Sheppard has a good example in Wisconsin. I'm thinking things like Mulberry, Apple, Black Locust, Siberian Pea, Hybrid Chestnut, Hazelnut, Korean Pine, etc. would be great fodder, esp for the pigs and goats, but the cows will go for the locust and will quickly make a shade belt in hotter months as well. The book Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture is a great one to look over and its free online.Speaking of cows, I like your idea of growing your own hay to keep input costs down, Greg Judy on YT has great vids on how he does it with the hotwire and daily moving.
Also Bear Independent runs some kind of colder weather cow type ruminant, I know theres some scottish and other breeds for cold climates, even getting an extra month on the pasture would save a lot of recurring feed cost, and they likely wouldnt be as large as regular cows, thats one thing Greg Judy does is keep the weight of the animal down to IIRC, 1000-1200 lbs to limit the impact on the field but at the same time regenerating it with mob grazing. Have you thought of sheep as well? They do a great job on fields as well and arent as destructive as goats/can have a higher density of them for the same imapct as a certain number of goats would have.
I think you're making great progress and going with building the infrastructure in place now will pay off big in future years, having that hay access for low fuel inputs is the jey so you should be in a good position. Cant wait to see what happens next.
Thanks for all that feedback and the resources to look into. Appreciate it. 🙏
Yes, grow soil!!!!
That’s the hard part. And most important. 🙏✌️
Oh yeah, I'm three years in and still put most energy into building soil, mulching and composting, preparing a worm casting production until, etc.
Nice job, cheers from Spain, my plan is almost the same as what you do, but i don't know if i can set up all in time, good luck and stay safe
brilliant! great job!
Another great video Dean , you are truly an inspiration to a lot of people.
I love what you are doing and trying to copy it but for my area in South Central Alaska.
You're not crazy!
You're a Visionary!
Keep up the Smart work!
Very much appreciate that. 🙏✌️
Great video
I've been setting up my debt free place for 9 years. I'm just not finishing up building my house that I built with my own hands and no hired labor at all. I'm not going to have animals for food but do have producing trees and a nice garden. One of the things that I'm planning on doing is a green house like what you've built. I live in the Pacific Northwest.
Awesome. Great work. 👍🙏
I’m living off grid growing food here in the uk got hens and growing vegetables I’m not selling yet though .. I’m getting to a situation first where I can sustain myself and girlfriend off the land … I’ve done the water and electricity and last year we had enough food to not need shopping for over 6 months so this year we’re doubling up and tweaking things … as you say it’s not something that happens quickly.. its something really that evolves over time and I admire your attention to being committed to producing cheaper and higher quality food in a free market, a lot of people these days don’t understand the value of a free market and seem to think it would be better if we all had a shared handful of crumbs from the government, the very ones responsible for most bad economics lol … Anyways your definitely not mad and wishing you and your family great success on your farm and looking forward to the next video 👍
That is awesome. Good work. Yes, it takes way more time and way more effort than we think. I picture someday having a yearly predictable routine. 🙏
@@ArkopiaRUclips I think you’ve definitely hit the heartbeat of the operation with the quality grass/hay … once your infrastructure is in place I’m sure it’s all bout running the operation … here in Wales uk they’re mad on sheep farming and some are better than others at it I noticed pasture is a huge key and breed of sheep the most successful seem to pick the breeds that don’t need heavy sheering yet most farmers here seem to be part of subsidies schemes and when looking at these contracts it seems to be a bit of a scam …. Something I’m looking into right now living in a farming community is an anaerobic digester to produce gas as I think I can get endless supplies of cow dung ..also this year I’ve experimented with growing potatoes in a different way I chitted the spuds then cut them in half to go further then in an area of the field that has bracken I’ve thrown them onto the ground not digging up the ground and buried them in the year old grass cuttings 6inches deep and it’s working very well also adding fresh cut grass on top of this keeps the roots warmer and encourages growth in harsher climates👍
Glad you could join us out in rural Sask Dean. Just think at one time most of the population was rural, a family on almost every quarter section. I listened to countless baby boomers cry about leaving the farm to go live and work in the city because farm life was too hard. Now you know what kind of people are occupying the urban scene. I hope more people feel the conviction to do what your doing. Thanks for sharing your videos.
Love that comment my friend! Love it! 👊🙏
The old Case's were awfully good too. There's one (and a newer Ford) on the farm where I lend a hand, just not as old as some of the one's the old-timers loved. With Back to Eden it's important to note that adding compost is essential. Straight wood chips are more orchard oriented. I do a blend of Hugelkultur, no dig, and BtE.
We can all expect that within a generation or so the grid will go down from a solar eruption topping the Carrington Event, and the very probable next level event will be the seventh rapid onset ice age since the passage of Sholz's Star. The science on this is coming in at an increasing rate. If you go as far as to consider the evidence of past physical pole shifts, you'd probably know you're in a geographically good location. Most of the inner continent is. The study of catastrophism is like any area where disinfo gets rammed in. Gotta dig till you hit pay dirt.
Just keep doing what you're doing. Congrats on 20k. :)
Oh and, after consulting a higher power (30 years without using chemicals), a hay field here needs plowing every 7 years or the weeds win. ymmv.
Prepper, Farmer, business man. Be careful of the circle of life because you will be too old to start over. I agree with almost everything you do and said and with luck and no catastrophic disasters you will enjoy old age.
❤️ Good advice. 🙏
Lookin good….i foresee bio diesel…
you place hay bales on the north side of seedlings?
Very intersting. I might try piles of hay scraped off my spring fields.
The way things are going, I like your strategy. I just wish I had some money for a down payment to do the same thing.
There always seems to be time 👊✌️
In your farm that's impossible be bored, always something to do and I agree for escape from the city for that reason I do almost the same but I escape from my native country 🇮🇹I'm tired about anything right there....
Yep. Get out of the cities. So much peace in the country. ☺️
@@ArkopiaRUclips exactly 💯 % my dream buy before 6 acres of land then the rest. But is so hard with my income. Will see one day!!!
P.S why I'm here in Quebec? Because so much space to be alone and in peace not the same in 🇮🇹
Hilarious intro :) :P
Thank you for sharing. A lot of good ideas. And yes, it is always good to be reassured you’re aren’t the only crazy person.
My question is how long did it take you to get the homestead/farm to this point?
We got bare land 9 years ago now. 2 years to build shop, 1 for house, 1 for greenhouse, then all the other stuff😵💫. Go go go. 😂✌️🙏
Great job. I’m basically doing the same thing in a small way but I’m actually a retired banker and expert on finance. Given enough time to explain, I could teach you that you’re issue is not with govt money printing. Inflation is mostly caused by climate change. You need to join a political party and participate and learn. Very likely you believe PC rhetoric, and it is their policies that hurt you, a small farmer most. KAP and PCs policy helps big agricultural corporations lowers prices of your food sales. They fight against federal programs intended to support regenerative farming and divert the money to big agriculture. Politically your shooting your self in the foot when you could be a great leader and communicator for a better economy - Politically- otherwise your already those things.
Definition of inflation: expansion of the money supply. Prices rising is a consequence of inflation. Prices rising can also be a consequence of weather, war, government policy, price gouging, etc. but expansion of the supply of currency and credit is “inflation”. A changing climate has nothing to do with inflation, and man made climate change is almost non-existent. We have received no grants or funding for any aspect of our operations, which include healthy zero food waste fresh food products for Canadians that reduce shipping by 95%, regenerative farming, tree planting, the greenhouse innovation, high efficient building science, or the cold climate barn I am currently building. Government is the problem, not the solution, for everything. I’m not conservative, but definitely not communist / fascist like Canadian love; I don’t even bother voting anymore. ✌️
Love your channel. So similar to my own philosophy/plan. That greenhouse is hardcore impressive! We've been researching and planning an underground aquaponic greenhouse- bermed into our south facing hillside.
Can I ask about your family/community? Are you interested in incorporating others for help in farming, maintaining, preserving, ie community? Or are you more interested in single family type living?
Great channel, very inspiring brother! Thanks for documenting your journey.
We are currently doing a company and farm company restructuring that will allow us to expand. We will be bringing others into our system as we grow. First is to concentrate on 1 or 2 things that will allow us to pay for help. Soon.✌️🙂 Also restructuring so we can build “farm help” accommodations.
...and I just now saw your video about Community. Very good! It is similar to my own community philosophy with the exception of a little more "extra" infrastructure, equipment and resources co-owned and shared by this group of mostly independent "neighbors". Just that the shared portions are kind of like extra things that aren't essential yet provide additional opportunities. I very much like the idea of a great community balance which includes privacy and self determination as well as communal cooperation. I feel both are needed and individuals should be free to choose thier level of community involvement/personal privacy at all times.
I like where you're going! In a few years time we're going to buy a new property and add some of the stuff I've learned from just watching YT, including you, and lessons learned from our current property on which we are building a food forest.
Had a question about the strawbales with the fruit trees, why do you put them there? What's the advantage?
Great. When the little baby trees were first planted, an old straw bale protected them from the north wind, and even made a tiny micro climate for them. Bales are all on the north side. I could take them away probably now and shred them for more mulch. ☺️
Can you do a video on the details of your drip lines, valves, headers, etc?
Will do. ✌️
What would u take for trade? Looks like u have everything u need. I'm stuck in NYC so will have to trade with someone. BTW, I just watched u help Canadian Prepper build the Bunkie cabin. Obviously, I'm not gonna build that, but fun to watch.
Lots of things I need in trade that have value: baler twine, diesel, egg cartons, fence panels, screws and nails, labour, etc.
May I ask what your approximate farm work : non-farm work time ratio is? I'm in the same mindset as you are, with regards to farm building. Have combined crop/pasture, wood lot and permaculture farm. I also work full time to support the project. Just curious about if you may be in the same boat. My dream is to reduce the off-farm work and increase the on-farm work. Right now I just burn the candle at both ends!
Your farm looks great. Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.
Awesome. Ya, candle at both ends. This spring was unfortunately super busy couldn’t barely get a video out. It is never ending work. I’ve heard “Preppers” talk about afterwards spending all their time growing food…. That is us already now, and you too. But we have to do it, and if you’re persistent, I think mostly off-farm income is in the cards for you and I. ✌️
@@ArkopiaRUclips Yes, grueling work at times. But then there are days like today. Gentle breeze keeping the bugs away and making the trees sway and the leaves shimmer...birds chirping all around. Just finishing up planting the main garden today and loving it! Makes it all worth it. Cheers from southern Onterrible.
I admire and respect your efforts and foresight. I have a few questions. Your farm is set up to be organic so you won't have to rely on petrofertilizer but are you gonna go full regenerative farming? And second, because of your current and well deserved distrust for the current Canadian fiat system will you be accepting Bitcoin for your produce in the future?
We pretty much do regenerative principles already. For bitcoin, maybe we would assist in you converting them to a currency to exchange for goods with bit pay or something. That way I can use the currency to get myself something that has value. I don’t hold any digital tokens though. 👍🏻
Have you watched Gabe brown on mob grazing?
I have not. I’ll have a look. Thanks
You rock brother. I sincerely hope the criminal traitors never "nationalize" your land/hard work. Stay healthy :)
Do you have plans to electrify the vehicles and install large solar/battery infrastructure?
Some day solar panels. A small farm would be a good candidate for some small electric farming equipment, as they become available and feasible. 👍🏻
Are those Guinea’s in the back round
Yes. ✌️
How big is your property?
1/2 of a quarter section. Seemed like lots but wishing it was more now.
@@ArkopiaRUclips thanks, I was looking for a section 👍🏻
@@nickfisherNF That would be nice. It's a lot of land when just getting started, but once set up could be fully utilized
quarter section ?
1/2 of a 1/4 only. Plenty for my methods.
@@ArkopiaRUclips very cool. I had a GF, oh in the 90's, who was from PA. Visiting family, we would drive around, and sometimes see
quarters for sale.
I should have a look how much they are now, just to give myself a heart attack. :)
@@acanadianineurope814 You might be surprised….. Saskatchewan didn’t really fully participate in the massive real estate bubble. 👍🏻
do you have an accent? =P
I don’t know. Might have been talking with the Hutterites too long. 🤷🏻♂️😂
"can't do it out of charity, that doesn't work".... Excuse me young man. But for the vast majority of human history, for the vast majority of humanity? Charity is how their cultures operated. Gift economies are the norm throughout the aboriginal worlds up until colonization. Hell even in the old west there was a whole lot of socialism going on. Farmers working together to break land, but equipment, form marketing cooperatives. This idea that without monetary incentives, the human species would just become fat lazy couch dwellers? Has NEVER been scientifically valid. Autonomy, Mastery of skills, and a greater purpose to our actions are the best motivational forces for humanity. Your own life exemplifies those principals. We would still have people who want to be engineers, inventors, doctors, teachers, etc without monetary incentives. Just as we will always have people willing to farm, merely for the joy of helping ones community. You ask any farmer the question of why he farms? The first thing on that list is not money.
Charity is great, but the main portion of anything is capitalism (doesn’t have to involve money, just production and barter). I won’t last long giving away free chickens and eggs all day long, but I can give away a little. I also prefer to try and make a better quality for a cheaper price, so everyone wins and I can continue to produce. That’s how it’s supposed to be. ✌️
@@ArkopiaRUclips Im an Anthropologist. And I also have a degree in psychology. I can assure you that Capitalism did not exist prior to the 1st industrial revolution. It is actually the 6th time in history that technology convergences has resulted in a drastic change in mans social, economic systems in history. And the reason its falling apart today? Is BECAUSE it is becoming technologically obsolete. It is not going to function in the digital autonomous post scarcity era that is rapidly developing around us. Before Capitalism every man had the RIGHT to be self sufficient upon the common lands, even if he did not own it. And 90% of the society revolved around self sufficiency. Capitalism was designed to take away a persons right to be self sufficient by taking away access to common lands. I should add that is was NEVER voluntary. They literally forced people into their mills and mines. Henry VII changed the vagrancy laws so that anyone not engaged in wage labor was punished by being beaten, dismembered and left to die. The history books do not tell you about the 7 decades of bloodshed and violence that it took to cram this system down the self sufficient peasants throats. But I know you do not understand such because of the crappy education that you received growing up.
The bettering of one’s condition and situation (capitalism) is a natural system. When you bring a government or other power into the equation, it gets in the way of it. Maybe it’s through regulations, taxation, favoritism, or collectivism. This would be referred to as fascism, corporatism, communism, or other things. If I want to get more cows, I could work to grow my herd of cows, giving me more milk and meat and have extra to barter (sell if you want to bring a currency into the system). With more cows I can barter with more people for other things I need or want. If I charge too much for cows, it makes an opportunity for someone else to get into the cow business and undercut me. Capitalism lifts all boats, including the poor. There will always be rich and poor, someone working 10 hours instead of 2. It’s natural. Communism is also natural and works in micro communities like a nuclear family. But the communism micro community engages in capitalism to get what it wants and needs. It’s not a political ideology, it’s just how it works.
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