Recent content by Julianna

I think it's a great idea. You can get what you need without breaking the bank. I'm a beekeeper, so there's nothing terribly expensive that I need, but I can see the benefit in pooling money together to buy a combine, a planter, and other equipment.

I'm not sure how small it had to be cut, but I toured an old farm as a kid with 4-H, and they showed us an antique silage blower that was interesting. Today I think most farmers use an elevator system.

I learned a neat trick today from a third-generation farmer who raises pheasants. Do most fowl engage in feather pulling when they're stressed, bored, or sick? I haven't noticed it with chickens, turkeys, or ducks, but maybe it's common and I just haven't experienced it. Of course, the first...

I'll second that one, @kneedeep. Sadly, many articles on farming and homesteading websites suggest that honey bees are easy to raise and great for newbies. When a lot goes into managing bee hives.

Really? I always thought duckweed was bad for the environment. It quickly multiplies and covers the pond's surface. Within a short time it shuts out the light which prohibits photosynthesis and depletes the oxygen in the water and kills the fish. Am I thinking of another plant?

Are you welding? I think you can demagnetize the pipe with a commercial product (degausser) or by heating it to its Curie temperature. The latter will be impossible to do without a furnace. I remember doing a science experiment as a kid where we used a hammer to demagnetize a steel pipe, but...

I grew up using WD-40 as the cure-all for all life's woes. If it was stuck, rusted, squeaking, or needed some protection from the rain, then applying WD-40 was the go-to solution. As such, I've only bought JB 80 one time. I thought it was too oily and I didn't like the way it smelled. It...

Beekeepers, did you lose any honey bee colonies over the past year? How often, if ever, did you have to offer an alternative energy source to nourish the bees either due to the lack of foraging ground or because too much honey was taken?

That's good to hear! I know it won't help everyone, but it's a good starting point and any bit of good news is very welcome at this point.

I think it could be good for training and plotting data to show how things might look in the future. I don't think will ever be a widely used resource though.

Since the stores are running out of supplies, how long will it be before your neighbor is pounding on your door and demanding that you share? How long will it be before you get looted? Normally, businesses are the target, but if they've sold out of everything, then you'll be the target. At...

I'm a beekeeper and a couple of years ago I noticed a shift in farming. People became more concerned about the health and safety of pollinators, particularly the honeybee population. Fewer people were using Roundup and other herbicides and pesticides as liberally as they did before. Do you...

Aren't most people underwater once they drive the car off the lot? The value depreciates immediately, whether you paid in cash or financed the vehicle. Personally, I can't imagine having the discipline and the ability to save up to buy a vehicle, only to turn around and take out a seven-year...

If you plant a variety that's meant to thrive in your area then you'll likely do well. Some people put down straw under the pumpkins to keep them from rotting on the bottom, but it's not an absolute necessity. Gourds are pretty resistant to just about everything, and they're incredibly easy to...

I'm a teacher during the regular school year. I supplement that income by working at the local community college as a research assistant during the summer months. None of it pays well, obviously.