Buying Cheap Land - You Need Way Less (or More) Than You Think
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- čas přidán 11. 01. 2024
- Here's how I've been purchasing relatively cheap land since I was 17 years old. I have discovered that you need a lot more land and infrastructure than you think to raise livestock but you can also grow enough food for you and your family on a lot less acreage than you think if you focus on fruit, nuts and vegetables. What I didn't mention in this video is that I've witnessed, three times in the last decade, farmer friends selling off their herds because hay and grain was too expensive or not available due to drought in various parts of the country. Based on the snow we've received in the middle and mid eastern part of the continent so far this winter, 2024 is going to be another drought year with low production of hay, grain and maybe other food crops.
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My mission on this channel is to help YOU and your family live your dream life so you can become more self reliant, happy, fulfilled and prepared for challenging times.
You can expect to hear more about the way I live, how I got into massive debt, how I got out of it, what drove me to live the outdoor lifestyle and how I'm more prepared than ever to weather the storms of 2024 and beyond. I answer your questions, I interview people who are living unconventional lives, I try to inspire and motivate you to pursue the life of your dreams, I give you the tips I used to live my dream life and I reflect on my own life - past, present and future.
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Since you never answered how much land people actually need, le me suggest that 10 acres is what people should aim for some privacy, a small homestead and place for garden. I would highly suggest to choose a maple forest with basswood, has it is fertile and you can do maple syrup, which is quite popular and will always be. This is the path I have followed with great success.
Having lived in 10+ suburban rental properties since we got married (including to New Zealand and back again), and being screwed by the Covid lockdowns, my wife and I finally bought a 52 acre property in Tasmania last year. It’s completely changed our life. We finally have our own space with room to produce our own food and become self sufficient.
Isn't Tassie pricey? Better than here in Sydney but prices seem steep
It depends where you buy. Overall Tassie is still relatively affordable. We bought near Launceston which is cheaper than Hobart. We’re on 52 acres only 8 minutes from the CBD and paid less than the average house price. This was feasible because we bought in a less desirable area. We have a 3 bedroom house with a deck, several sheds, 200sqm glass house, creek, and an olive grove with 100 fruiting trees.
@@jamesross2373 thanks, 😊
52 acres , wow that’s a lot of land 👍
I started over six years ago at 61 years old. I'm on 10 acres on the S. Cumberland Plateau. The soil is acidic and pretty poor and thin with areas of really large hardwoods. It's been a lot of work developing a productive growing area. I use most of the same methods as you. I'm not yet totally self sufficient but getting closer. I have goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits. I only raise enough for my needs and occasionally sell excess. I started raising corn and put up hay last year but not enough for the whole winter. My birds are barnyard mix so they reproduce and forage for a lot of their own feed. Yeah, there is a lot that goes into being self sufficient.
It's so great to read such a comment. I also believe that independence is above all
You are so right about raising livestock. For livestock to produce they require a minimum of 5% of their bodyweight in quality feed per day. I have 16 layers and my COST is $6 per dozen. I have a small goat dairy herd that averages around 30 head. About half the goats are dual purpose meat and milk. My COST for milk ranges from $13 - $18 per gallon depending on how many I'm milking. For the goats and chickens combined I spend around $1000 a month on feed. We do sell some goats. We supply all our dairy (milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, kiefer, etc), meat, eggs, and make all our cleaning soaps. I have approximately 10,000 square feet of garden. We do it mainly for enjoyment and quality of life. We have about $75,000 dollars in materials in infrastructure I supplied ALL the labor to build. We started 9 years ago and I can't even imagine starting fresh today at 70 years old. Start as young as you can with a well-developed plan. Thank you for all the good advice you give!
I thought i was missing out on raising live stock living on a sailboat. But this was liberating. I have free fish for life. Catching them is still work.I prefer beef 10 times more. Thats why i have 3 freezers on a 37 foot boat
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FYI Shawn, 407 videos this channel and 621 videos on MSR, you've done in excess of 1k videos. I thought 4-600 seemed low, I watched what feels like more than that.
That doesn’t even include the ones he’s putting on Patreon that he can’t put on here. It’s amazing what he’s able to do.
Shawn, enjoy your videos and I'm not in a position of living off grid. I'm a 70yr old single woman, no kids and depend of SS and a small disability check and an oxygen machine that helps me survive. I guess I'm living with the least amount of money possible because I have to. After watching you for several years now and listening to you, I find I'm beginning to be OK with my situation. You are such a common-sense kind of guy and explain off-grid life in such a way that people really need to listen to what you have to say! With all the hype and grandiose ideas people have about living off-grid, you make it sound so real about what it takes. Most can't get out of bed to do the dishes much less build a log cabin with their own hands as you have done! With that said, I just wanted you to know there is a huge amount of people who watch you knowing they cannot do what you do and who watch you anyway! You are so admired and loved because you inspire and make us want to do better! Thank you for all your knowledge, sharing your beautiful family and showing us Callie! We love you so much, take care of yourself and just want to know if you ever worry about Sasquatch? Teeheehee!
I started watching you when you started building your old cabin and I'm still hooked and truly love watching you build and grow your own food and be able to survive without any help from the government 🙏❤️
Thanks Shawn I hand dug my piers and foundation. I bought property few years ago. Now at least here in Michigan there is not much for sale in the U.P. at good prices. Building an offgrid passive solar cottage for retirement. The springs we found walking the property was a selling point. Was able to put down a flowing point well towards the springs. I have 15 kinds of wild berries and cherries, service berries and apples. Been using acorns and rowans for bait to help habitat too. We planted wild rice, asparagus, domestic strawberries, rhubarb, walking onions, ramps, potatoes, and brassicas with good results. We have honey bees in Lazutin hives with bear armor. Built hugelkulture mound gonna try my Astronomy domine sweet corn this year. I have to put spongy wood in bottom of my holes to catch water. Unless down by the fen. Then need extra green carbons the sundew and pitcher plants say it lacks nitrogen. I am improving habitat for wildlife and humans. I have fisher cats and red squirrels. But would like more deer and bear. Need to build a sugar shack and get inspected to sell produce from property. Where the ferns grow 6 foot tall are great growing spots if plants can take the moisture. Areas of ferns are less acidic. I use the bunching ferns for green carbons at bottom of holes. I would like to increase grouse habitat also. I know what it takes to build log cabins and timber frames with a crew. So doing it alone is a great challenge.
Great description. Lots of activities.
You probably know already that you can eat fern, at least parts of it, "fiddle head".
You don't take the stove burner off when cooking it runes you pots and pans and blackens them.
I cooked on a stove like this at our cabin for over 30 years. God Bless. thank you for sharing your adventures. Love it.
On the livestock thing, you're right and you didn't even mention the constant care they require. Vet bills, etc.
Yep. The calves need a couple vaccinations, mineral, salt, vet bills (infrequent but must budget), water & constant watching...I do it to keep a family farm going & in an uncertain future it could be very useful...but it isn't about making much money in general
In 1985, I built my cabin on an old lake bed, pure sand. It looks like yours, spouse, and Balsm, & white pine. Mine was a potato farm 100 years ago so they grow in the sand. I dug a 28-foot well by hand because the sand was so easy to dig! I live in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. All the food I grow is in raised beds. I add manure and compost to every fall and other stuff, but I get quite a lot from them. Hazelnut? Wow, I will try planting that since we have similar weather.
I know it costs me as much to keep chickens for eggs as it would to buy them. But, they're automated rotivators. Pile up all your garden waste along with their bedding and they'll make compost for you to build your soil. That's the value of chickens for me.
We raise 4 cows on 10 acres, that is pasture and hay. However my great grandfather homesteaded the area. The biggest challenge is irrigation!
Hey Shawn. I learn so much from your videos. I would really like to buy some land. I am roughly three years away from retirement, so that is definitely a goal of mine. Love both channels! *Take good care of you and feel better.*
So,... I guess its stimi checks, EBT cards, and soon cbdc app for me !!!
On a serious note, grew 200 lbs + potatoes on 6x18' plot this year using modified Ruth Stout method. Thanks for honest input on food production.
Wow our Minonites sell their eggs here in west Tennessee for 2.50 a dozen.
Its true about the eggs. We had 8 birds and feed them strictly scraps. They grazed on glover and grass plus all the bugs in the yard. We got 1 bag of feed per month to supplement any lack of food. $14.00per bag at that time. 8 eggs per day 240 eggs per month. Friends had the same but they weren't free range and were fully fed feed from the store a bag every 2 days = $210.00 for 240 eggs. It was not worth the effort spent on it for them.
Bartering and trading are excellent ways to get food, product's, services, etc. Governments aren't happy about it because they cannot tax the transactions. However, taxes provide us with improved roads, utilities (for those who rely on them), and other service's. Being self reliant could be quite a stretch for some folks, but trading and bartering are a good start.
I think I'll just keep getting my eggs at the grocery store....and watching you Shawn!!....I even have fake grass on my balcony!
I love listening to you. I have an acre. But I don’t wanna raise animals. I do have the ability where I live to do it. But I would have to buy the feed and that’s too expensive so I share with the kids I watch the specials in the stores. We have a farm that grows vegetables down the road only one in this area. So I get things from her and she is awesome about explaining to me how to grow things and to others. So I have some raised beds, I’m still trying to bring up those raised beds where they do better. And this is all new to me. I always ran a company and had employees but you understand all those kind of things. And I’m 75 years old as of the other day, so some things, I can’t physically do, but I am doing things that I do know how to stretch a penny really well from the old days you learn these things. Family gets a half a beef. We might be getting a whole beef this time and it’s coming from another state and we go pick it up. Put it in freezers. And I know that I’ve cut the bill by the way I purchased things I always watch the sales. I probably knocked it down at least $50 a month or more. Now for just me I could eat really cheap but there’s a whole family so I look out for them also cause they do most of cooking and they look out for me when I’m not feeling well make sure the food gets to me and everything so we’re very close Within a half a mile of each other so so I don’t want to clean up behind chickens and I would have to buy the feed so all is good
You can grow black soldier fly larva pretty easily and cheap and have steady supply of high quality food for your chickens
Everything is a trade off. Where you are matters most - because if you need to be close to an urban center, then you have to become much more modest. If you have no ties, you can get more land in the middle of nowhere, including with better resources. And if you are dedicated, you pay attention, you can sometimes force yourself to be in the right place at the right time, and get better land than you might otherwise be able to afford. Key is being ready to act, and ready to compromise.
Original township lots in much of Ontario lake country were 20 chains by 50 chains and 1 chain = 66 feet resulting in a lot size of 1320 feet by 3300 feet.
Very interesting.. ty
Question ? Now how do you say self reliance. Would you be where your at if CZcams or any platform like it was available for you or any others doing the same. These days you need some kind of income no matter what. Taxes , stuff you can’t make or grow. Now bartering how many people do that do this other than a farmer or other homesteaders. We are homesteading we have chickens ducks we hunt and raise pigs for our own food. But we still have to buy feed. Please don’t think that I am trying to be negative, we love your channel and the work you do very much keep up the awesome work 🎉🎉🎉🎉
My uncle used to speak highly of his free-ranging seven goats; until the year he bought his new self-propelled Versatile swather and the darn goats ate off the spark-plug wires from the engine. A week later the goats were never seen again.
Spot on analysis of raising healthy livestock in most places. Our experience is identical. But I encourage everyone to do what they can to become more self sufficient. We're in New Jersey where being off grid is illegal - water, electric, central heating and septic are mandated by law but we still live for a fraction of what most people live on with our 1/2 acre garden and15 acre woodlot. We do raise goats, but strictly in order to qualify for reduced property taxes - something that would not be necessary or financially sensible in a low tax area.
Illegal to live off grid!?!? That is our whole goal. I would have a plan to move....wishing you much success.
I had no idea it was illegal there.. well anywhere for that matter. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised unfortunately.
That sucks.
Glad you guys are making it work though. Goats are fun!
Something I have been pondering over, is how many advantages modern homesteaders have with the sharing of knowledge, skills, and tools. Knowledge of scientific agriculture, companion planting, ecology, nutrition, engineering, building, medicine...Things our ancestors just didn't have such comprehensive access to. We strive to become modern day renaissance men and women.
I've seen amazing land plans for small acreage that maximize every available inch for the desired uses. That planning is the key, as I hear you describe what you've done and plan to do. Going in half a**ed is something I think far too many people do.
I remember reading about homesteads in the 17 and 18 hundreds and one thing I remember them mentioning was growing beets, turnips and parsnips for animal feed. They eat the greens during the summer months and then they dig them up and feed them the roots during the winter, If it was a hard year, the farmers ate parsnips in the winter. They could also store the roots where they were in the ground during the winter. Don't know if it would work for you (I have never done this) but i do remember reading it, so something to look into.
If you have the space to grow beets, turnips and parsnips, wouldn't it be just as easy to grow hay or grain in that space? Does it take alot more grain and hay as far as calories than the root veggies you mentioned?
@@mudwellies1 I could be wrong but I think processing hay and grains is a lot more labour and you risk it going moldy if it's not dried/kept dried properly. That's why they now spray wheat with glyphosate before harvest so it all dies and dries faster.
Hi Shawn, I'm sure with all of your experience you've come across JADAM Korean Organic farming techniques.. However if you haven't or for other who haven't, It truly gave me a lot more options that are very easy accessible and straight forward to help with improving the soil and building the soil life and network. Very simple fertilizer is a whole fish in a bucket it doesn't matter about aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, at the end of the day all bacteria is good. With your access to lakes you can have a self sustainable source of additional nutritents and micro nutrients to build your soil.
I find it refreshing to hear honest and realistic appraisals of what it really takes for people of modest financial means to live substantially self-sufficient "homesteading" life styles. 👍
Love the life style. We have a cabin on 150 acres, although if you seen it you would say that’s not a cabin. But we do harvest 4-6 deer a year, take some squirrels & have about 1 acre pond with bluegill, bass & crappie. Not much for birds anymore,but we do have wild turkey and a decent cottontail rabbit population, just an occasional woodcock. We’ve got quite a few Yotes & bobcats in the area to compete with, and the cats are protected. As I said before, love the channel!!!!
Fascinating! I'd haul in a truck-load of haybales and keep mulching with them. I am astounded at how fast they build soil. Pity there are no nearby cattlefarms that you could haul manure from...
Also comfrey planted around the fruit trees, It fertilizes as it dies down each year, but I doubt it could stand such winters...
Love and gratitude from South Afrika.
Grate ginger root for the best cold-clearing tea
I basically have the same problem as you don't have enough productive land to sustain myself so I just try and improve the soil quality and let the wildlife stay wild and safe 😊
I really appreciated this video. My family has 75 acres in Wilberforce. My Dad bought it in 1969 and I grew up spending my summers and occasional winters there. My kids have "left the nest" and my wife and I have been discussing and trying to form a plan to live there and be self sustained. There's no hydro running to the property. The cottage has deteriorated because no one has been there for almost 15 years, the only thing that is still inn great condition is the underground spring well. After watching this video I realize that we have had dreams and of grandeur. We do want to make it a reality and your videos seem to be a great place to start with devising a proper reality. thank you for sharing and all you do. Rob & Sabrina.
I am enjoying the new video format and focus for the channel. The details and context are valuable. Thank you. As a long time viewer you have built a beautiful life for yourself and your family. Congratulations. I believe there are more people looking to learn from what you have achieved and want to recreate it themselves than you might think. Living in a cabin you built and working everyday to manage the forest and tend to the gardens would be a meaningful and rewarding life. Good luck in 2024.
Interesting Shawn. Clay dust comes to mind for retaining nutrients. Perhaps you have a local quarry to get a 10-20ton load then sprinkled liberally but evenly to prevent balling up and to allow it to perculate into the existing sandy soil. Digging it in may help.
Here in the Tipperary Mtns we create compost made of 50% collected deciduous leaves that need to be raked up to prevent mud on the lane etc and 50% fresh cut grass from our meadow both mixed well. The initial high temprature it creates kills weed seeds from the garden, usually. Worms move in when temp declines and we compost all kitchen waste - this compost is pure treasure!
Your work is a credit to you, you aught be proud of your fine accomplishments but of course the work never ends, it's ongoing.
If you have Chaga I'll buy it, got some before, finest of gear! My e.mail is on my channel.
Best regards from a canadian builder living in the emerald isle.
💖🙏💫
The soil, here in the San Luis Valley (surrounded by the San Juan mountains and the Sangre de Cristo range, is so alkaline that I have to add acidifiers to our garden. The altitude here is 7664 feet. Pretty cold here, too, with a long winter. As I write this, I'm wearing a jacket, LOL. We have a very short growing season, here, but I have built grow beds inside the house to start plants- that starts around February and I can plant outside between the last of May or June for things like brassicas, etc. Very short season here. Much respect for what you have achieved there.
Hi, I’m from the Valley but currently live in Florida. When my wife passes (she is 85 & has Alzheimer’s). I'm moving back to my house and property in Conejos County. I’ll be using solar panels and batteries for electricity. Yes it gets cold there and the growing season is short. Grandma always said we couldn’t plant the garden until Memorial Day. A greenhouse helps jumpstart the process. I’ve been watching Shawn’s videos for a few years. Great information.
@@billm5433 Hi, Bill, I've been thinking about making a large straw bale greenhouse with a rocket mass heater in the center of it. I've seen people building with straw bales and they drive rebar down through the bales into the ground to stabilize them. I would lay 2 by 4 boards on top of the bales (or 2 by 12s) anchored to the bales somehow, and use lime plaster on the bales. I already have a smaller greenhouse frame, but I found out the plastic cover didn't last very long, and I soon ran out of space for plants. The straw bale greenhouse would go up fairly quickly, I think, and we have a source for good tightly packed straw bales that the farmer will deliver. The most expensive aspect of my idea are the cost of the plastic panels to put on the upper frame, so we shall see. I'm a gal that's only four foot nine, so some ladder climbing will be in the mix, lol. So far, it's all in my plans, but I have seen a lot of homes built out of straw bales, so why not a greenhouse? Can't do anything for a while due to cold and snow, but I hope someday to achieve this. It's good to hear from someone from the San Luis Valley. I'm sorry to hear about your wife's illness. You'll both be in my prayers.
@@SolaceRadioMeanderRadioNetwork plaster inside stucco outside
@@justthink5854 thank you!
@@SolaceRadioMeanderRadioNetwork than you for your prayers.
I think that building out of straw will work for you. Be careful concerning how windy it gets in the Winter and Spring months. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
It is nice to hear you talk about the past of the land and the soil.
We recently purchased a 160 acre Hay farm. 100+ set for Hay. 20 + acres woodland. The rest is cross fenced pasture. We will be haying square bales, mostly for the Horsey folks.
We will be growing a grain crop but will look around too see whats being grown locally here in Central Alberta.
@ShawnJames1 a closed-loop system for livestock is very doable. If you can get *white mulberry trees* to grow, that will be fodder for *rabbits*. Use the rabbit manure as cold compost to regenerate your soil, liquid fertilizer/plant-pest repellant and *biogas* for a stove and hot water heater. Additionally, use the manure to build a *worm bin, meal worm bin and black soldier fly larvae* to feed your chickens. Use the *chickens* for eggs and meat. Burn all carcasses from the rabbits and chickens to create *biochar* for the soil or feed the carcasses to your dogs, or tocompost into your biogas system.
Jack Spirko has a two-part seminar on the topic. Once you have the forage inputs for your rabbits and biogas/biochar for the waste the loop is complete. 😊
@JackSpirko has a two-day presentation called "Apocalypse Proof Feed Store Freedom by Nick Fergusen" that is a deep dive on closing the loop away from depending on the feed store for livestock inputs
SHAWN & OUR CALI !!! Got the computer fixed wifi going again !!! I told people if they raise cattle to grow feed for cattle also other than what you are going to use !!! Cows for milking is different as when they are going to calf then they are down for awhile calf gets the milk !!! Got to think that way !!! You have a great head on your shoulders Shawn !!! Keep on going you are needed with all of us !!!
"La source de toute la misère du monde est de ne penser qu'à soi. La source du bonheur du monde est de penser aux autres."
Shantideva Shawn Je suis très admirative sur tout votre travail, vos connaissances, votre courage, votre ténacité..je reviendrai sur vos vidéos, mais je suis crevée, plantations de fleurs dans un nouveau lit, avec " mon terreau" je suis très fière, recouvertes de petites branches, de feuilles mortes, comme dans les sous bois!!..il faisait un magnifique soleil, malgré le froid...good very good..bon weekend🌱
Good video. I think the other reason not to get a ton of land is to keep the property taxes down. All good points about bartering, use your land to get out of it what it does best and if that's berries then grow a ton of berries and barter those for eggs and meat and fertilizer etc,.. If you have a lot of pine trees and very acidic soil then one of the best animals to get to clear and convert that is actually bison. Bison eat pine tree shoots and will turn your pine forest into prairie after a time.
Love your channels and your take on all these things. Thanks for all you do from Utah!
Irrigating your garden shouldn’t be too problematic. Get a tank, (IBC tote, perhaps) throw a mesh bag of limestone in it and pump your water into the tank after you’ve used it and let it sit until you need it again. That should neutralize the acidity, though adding lots of char will help, too.
I started watching you when you had just started building your cabin on the old property. It is because of you that my husband and I have so much properties to choose from here is Texas. What I mean by that is, you opened our eyes and educated us to look at properties that many people pass on.
We are so excited for our future because you changed our mindset!
Thank you for putting out such amazing and honest content!
Look forward to many more videos!
God bless you
Much respect from Ft Worth, Texas 🤠
Great video Shawn. Listening to you talk the best way is at the end of this video if you are a hunter or know a hunter. Is to improve you land for the target species; deer, moose, ducks, geese and grouse. They will manage themselves also help them with predator protection so you can harvest the species. Thanks.
We just had warning over the phone that the power might go out and it’s been -30 to almost -50 at night . I’m in central Alberta. Crazy things are happening. I just bought a ban saw mill a few months ago . I’ve been watching since your you tube beginning. I believe in what you’re saying. Thank you
Single malt scotch. A shot a day kills the germs.
If anyone is wondering. An Acer of land is approximately 300x150 or Roughly the size of a Football field. so if you had 100 acers of land that would be MASSIVE. Over 4 MILLION square feet. If you are wondering its Roughly 1000 wide 4000 long. Keep in mind a MILE is 5200 feet so almost a mile of woods. That might not seam like a big area let me say it IS. MOST folks wont ever see 75% of 100 acres... They only have reason to see 10 of them unless you are a farmer and need to get to fields to have a garden.. I think location is MORE important then MASSIVE acers. Yea having 100 would be amazing keep in mind that the land is only 50% of the cost of a project no matter what it is. so if you spend 200k on 100 acers and you only have 50k left to progress the project thats a BAD way to go. I would look for 50 acres spend 150k and have 100k to get set up... 50 is a HUGE amount. I bought 2.5 about the best location I have seen in a LONG time and its amazing. Dead end road. 1 person lives on this road. Surrounded by 1000s of acres of conservation land. The only person on the road is 2000 feet down the road so its super quite. Lakes all around me I have 5 different lakes in 10 minutes any direction.. The biggest issues with doing this is the towns. Some towns will NOT allow this. Some towns wont allow ANYTHING. No campers No trailers No sheds or outbuildings. No shelters NOTHING. You first need a residence then you can have other things. There are so many Rules Regulations Zoning Restrictions ect ect ect... Most towns wont allow off grid or homesteading. So NEVER assume you can buy land and build a cabin. IF you dont belive me look around on youtube for all the people getting shut down because the towns said they cant live in a cabin or a trailer or a shed or a tiny home or a moblie home. The towns want you to build a BIG house and pay BIG Property taxes... A tiny home... They wont value that so they cant collect as much... Do you really think the town folks care if you live in a tiny home or a 6 BR 5000sf house with 4 bathrooms and a HUGE garage. NO... They only care about tax dollars.. They have all these rules so you HAVE NO CHOICE but to hire a contractor and let them do all the work so you stay in CODE. Code says this code says that the towns building inspector will be out here to make sure EVERYTHING is CODE. This keeps folks from doing what has been the norm for the last what 200000 years... Build your own home. You cant.. The town can come in and tell you it needs to be REMOVED because its not up to codes or regulations or building requirements... They have the power to remove you from your land and have you arrested... So before anyone thinks like Shawn James and wants to set up a homested there is a HIGH chance its NOT allowed and restricted from being possible. And if you decide to take the chance to do it and put it on youtube be prepared to be reported from trolls that want nothing more then see people get shut down and because there life is worthless they try to screw up others. Ive seen that on youtube to tooo many times.
The required permits also generate revenue for the local government. It’s not enough that they want to see everything done correct to code but a permit fee is always assigned to it.
What jacket do you have on? Looks like a Barbour maybe? Would be great to do a video on clothing and good hard wear gear?
See description for links to clothing.
I appreciate the balance in your approach to self reliance and being real about the misconceptions of raising animals sustainabley.
Youve lived an awesome life Shawn. Wish i couldve had the ability to do what you have done
Everything you have done is absolutely beautiful, Shawn. I can’t stop watching the videos. Very mesmerizing …the talent you have. WOW. Thank you.
Im not allowed to have livestock under 10 acres here in Gravenhurst. Id like to go north more into an unorganized township but would like to be south of North bay. One day I hope. Cheers
Shawn, you're a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing your journey over the years.
Ok, dream crushed, thank you for that 😂. I keep backyard chickens so I know that it's not a very profitable scenario. I do love how far I can stretch a bag of feed by taking the time to set aside all of the table scraps. Seems like a great trade for the eggs that we receive and I can't put a dollar amount to the value of the impact these experiences have on my young kids.
I have an off grid cabin on 1 acre. I have 1500w solar with 900 amp/h batteries. Lots of fire wood ready to. I'm lucky to have gardens close to the river with a solar powered timed sprinkler system. I love it. Next summer I'm building a 12 x24 extra building, I have 640 ft of rough white pine ready to go from a massive pine I had to cut. I have watched your show for years. I have also had issues with neighbours but with any luck that's behind me. Thanks for doing this.
To improve the soil mainly uses composted organic matter and manure. And collect your urine, to spread it diluted 1/5 in the watering water. Lastly uses lime to rectify the acidity (before planting or sowing crops)
I have 2 Kinder does and I am learning about tree hay. You harvest branches in the summer and you store them and let them dry to feed in the winter. Also, I saved a bunch of leaves in totes and they are dry and my two girls eat a bucket a day. The tree hay may drastically reduce alfalfa hay. Also, I bought a 7 tray fodder system where you plant barley in trays and rotate them and feed the chickens and goats that. I haven't set it up yet but want to see if that makes a dent in the feed cost. You don't have to feed any grain to goats even if they're lactating. Some milk is better than no milk and I am making all my own yogurt, paneer cheese is delicious as well as goat milk ice cream. I have only 3 hens and have plenty of eggs and read it is not good to keep less on chickens to keep less than 3. I sprout their grain and let them on property during day and lock up at night.
I have heard that if you hang bars of Irish Spring soap on the trees, the deer will not bother the trees/bushes.
Parsnips would be close to potatoes for caloric density per square foot, and they would be a great fit for your sandy soil because they would be able to be planted somewhat more intensively than usual (less risk of compaction).
We sell $5:00 /dozen brown and colored eggs. We sell enough to cover feed and feed dips in Spring Summer and Fall when they free range outside all day. Our own eggs for us and family don't cost us. It's break even but our own eggs plus some. Organic feed $30 a sac. We buy alot less in other seasons but feed and meal worms and scraps are main staple to get them through the winter.
I agree with you on livestock, you might get away with having a small (about 4 or 5) flock of chickens as they do a secondary job of keeping down the insects and other things. I mean egg layers, not the meat birds as I don’t care for chicken meat that much…
If I want it bad enough, I will get it from my local meat market…
You can also raise rabbits as well since they don’t require a lot of food, just green scraps to go with the pellets you give them. You can also grow sprouts like alfalfa or others to give them in the winter months…
You have a lot knowledge. The pwrfect CZcams channel . Really .
You could grind the fish bones for the chickens, they also eat lentils and peas. I think you could grow feed for them?
We have had laying hens for 7 years and have raised meat birds. My point is that when crap does hit, we will have eggs and chicken meat. Yes, you can barter, as we trade eggs for beef. But we have the security of knowing we will always have eggs. I know it is not economical to pay for the feed, even though ours do free range most of the year, we still have to feed them grain. We also are feeding other family members, our adult children and grandkids, with the eggs. So for us, I know it doesn't pay to have the laying hens, but WE WILL HAVE EGGS when people who don't have chickens won't have eggs. I hope you understand my point. I love watching your channel and everything you do. I am gleaning as much as I can from you.
great video, thanks again Shawn, hope you feel better soon, rest up with your cold. take care. Tish from Devonport, Tasmania, Australia. 🙂
je suis contente de vous retrouvez, car cela fait très longtemps que je vous regarde ,bonjour a madame et aux filles
Goats, cheep, geese, rabbits liive from mostly grass and don't need grains. But grainfields are also a possibility, just not in the middle of a dark wood....
I agree, livestock probably aren't a profitable venture for the small scale homesteader. Rember,too, if you want hay, it is usually processed with machinery. Who owns and pays for that? The adage I be;ieve is that one man can garden three tilled acres in a temperate zone. More garden requires more manpower but more garden can result in trade and barter for a better life.
ジェームスさん お風邪の具合はどうですか…躰は冷やさないで、温かくしてお過ごし下さい☺ 🐔🐤🐥ニワトリは卵が魅力的よね😋🥚🍳
Lots of great information Shawn. Thanks for all you do and the info you share.
This was great Shawn! Not crushing dreams at all, super informative and realistic. Thanks! Great talk too about community. Can’t wait for our own homestead
Hi Shawn, thanks for all of your content. Been enjoying your channels on-and-off for a few years. I raise some beef cattle for sale in Eastern Ontario. It takes about 10-12 large round bales to winter 1 cow (7 months feed, 5 months pasture). It takes at least 4 acres to get those 10 bales...and depends on the season. Generally not financially feasible for someone to break into this who is not able to inherit some family farm.
Thats why I say don’t depend on keeping important info on your phone( computer) because it can b lost- family pics etc
The company is called Water Gen.
Thanks for your honesty , Bin there done that , Nicely done Shawn!
Here in Northern New England on my 150 acres the soil is so rocky, simply hand digging a hole to plant a fruit tree is painful. It’s interesting in that 100-180 years ago it was farmed, however poorly before abandonment and reversion to forest. On this off grid property, I’ve gone to raised beds with some marginal success. The economics of off grid self reliance is challenging, I doubt i could do it. The trees here do grow well.
Hi Shawn, fellow Ontario homesteader here. Just came across you on Canadian Prepper’s channel. You have some great content here and I look forward to working through your library of videos. Cheers.
I think I saw you have a river with a bit of a flood plain? If you could put a garden plot right down in that flood plain you might be able to grow really good carrots and celery because they love that close water table and organic soil. I have 1/4 acre garden and it gets a little shade here and there and any shade really affects the quality of vegetables.
You right about cattle, but we carnivore and very happy about that. The only way for us is lease hay field, cus from our 67 acres we've got 12 acres pasture only rest is tamarack, poplar and spruce
Loving the talks, these are all things weve been wondering for years lol and im sure i speak for all of us when i say we appreciate you passing on the wealth of knowledge youve accumulated over the last decade!
What I have realized while watching is that I need to have community relationships and make my self more physically available if area farmers may need more labor in a crisis…and that I should have some as simple as an axe, fire pit/wood supply to cook foods…pioneer style tools assuming power becomes more volatile or inconsistent due to all the closures of the power plants in the area….
Tôi không hiểu ngôn ngữ của anh, nhưng tôi hiểu ngôi nhà và cảnh đẹp ở đây, tôi thích video này❤
i used to get sugarcane waste for free by the truck loads free . great in gardens
Excellent
Thank You
Really informative video! And I appreciate your view on everything you mention. We have chickens and feed them table scraps, let them free range in our woods this helps with feed cost. We also sell eggs that pay for all the feed. I like knowing that I have a food source right out back if anything happens. We also grow extra food in garden and feed them that during summer they love cucumbers.
How about hauling in black dirt, it’s not cheap with cartage but if you mix it 50/50 with your top soil you could get a functioning pasture in no time.
Thanks for sharing your time n talents with us
today !
Lots of input to digest!
C ya on the next
video !!
🦊🧙♂️🐺
🙏🙏🙏dank u wel dat ik het in het Nederlands kan lezen 🦋🇧🇪
If yer farming or gardening, try electroculture with fractal shaped copper antennae near plants.
i like the talks around the cabin.
Good sound advise, people think oh just get some chickens, not realizing the cost to feed them every day, let alone the straw beding that needs to be maintained, a coup that needs to be built, a protected free range, it`s a lot of work for some eggs, i`m not a big egg guy, a dozen eggs lasts us 3 weeks, take care.
Been doing meat rabbits for 20 years now. Its the best over all.
Very Interesting to hear about your land and its' past history , Also interesting what your doing to be self sustaining Improving soil. the various edible bushes , animals and so. Learning quite a bit from you . Thanks Shawn
Get lots of clay then mix with all that sand. We have tons here in western PA. I'll trade ya. 😎
Hope get better soon