Don't forget about asking your local Cooperative Extension Service advisor for *free* help with questions about anything you are concerned about. They are especially helpful answering questions pertaining to YOUR AREA.....what kind of pasture seed, when to seed it, what type of fertilizer & so on. They are also helpful with cooking/canning, gardening, you name it. If they don't know the answer they will find out & call you back. They will even come to your home to help you out with problems with trees, livestock etc. if need be. Jane

-- Jane Gauch (Sewbears4u@aol.com), April 07, 2000

Answers

Jane, I thought you lived in Illinois, like me!? Our local Co-op used to be great, but since they did all the tax cuts, it has gone to heck. Unless, of course, you are a big farmer - then they have some information you can use. Not dissing the CES, just that they aren't what they used to be in the 80's. But then again, neither am I, I guess. I mostly appreciate their efforts with 4-H. This is such a great group for kids - and I always learned a lot when I was a leader, too!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), April 07, 2000.

I would have to second the recommendation to get help from your local extension service office. We recently purchased 30 acres of farm ground, consisting of predominately rolling pasture and hay field, with some woods and creek. I gave our local (in central Illinois) office a visit. Not only did they load me down with free brochures, but they mailed me a packet of info about hay and pasture management, complete with studies done on regional grasses. The information included such tidbits as which grasses suited for my area will do better managed as hay and which can better stand frequent grazing. Yes, they have had budget cuts and probably cannot give the level of service they once did. But it is free, they are still very nice and helpful, and they still have lots of good information available for the asking even if you are a very, very small farmer or homesteader!

For example, I just came back from a sheep shearing school that was sponsored by the extension office. For a fee of $15, I was able to attend a two day school on sheep shearing. None of the students at the school were big farmers. Several were homesteaders; many were involved in 4-H. The extension service puts on a lambing school in the fall, and numerous other programs throughout the year. So even on a smaller budget, they pretty well serve my needs, particularly where most of the info is free or very, very cheap!

Of course, your mileage may vary, as they say!

-- Gloria Morris (cybergams@my-deja.com), April 12, 2000.

Gloria, Will you come shear for me? The shearing school offered around here is about 150 miles away, in the middle of winter, and lasts 5 days, after which time you will have personally sheared something like 300 sheep (if you are still alive). I personally would not have the "backbone" to do this! Tell us about the course, though....did you use electric shears? I am presuming you did. Did you make a lot of second cuts? I am getting ready to go "just get the wool off" my sheep. We have wonderful folk who shear for us, but you can't just call them up on any sunny old day and ask them to meet you at the shed in an hour!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), April 12, 2000.

My daughter lives in NC & gets help from CES all the time, she asks them cooking, gardening, pasture seeding, horse care you name it! They even came out to her house when she had her first baby last week. They gave her baby care & breast feeding information.....she said the woman was very helpful. If you are not getting the answers you need it could be a faulty communication problem or maybe you are just not connecting with the people that have the answers that you need. This is a tax funded program, so if they're not helping you - get on the line & say so (loudly!)Jane

-- Jane Gauch (Sewbears4u@aol.com), April 16, 2000.

Just to compare... like the person who posted previous mentioned... the CES in NC is great as are many of their other programs stemming from the UNC. However, over the border here in VA., its been our experience that the programs in our region need support. Its not that they are not "good", its that there is a lack of community support and participation. These programs are dependent upon funding and if money is tight then certain areas are cut. I personally like to use CES as a resource.

Bernice

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 16, 2000.

Extension offices can have some darn good people in them, but those offices are getting fewer. One way around some of the problems is to ask for 4H stuff. In the past at least, there have been some darn good handouts for large and small livestock, pets, small projects, crafts and even things like photography. If your office doesn't have them or won't let you have them, check the nearest library. They may have them boxed or filed somewhere. Also if you can get to a land grant college (Moo U) they've got lots of older agriculture and livestock information tucked away. Ask for help finding it. This older stuff is more on the scale that is reasonable for most of us. Varieties have changed,there will be lots of advice on using DDT, and I'd check more recent information for animal disease and pests, but over all there's a lot of information out there that will probably never make it on the net. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 23, 2000.