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yellow-faerie · 4 years ago

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Um I would love to learn more about Ivare if you wanted to share!

I would love to!! (It got a bit long)

So, Ivárë came to be because I was clicking through links on Tolkien Gateway and she was described as one of the greatest elven minstrels. Now, she was said to be male but I felt that we had enough male minstrels and that we could do with a woman.

In my canon (she can change quite drastically in my AUs), she begins life as Melilot, the daughter of a Silvan couple who stayed in Middle Earth even as the elves departed but the mother got sea longing.

(Melilot is a type of yellow flower - in real life - often referred to as Sweet Clovers. Melilot translates quite literally to Yellow Flower in Sindarin)

The father didn’t want her to go alone but they also didn’t want to bring their daughter with them because of the fact no Silvan elf worth their stuff would trust Valinor.

They see Maglor and Daeron perform at a coffee shop somewhere and realise they are elves too. Ivárë is subsequently left in Daeron’s guitar case.

Daeron and Maglor - having pretty much got through their issues - work part time as travelling musicians and part time in whatever jobs they can get their hands on. Neither of them expect an actual child to just appear out of nowhere.

They almost ask if it’s anyone’s but then Maglor sees her ears and they make the logical leap that this was on purpose.

With some forgery (of which, Maglor and Daeron have got very good over the years when they have to fake their deaths every now and again), they produce her as legally their child - Ivy Felicity Smith, daughter of Martin and David Smith.

At home, she is Ivárifinwë Filegol, Ivárë being the shortened version of Ivárifinwë.

Ivárë means, I think, She Who Protects making Ivárifinwë, Finwë Who Protects. This is, of course, the name Maglor gives her.

Filegol means Nimble Small Bird Running Free, I believe. This was Daeron’s nickname for his sister and he gives it to Ivárë because he’s feeling nostalgic.

They buy a farm which is a bit run down, with two horses, a cow, three sheep, a very angry goat who only seems to be un-angry around Ivárë and a hoard of chickens.

They homeschool her for most of her life, apart from one years when they enrol her in year two at the local primary school. She hates it, learns nothing and is bullied relentlessly, so they pull her out again.

When homeschooled, she is not without company. The New Forest, where the remains of the Greenwood now lie, has a few elves still living there, Thranduil keeping up his promise to protect the area until it is gone, and they travel there a fair bit.

She grows up to be a musician like her fathers, and her instrument of choice is the violin, although she does not explicitly play that.

They live a fairly happy life on their farm and Ivárë had just turned fifty when Maglor’s wife appears.

Cantasië has spent the last few ages hanging out in Valinor. She is a Teler and subsequently rather pissed off at her husband but as the ages passed, she found herself forgiving him - she definitely knows that he needs to show that he is sorry too and she won’t forgive him straight away, but she still loves him.

Of course, there is the issue of the whole new husband but after some talking, they agree to come back with her to Valinor and they eventually are all three married, officially again as Cantasië had broken off her marriage when Maglor left; and Maglor and Daeron hadn’t ever had an official wedding.

(At this point, most of Maglor’s family has been reborn apart from Fëanor)

Ivárë finds her birth parents - and she has like three more siblings now - and gets a connection to them as well as her fathers and they’re all happy.

Because it’s important, she calls Maglor Atto, Daeron Ada, Cantasië Emmë and her brith parents Ami and Adi.

Ivárë herself is rather outspoken because she never learned not to be. This was my attempt at drawing her in an AU she’s in, so she’s wearing more Ñoldor clothes:

So yeah, I hope you liked that!

#Ivárë #Maglor #Daeron #Maglor’s Wife #Silmarillion #Tolkien #OC #Headcanons #Ask #ibrithir-was-here

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jmflowers · 4 years ago

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Same anon here!

First of all, I’m really glad you’ve survived your very dangerous ways of life.

Second, your job sounds amazing!

Third, thank you for the thorough answer, I loved it, and I crave more information about your farm life. Just so you know, cows quickly escalated to the top of my list of fears.

Welcome to the farmily, anon!

I am relieved to know my superfluous nature of storytelling has been well-received. 😂

Cows have earned their place on the fear list, for sure, but dogs actually kill even more people per year than they do. They really, truly, do not have malicious intent - they’re just really, really big. Like, so big it’s hard to fathom until you’re standing next to them. I’ve seen so many students mistake a black and white goat for a baby cow that I changed my animal pen spiel to highlight that the biggest animal in the pen is our jersey cow.

Our current cow, Daisy, is absolutely the most curious sucky baby, though. She comes RUNNING full speed at you if she sees carrots - her favourite food - and then gets upset when they’re all gone. A kids music group filmed a dance video in the animal pen two summers ago and they used a drone, which Daisy was entranced by the entire time. She also stood at the fence and watched their dance numbers excitedly, bouncing about as though she was dancing, too.

I always describe most farm animals as dogs in some way - cows are like puppies only huge, goats are really smart dogs with horns, sheep are the clueless model. They definitely require a ton of respect and care, but they’re also just silly babies.

We had a group of three hens on the farm for my first few years there that just wandered the property as they pleased. They’d been coop chickens, accidentally released, and remained at the farm by their own volition. (Because we had the food.) They learned to recognize colour - I drove a blue car at the time and they would come running for any blue vehicle near the pole barn. Then I trained them with a call, and they would follow me anywhere if I made that sound. Like, who would think you could train a chicken? Or a rabbit? A pig? I’ve seen them all far exceed what most people would presume of animal intelligence.

The best animal, by far, is definitely a goat, though. My best friend when I started on the farm was a white saanen I called “Blizzard”. We hung out constantly and he could pick me out in a crowd of people. He’d walk through a group of school kids to stand at my side as I gave a tour. And then, amazingly, he recognized that my mom was connected to me, and would do the same with her if I wasn’t nearby. She didn’t spend time with him, he just knew somehow. They sold him a few years ago, as he was Saint Bernard-like in his understanding of just how big he was (thought he was a lap goat, but towered over children), and I miss him always. 100% would’ve taken him home if it was legal.

This post requires some farm photos, of course.

#farm life #janelle’s asks #anonymous #welcome to my farm life stories #actually having a BLAST talking about the farm rn so thank you

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notameeksassenach · 6 years ago

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Dirt in the Skirt

Moodboard

Many many thanks to @theministerskat, who not only served as the best beta in the world but also took the time to make a gorgeous moodboard (link above) and the epic title graphic!

The inspiration for this beauty started while walking around the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I grew up 30 minutes from the Hall of Fame, and have spent so much time at this wonderful place. The Woman in Baseball exhibit is one of my favorite places to walk around and explore.

Dirt in the Skirt

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of an Era

With our boys overseas and off to war, baseball pitches in for the war effort! Baseball’s biggest stars say “Look out Mr. Hitler. The Yanks are coming!” And the Indians and Red Sox, too! And they won’t come back until it’s over, over there!

Baseball may be shut down for the duration of the war. Detroit Tigers owner and automobile mogul, Colum MacKenzie held meetings with other team owners to discuss the fate of their beloved sport. With fears that the sport would be shut down for the duration of the war, Colum’s younger brother, Dougal Mackenzie, has been charged with finding a way to keep baseball going. With any luck, the promotional whiz can find a way to keep the bases loaded!

Preparing for another day of chores, Claire Beauchamp-Randall quickly tied up the laces of her trainers. The simple routine of it allowed her mind to wander and she thought back on how she came to be in this exact moment. Originally hailing from England, her parents had uprooted their family when the opportunity to own the farm had arisen. Claire’s world quickly became centered around helping her parents by working on the farm.

When she married Frank nearly six years prior, she packed up the few possessions that were precious to her,, put aside the naive girl who knew nothing outside of her family’s farm and quickly learned to navigate the city streets. Claire acclimated well and was much like the other twenty-somethings around her who grew up in the sleepy suburbs of Boston.

Frank, who was a history professor at Harvard, had swept Claire off her feet from the moment they had met. She was only nineteen at the time, and he was much older and had an air of mystery about him. Settling herself into her new role as wife, Claire spent most of her days doting on Frank, ensuring all his needs were met, and that she left a good impression on his colleagues. She quickly became the model wife, putting aside any dreams she may have for the sake of her husband.

Claire never thought she would find her way back to Beauchamp Family Farm, always hoping to find something more than the routine life it offered. But life has a way of throwing curveballs at you when you least expect them. Since the beginning of the war, she found herself back home. Frank, ever the patriot, saw it as his duty to put down his books in favor of joining the fight.

After checking the chickens and cows, it was time to make her way to the garden. With it being her sanctuary, Claire could easily lose herself in the tending of her plants. Making her way through rows and rows of vegetables and flowers, she was so engrossed in her duties that she didn’t notice that she was no longer alone among the flora.

“Claire!” Geillis shouted and quickly dissolved into giggles as she startled her friend.

Claire turned to face her, clutching her chest. She shot the other woman a look of disdain as she tried to calm her heart from being nearly frightened to death. Picking up a trowel full of dirt, she flung it in Geillis’ direction.

“There’s no need to scare me like that!”

Claire should have expected the other woman to come out of nowhere. Geillis was a regular occurrence on the farm. Having been best friends growing up, it was not unheard of to find one where you found the other. Whether it was in the garden where they shared their love of plants, or on the baseball diamond where they shared a passion for the game, the two were thick as thieves. It was another benefit to being back home, Claire had been able to rekindle the friendship she once had with Geillis. As well as getting the chance to lose herself in the sport she cherished.

“Ye better get your glove, Claire. Ye ken it’s almost time for the game!”

“You seem more giddy than usual, Gellie. You normally reserve that level of excitement for the games you pitch.”

Geillis was the star pitcher for the local women's baseball league the two played for, though she wouldn’t be pitching in today’s game. It was only fair to switch off and allow everyone the chance to play the position. Their team was made up of a mixture of Scottish and English baseball enthusiasts, and they aptly named themselves the Swinging Sassenachs. There were several of these small leagues in the area. All coordinated by the players, it gave the women a chance to play a sport that was dominated by men. They made up their own seasons and played as if they were making their way to the World Series. A good time was had all around, and Claire couldn’t wait to take her place behind home plate as the team’s catcher.

Bottom of the ninth, one out, one on base. The Swinging Sassenachs were down 2-0. Geillis knew there was a lot riding on her as she grabbed her bat and made her way towards home plate.

“Gellie, watch out for those high ones!” Claire shouted over the crowd. The redhead had a tendency to imitate a lumberjack rather than Babe Ruth, trying to hit all the high balls.

“Quit naggin’ Claire. I like the high ones!”

Positioning herself, she began to focus on the task at hand. As the ball approached home plate, she swung and missed.

“Strike one!” called the umpire.

Shaking it off, Geillis tried to get her head back into the game. She took a deep breath and readied herself for the next pitch. She could see the ball coming towards her as if it were in slow motion. With a swoosh and a crack, the ball was gone. Geillis took off and successfully made it to second base before the ball reentered the infield.

As the lineup continued, the Swinging Sassenachs were still down 2-0 but had picked up another out. Making her way to the plate, Claire knew the fate of the game was in her hands. If she were to strike out, the game would be over and they would be adding another loss to their season. What she really needed was a home run. That would ensure a win, putting them at a final score of 3-2.

Claire had always been good under pressure, which earned her the spot as the cleanup hitter. Digging her cleats into the dirt, she found her sweet spot. Visualizing the ball coming straight down the middle, connecting with the bat, sending it deep into right field.

The only thing Claire was aware of was the roar of the crowd, and her feet as they made contact with each plate as she made her way around the bases.

“And the Swinging Sassenachs come from behind to win the game 3-2! Well done ladies!”

But what Claire didn’t notice was the spectator that wasn’t participating in the celebrations. Instead, he was still in his seat, silently studying the scene before him.

Upon returning to the farm, the girls busied themselves with the completion of the day’s remaining chores. The two chattered back and forth, recalling every little detail of the game, as they tended the goats, sheep, and horses.

“Ye should have seen the crowd when you hit that home run, Claire.” Geillis cupped her hands around her mouth, imitating the sound of a roaring crowd.

Claire responded with a reddening of her cheeks, and a shower of hay aimed directly at Geillis’ head. Anticipating the reaction. Geillis ducked, causing the offending hay to hit the gentleman neither of them had noticed behind her square in the face.

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry. Can we help you with something?” Claire apologized as she suspiciously eyed the man before her.

Wiping his face and untangling the debris from his beard, the gruff looking man responded.

“Aye. The name is Murtagh Fraser, baseball scout. I saw ye playing ball today.” his voice matched his gruff demeanor.

“And what of it?” Geillis asked, clearly curious as to why this stranger had any interest in their abilities. Claire could tell that this stranger had definitely peaked Geillis’ interest.

“Ever hear of Colum Mackenzie? Mackenzie Motors? Ye ken, the automobiles?”

Both women stared blankly back at Murtagh. Unfazed by their lack of reaction, he continued.

“He’s starting a girl’s baseball league while the boys are overseas.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Claire questioned. She was running out of patience for this man in front of her. She still had chores to finished before dinner.

“It’s a real league, professional ye ken. Dinna ye want to play professional baseball?”

There was still no reaction from the dark-haired lass. The redhead, on the other hand, acted as if she would burst at the seams with excitement. Realizing that he needed to get the point sooner rather than later, he continued on.

“Look, yer country needs you. And ye can not only play ball, but both of ye are kinda dollies.”

“Dollies? Now listen here you. I’m a married woman! My husband is currently overseas!” Claire was done. Pushing past Murtagh, she made her way to the door where she was waiting for him to get the hint that he was free to leave.

“I didna mean any offense mistress. ‘Tis just that they want girls that are easy on the eye.”

“I’ll go. I’m ready right now. Do I have to sign something?” Gellis had always been the one of the two who was up for any challenge, the one who tended to not look before she lept.

Taking one final shot to make a hard sell, Murtagh left the girls with an envelope containing all the information as well as their train tickets. “The train leaves for Detroit tomorrow. What do ye say? Are ye in?”

“Ye..” Geillis began before Claire cut her off in one swift motion.

Turning back to Murtagh, Claire responded. “We’ll have to think about it. Good day sir.”

With a curt nod, Murtagh excused himself from the barn, grumbling as he made his way through a throng of chickens who were eagerly eating outside the barn.

“What are we to do, Claire?” asked Geillis.

“I’m not sure Gellie. I’m not sure what I want to do.”

“Claire, I’m going to play with or without ye. I just hope it's with ye.” And without another word, the redhead left the farmhouse, closing the door shut behind her.

Still reeling from the baseball scout’s offer to play professional baseball, Claire weighed her options in her head. On one hand, she loved the game and would love the opportunity to play and show the country just what women could do. But at the same time, she had wanted to embrace the simpler life while she waited for Frank to return from war. But maybe Murtagh had been right. Maybe her country did need her.

Hearing a knock on the front door, Claire pulled herself from her thoughts.

Who could be knocking at this hour? Mama and Dad weren’t expecting guests. It can’t be Gellie, she’d just let herself in.

Releasing the locks, Claire slowly opened the door. She wasn’t prepared for what she found on the other side. The one sight that she had hoped and prayed she would never see.

A Western Union messenger.

Claire could feel her knees go weak as she struggled to find her voice.

“M...May I help you?”

“A telegram for Mrs. Beauchamp-Randall,” he said matter of factly. “It’s from the War Department.”

“I’m…” she had to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’m Mrs. Beauchamp-Randall.”

He placed the letter in her hand before tipping his hat and turning to leave. Claire stood there staring at her hands, the letter still sealed. A myriad of thoughts went through her head, jumping from one to the next.

She wasn’t sure how she had gotten there, but Claire had made her way back inside and was seated at the kitchen table. Slowly she began to open the letter, praying that it wasn’t what she thought it was.

Maybe Frank just sent word that he was being discharged. Maybe he’s coming home.

With a rush of tears blurring her vision, she knew that the letter contained the confirmation that Frank was indeed coming home-- coming home so that he could be properly buried.

Dropping the telegram onto the table, Claire buried her head in the hands. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do now without Frank

Using the back of her hands to wipe the tears from her face, she glanced down at the telegram, nestled right next to the offer to play baseball.

#outlander #outlander fanfiction #outlander fanfic #outlander fan fic #a league of their own au #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #dirt in the skirts

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years ago

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The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep

By John Kirchhoff – People have mixed feelings about the use of electric fencing for sheep and other livestock. For people unfamiliar with them, the word “electric fence” conjures up images of a well-done corpse hanging off a prison fence. Those folks usually consider them an instrument of animal torture at best.

Some users will say they’re ineffective and useless while others consider them the best thing to come along since sliced bread. One person told me his fence was inexpensive to build and very dependable and the next says hers was very expensive and undependable, with the accent on “was” because she’s no longer using one.

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I’ve had situations where fences were ineffective, yet no one knows better than I the unique, effective and memorable pain delivered by a powerfully charged fence. For the record, well-constructed and maintained electric fencing for sheep will deliver a painful, but not life-threatening shock that is effective for not only keeping domesticated animals inside, but predators outside of a designated area.

Electric fences are one of the most effective methods of deterring four-legged predators because they do the job by using psychology rather than having to present an impenetrable, physical barrier.

A coyote eyeballing your tasty new lambs has no fear of a conventional fence and will keep testing the fence until a weakness is found. If he can’t jump over, climb through or go around the fence, he’ll dig under and soon be enjoying his feast. If you plug that hole, he simply digs a new hole a few feet away.

When a coyote tries to climb through or dig under a “hot wire,” he gets an electrical jolt that knocks him back on his heels. Most only need one shock, after which they give a wide berth to any fence that looks like the one that zapped them.

Types & Components of Electric Fences

Electric fences mostly fall into two groups: “Permanent” lasting for 20 or more years and requiring little maintenance and “temporary” a fence that may be erected for a few days or months for the sole purpose of grazing a particular area.

The most important thing to remember about how to install an electric fence is that rather than physically containing the animal, an electric fence uses the fear of pain to contain or exclude the animal.

To establish and enforce this fear, four components are necessary and a weakness in any one will reduce the effectiveness of the fence as a whole, much like the way one flat tire totally disables your car. The four components are the energizer, conductor (wire), post and insulator and ground circuit.

The energizer turns low voltage household current, battery power or sunlight into a high voltage, teeth-jarring electric shock.

The conductor transmits this shock to the unlucky soul that touches it. The conductor is usually galvanized or aluminum-coated steel wire for permanent installations and for temporary installations, plastic “poly” wire, tape, cord, rope or woven (net) is often used. Made in a number of configurations, all poly wires have tiny copper or stainless steel wires woven into the synthetic fabric, which enables it to conduct electricity.

The post-insulator combination supports the conductor at the desired height and prevents the electricity in the wire from leaking into the ground through the post. Some posts are non-conductive and therefore self-insulating while others require a separate insulator attached to the post.

The ground circuit is extremely important but oftentimes is the one thing we have little control over. It’s important because it enables the electricity contained in the wire to return to the energizer, thus providing a shock. The absence of a ground circuit is why a bird can sit on a 6,600-volt power line and not go up in a puff of smoke.

The ground circuit most commonly uses metal rods driven into the soil near the energizer and are connected to it by a wire. When something or someone touches the conductor wire, electricity flows from the wire, through their body and into the soil where soil moisture carries the electricity to the ground rods and finally back into the energizer, completing the circuit. To produce a shock, electricity leaving the energizer terminal labeled “fence” must return to the “ground” terminal. To build a fence that works, you need to understand, mesh together and apply the four components.

Controlling Sheep with Electricity

One important point for how to raise sheep is that sheep are the most difficult to control with an electric fence. Any homesteader who has installed electric fencing for horses and cattle doesn’t realize how easy they have it.

A horse can get zapped by less than 2,000 volts and will almost never try the fence again, whether it’s turned on or not. 2,500 volts will easily turn a cow but you better have a good 4,500 volts to even get a sheep’s attention.

For much of the year, wool sheep have a thick coat of wool that helps insulate the animal from shocks and the heavier coat that hair sheep wear in cold weather and early spring is equally effective.

In addition, if one sheep makes it through the fence, herd mentality demands everyone else follow, whether they get shocked or not. Think of lemmings throwing themselves off a cliff and you’ve got the idea.

Compounding the problem is when sheep go under the wire, the hair or wool winds itself around the wire and creates a very effective insulator, which lessens the chance of anybody following getting zapped.

Worst of all, it seems both sheep and goats will try the fence daily to see if it’s operating. I know cow people that leave their fence turned off for weeks at a time but if my energizer fails today, I can rest assured knowing sheep will be out tomorrow.

Advice From Non-Experts

For the sheep producer, going to the local farm store or co-op for advice on building electric fencing for sheep that is very tight is an exercise in futility. Not knowing I design grazing systems for a living, it’s often entertaining to hear them tell of how well their product works, how effective it is at controlling stock and so on.

Most of what they say is true, however to them, “stock” is cattle and horses and the difference between an effective cow or horse fence and an effective sheep fence is as different as night and day. The former can usually be controlled with a single wire powered by a rather low output energizer while sheep fence requires anywhere from two to six wires powered by a powerful energizer.

Will Electric Fencing for Sheep Work For Me?

Before you even look at a fencing catalog, you need to decide if an electric fencing for sheep is right for you and your operation.

Everything in life has tradeoffs and fences are no different. Compared to a conventional woven or barbed wire fence, electric fences require less labor and expense to build initially but do require periodic inspection to maintain their effectiveness. Materials for adequate 4-wire electric fencing for sheep will cost around half that of a woven wire fence. Time demands for installation are also considerably less.

I don’t recommend using electric fences on property lines, especially along busy roads. A storm during the night can knock out the electricity for a few hours and you won’t know the sheep are out until a highway patrolman interrupts your breakfast asking if it was your sheep that caused the car accident.

A woven wire fence is hard to beat when it comes to preventing that kind of liability.

If predators are a problem and dig under your woven wire, adding an electrified wire near the ground (preferably on the outside) is very effective.

If you have an existing conventional fence that’s in bad shape, adding two electrified wires approximately 6 and 18 inches above the ground on the inside is quicker, effective and much less expensive than tearing out and rebuilding the old fence. Insulators are made that will hold the hot wire 6-12 inches away from the old fence and will prevent short circuits caused by the energized wire touching the old fence.

For multi-paddock grazing systems or subdividing pastures, electric fencing for sheep is an excellent way to go. My rotational grazing system has 24 paddocks with woven wire perimeter fence and electric interior fence. If the sheep get through the interior fences, it’s frustrating but not the end of the world because they’re still in the pasture and not on the road.

If you decide electric fencing for sheep fits your operation, you need to give thought to the different components mentioned earlier that will comprise your fence. There’s a world of products out there of which some will meet your needs while others will over or underserve them. It’s the over and unders that can hit your pocketbook hard.

Energizers: Heart of All Hot Fences

“How big of an energizer should I buy?” My grazing clients ask me that question quite often and my standard reply is, “Bigger than you think you need.”

When asked how much money they should spend I tell them, “More than you think you should.”

The problem is that sometimes an energizer that is powerful enough at present isn’t powerful enough long term. Most people at some time in their grazing career (myself included) have bought an energizer that seemed expensive enough or powerful enough at the time, but made the mistake of not considering the possibility of future expansion.

I’ve found energizers are a lot like shoes, price doesn’t always equate to performance and we tend to outgrow them in a few years.

Years ago when I had just a few sheep, my “little blue jewel,” a $175 (the current price) name brand New Zealand energizer worked great. As the flock grew and additional fence was added, the sheep started getting out.

I figured I didn’t have enough wire strands to hold them, so I added more wire and lo and behold, even more sheep were getting out!

That didn’t make sense!

After chasing sheep for a week, I finally realized my fence had outgrown my energizer. Even though the “little energizer that could” had the heart of a warrior, I’d added so much fence that the little warrior could no longer support the load and the sheep discovered this before I did.

My response to sheep getting out had been to add more wire, which only made a bad situation worse. The overload of wire pulled the voltage down until the “hot” wire wasn’t much more than lukewarm. I’ll explain that phenomenon later.

Once I realized what I was doing wrong, I bought a $100 (price at the time) red American made energizer that spoke with considerably more authority. At least that’s what I gathered from watching sheep get knocked on their rears. I must admit, that sight most definitely gave me a feeling of satisfaction!

Several years later, history repeated itself after I converted the entire farm to pasture. Hooking up 10,000 feet of multi-wire fence to “Old Red” certainly made him grunt, but when the bottom wire was deep in wet grass, it knocked the wind clear out of him and lambs started getting out. So, back to the energizer store I went.

Well not exactly.

By now the first place pretty well knew me by name and I really hated to show up again with the same tired old story. So I instead went someplace where they didn’t know me as well and bought a black $200 (price back then) American made unit with a funny name that made me think of African wildlife. I installed it one rainy day and after plugging it in, the fence voltage immediately went up an additional 3,000 volts. It sure set those wet lambs back on their heels and that alone gave me $200 worth of satisfaction!

Originally published in the July/August 2009 issue of sheep! and regularly vetted for accuracy.

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep was originally posted by All About Chickens

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takingonreality · 8 years ago

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Why I’m Obsessed With Chickens

This post was originally published on HuffPost as a contributor piece. Check out the original here: http://huff.to/2gGzuc5

I came to Animal Place as an intern in August and upon arrival, all the other interns seemed to have a strong affinity for a specific breed of animal. They easily identified with them somehow and loved everything about them. They got high pitched voices and squishy faces anytime they even thought about them. For some it was the bunnies who made their heart pitter-patter. Others went gaga over pot bellied pigs. Some melted when they looked into a cow’s eyes. I didn’t have this. I pet the sheep’s thick fur and thought, “You’re sweet.” I rubbed a pig’s belly and thought of my childhood pooch with loving melancholy. I even played joyfully with big personality goats, but none of them made me swoon...

Until one day, I had to pick up a rooster so he wouldn’t escape when we opened the door. I thought, “Oh god, he’s so big, he’s going to peck me, what do I do if he rips my arm open with those talons!?” I picked up the giant, squawking Errol and positioned him on my hip, just like I would a toddler. He laid his soft feathered head on my chest and instantly I melted, I felt that pitter-patter. How could this reptilian-like creature make me feel so giddy!?

During first few weeks of my internship I learned a lot about chickens’ personalities and social lives but it wasn’t until I cuddled with sweet, temperamental Errol that I really understood it all. As I would soon find out, it wasn’t just Errol that made me feel this way, it was any and all chickens. But chickens are so different from humans, how could I relate to them so much? What makes chickens so special?

Bird Brained!? The term bird brained couldn’t have come from chickens. Not only do they have lateralized left and right brains that allow for multitasking but they also have complex problem solving skills and memories that are actually similar to human brains. Even one day old chicks already understand basic math skills, structural engineering and even self control. That’s more than I can say for a few twenty-somethings I know! Mother hens actively teach their chicks life skills such as foraging for food and stress calls. They also learn by observation, just like human babies do, picking up habits from their parents. Young chickens learn daily routines such as dustbathing by watching experienced chickens do it first, then taking their turns. No Problem-O! When it comes to solving problems, chickens are able to use basic math skills, physics, geometry and even call on prior experiences to plan ahead. Studies have shown chickens identify items based on numerical sequences. One particular study observed chicks who were given a spindle of identical holes, one with food inside. When rotated, the chicks were still able to immediately pick out the hole with food in it. In another study chickens were taught to peck at a specific geometric shape. They were able to pick out that shape, even when the shapes were out of order or different colors. When given a set of shapes that didn’t include their target shape, they waited to peck until it was given to them. In their natural environment, chickens use these skills for hunting and gathering. When they hunt grasshoppers they go to where the insect will land, rather than trying to snatch it out of the air. More than just Clucking around! It may all sound like Greek to me, but chickens are able to identify many things through their 30 + unique vocalizations. They are able to alert their flock of threats and even tell them how they are approaching (via land or water), communicate with their unhatched chicks (they even chirp back at her from inside their shell!) and even name their care takers. If a baby chick happens to hatch while her mother is away from the nest, they are able to go into the flock and find her based on her voice. Social Pecking Everyone knows about the pecking order: how chickens decide who’s on top and who’s not. But more so than just creating a ranking in their social group they each have individual personalities on top of that. Some chickens are brave and want attention. Others are quiet and observant. Some chickens want to cuddle with people and some just want to cuddle with other chickens, others don’t want to cuddle at all. In addition, their intelligence and learning from experiences are passed on from generation to generation. During a study at Bristol University, chickens were given a feed mixture of blue and yellow corn where the blue made them feel queasy. Not only did the chickens learn quickly to avoid the blue but they later taught that to their young who then grew up also avoiding the blue kernels. All of these things show us that chickens have a very intricate and important social structure, just like humans. I had known all the facts and learned a lot about chickens but until I came to actually interact with them, I didn’t realize how strong these characteristics were or how much I would connect with them.

Errol and I (above) immediately bonded but the cuddly Errol I had met, disappeared when he was strutting his stuff in front of the turkey girls. The sweet boy who would climb in my lap when I stroked his feathers would peck at me and flap his wings to show off in front of the girls. Just like humans, he had his own personality that would fluctuate based on his situation.

Kavka, (above) this young rooster, was also a cuddly boy and happy to chit chat with you but in front of hens he turned into a stressed out mess! He just wanted to hang out with the guys, why did we have to put him with all these needy girls!?

This sweet girl, Sienna, (above) was just one of many who didn’t want anything to do with me but as I sat quietly she began to come up to me, strutting and stretching her wings, looking for attention. Unlike Errol and Kavka, she needed to size me up before getting friendly.

Roscoe here (above) was all about showing you who was boss. He will chase you around the yard, pecking at your legs to prove to you he’s in charge around here. Until you pick him and he realizes you’re the one who feeds him so he should probably start to shape up.

Each and every single chicken I’ve come into contact with has had their very own personality and their own preferred way to interact with me. Not a single time did I feel like they were brainless birds who pecked around all day. Each of them had a daily agenda, be it to show off to the ladies, prove who’s boss in the yard or to bask joyfully in the sun before meeting up with all her friends for lunch. No longer are chickens just birds who oddly peck at the ground and bob their heads around (fun fact: they bob their heads back and forth because of the way their eyes are set in their heads, it allows them a wider range of peripheral vision which keeps them safe from predators!). They are nurturing animals who love their young and those around them. They create a unique vocalization for humans they like that the chickens only use when they interact with that specific human. They teach their babies life skills and talk to them through the eggshell as they grow. They can do math and understand physics. Moreover, they have have empathy for those around them and they love so deeply. Each chicken is an individual and when you look into their eyes you can see that individual and feel that emotional connection. Because of my misguided fears of tiny claws and blunted beaks I almost missed out on the inherent connection I thought I was lacking. Now I am able to find a friend in every chicken I meet! To think of the atrocities we commit against these beautiful, willful and lively creatures for their bodies and reproductive products breaks my heart. I hope you can find it in your heart to spare them from your dinner plate now that you know they are more than just commodities in the animal agriculture industry. To find out even more about the intelligence and emotional intelligence of chickens check out these sources with scientific facts and references: Humane Society - Who You Calling a Birdbrain Free From Harm - Chicken Behavior: An Overview of Recent Science PETA - The Hidden Lives of Chickens

(Originally posted on December 8th 2016)

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years ago

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The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep

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Electric fences are one of the most effective methods of deterring four-legged predators because they do the job by using psychology rather than having to present an impenetrable, physical barrier.

Types & Components of Electric Fences

The energizer turns low voltage household current, battery power or sunlight into a high voltage, teeth-jarring electric shock.

Controlling Sheep with Electricity

For much of the year, wool sheep have a thick coat of wool that helps insulate the animal from shocks and the heavier coat that hair sheep wear in cold weather and early spring is equally effective.

Advice From Non-Experts

Will Electric Fencing for Sheep Work For Me?

Before you even look at a fencing catalog, you need to decide if an electric fencing for sheep is right for you and your operation.

A woven wire fence is hard to beat when it comes to preventing that kind of liability.

If predators are a problem and dig under your woven wire, adding an electrified wire near the ground (preferably on the outside) is very effective.

Energizers: Heart of All Hot Fences

“How big of an energizer should I buy?” My grazing clients ask me that question quite often and my standard reply is, “Bigger than you think you need.”

When asked how much money they should spend I tell them, “More than you think you should.”

I’ve found energizers are a lot like shoes, price doesn’t always equate to performance and we tend to outgrow them in a few years.

I figured I didn’t have enough wire strands to hold them, so I added more wire and lo and behold, even more sheep were getting out!

That didn’t make sense!

Well not exactly.

Originally published in the July/August 2009 issue of sheep! and regularly vetted for accuracy.

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep was originally posted by All About Chickens

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josephkitchen0 · 7 years ago

Text

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep

Ready to Start Your Own Backyard Flock?

Get tips and tricks for starting your new flock from our chicken experts. Download your FREE guide today! YES! I want this Free Guide »

Electric fences are one of the most effective methods of deterring four-legged predators because they do the job by using psychology rather than having to present an impenetrable, physical barrier.

Types & Components of Electric Fences

The energizer turns low voltage household current, battery power or sunlight into a high voltage, teeth-jarring electric shock.

Controlling Sheep with Electricity

For much of the year, wool sheep have a thick coat of wool that helps insulate the animal from shocks and the heavier coat that hair sheep wear in cold weather and early spring is equally effective.

Advice From Non-Experts

Will Electric Fencing for Sheep Work For Me?

Before you even look at a fencing catalog, you need to decide if an electric fencing for sheep is right for you and your operation.

A woven wire fence is hard to beat when it comes to preventing that kind of liability.

If predators are a problem and dig under your woven wire, adding an electrified wire near the ground (preferably on the outside) is very effective.

Energizers: Heart of All Hot Fences

“How big of an energizer should I buy?” My grazing clients ask me that question quite often and my standard reply is, “Bigger than you think you need.”

When asked how much money they should spend I tell them, “More than you think you should.”

I’ve found energizers are a lot like shoes, price doesn’t always equate to performance and we tend to outgrow them in a few years.

I figured I didn’t have enough wire strands to hold them, so I added more wire and lo and behold, even more sheep were getting out!

That didn’t make sense!

Well not exactly.

Originally published in the July/August 2009 issue of sheep! and regularly vetted for accuracy.

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep was originally posted by All About Chickens

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josephkitchen0 · 7 years ago

Text

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep

Our best chicken secrets revealed with this FREE guide!

Even old pros say they got dozens of tips for their flocks by reading this guide. YES! I want this Free Guide »

Electric fences are one of the most effective methods of deterring four-legged predators because they do the job by using psychology rather than having to present an impenetrable, physical barrier.

Types & Components of Electric Fences

The energizer turns low voltage household current, battery power or sunlight into a high voltage, teeth-jarring electric shock.

Controlling Sheep with Electricity

For much of the year, wool sheep have a thick coat of wool that helps insulate the animal from shocks and the heavier coat that hair sheep wear in cold weather and early spring is equally effective.

Advice From Non-Experts

Will Electric Fencing for Sheep Work For Me?

Before you even look at a fencing catalog, you need to decide if an electric fencing for sheep is right for you and your operation.

A woven wire fence is hard to beat when it comes to preventing that kind of liability.

If predators are a problem and dig under your woven wire, adding an electrified wire near the ground (preferably on the outside) is very effective.

Energizers: Heart of All Hot Fences

“How big of an energizer should I buy?” My grazing clients ask me that question quite often and my standard reply is, “Bigger than you think you need.”

When asked how much money they should spend I tell them, “More than you think you should.”

I’ve found energizers are a lot like shoes, price doesn’t always equate to performance and we tend to outgrow them in a few years.

I figured I didn’t have enough wire strands to hold them, so I added more wire and lo and behold, even more sheep were getting out!

That didn’t make sense!

Well not exactly.

Originally published in the July/August 2009 issue of sheep! and regularly vetted for accuracy.

The Shocking Truth About Electric Fencing for Sheep was originally posted by All About Chickens

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josephkitchen0 · 7 years ago

Text

Agritourism: A Money-Making Agriculture Business

By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer, Colorado

Can inviting farm visitors fuel a successful money making agriculture business? It’s called agritourism and yes, it can!

The words, “fun on the farm,” were probably not coined by a farmer. After all, farming is hard work, but today, people around the country are looking to experience fun on a farm. Through agritourism activities, farmers are finding all sorts of ways to accommodate them, and in doing so, farmers are not only educating the public on their industry, but are running a money-making agriculture business.

Agritourism is a broad term covering a variety of activities that most Americans have participated in at some point, whether they have visited a farm stand or taken their child to a local pumpkin patch.

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Some states are proactively helping farmers add agritourism components to their farms, and one such state is Colorado.

While most people see Colorado as a ski and adventure destination, the state was built on agriculture and it is still a thriving industry. Tourism is Colorado’s second largest industry, and therefore, bringing agriculture and tourism together makes a lot of sense. Today, Colorado is the only state in the country that has dedicated funding for agritourism.

Once the Colorado Tourism Organization created the Colorado Heritage and Agritourism Program (CHAP), they realized that there needed to be another association that could handle things like legislation and fundraising. On January 31, 2014, the nonprofit Colorado Agritourism Association (CAA) was born.

“The Colorado Heritage and Agritourism Program does all the marketing and promotion and the CAA does product development; business planning, website development, legislation, insurance and issues related to sign code and zoning,” says Kelli Hepler, director of the Colorado Agritourism Association. “We are paving the way for folks to step into agritourism here in Colorado.”

Perhaps the most important item the newly formed CAA was able to check off their to-do list was the passage of Colorado House Bill 1280, signed by Governor Hickenlooper on June 6, 2014. The bill provided much-needed legal protection for farmers participating in agritourism by limiting the liability of farmers and ranchers in activities related to this money-making agriculture business.

Even prior to the passage of HB 1280, Colorado’s agritourism industry was growing. According to the 2012 US Census, the newest numbers available, out of 36,000 Colorado farms, 2.4 percent claimed an average of $33,000 per farm in added income from agritourism.

The Living Farm

Tom and Lynn Gillespie of The Living Farm are proof that agritourism isn’t new to Colorado. The farm, located in Paonia, has been in the family for four generations.

The Gillespie family built their first greenhouse in 1987, and in 1990 they started growing hydroponic tomatoes. By the early 90s, people wanted to see what the Gillespies were up to and Lynn started running tours. Today, the farm is a well-oiled agritourism machine and includes five greenhouses, chickens, pigs, turkeys and a large flock of sheep.

The family also owns The Living Farm Café in downtown Paonia, population 1,400. Operated by Lynn and Tom’s son, Chef Mike Gillespie, the café serves farm-to-table meals with almost 100 percent of the food served having been raised one-mile away on The Living Farm. The café also serves as an inn, renting the five rooms above the restaurant to hungry tourists.

The Living Farm also sells their goods at local grocery stores and through their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

In the beginning, Lynn Gillespie’s farm tours were free, but she quickly realized that she couldn’t get any work done with people popping in at all hours of the day.

“We’ve formalized the tours,” she says. “We’ve set up a program where people can drop in and tour at specific times or they can get online and request a group or VIP tour. Folks can go to www.thelivingfarm.org/farm-tours and see how we set them up.”

Gillespie also started charging for her tours; individuals are $6, groups start at $25 and a VIP package that includes an overnight stay at the inn and breakfast at the café is $160.

“If someone goes to the movies they pay $8 to $10 for a ticket,” says Gillespie. “Farmers need to know that they do not need to tour everybody for free.”

The Living Farm does offer one free program. Lamb Loving takes place Wednesday to Saturday throughout the spring lambing season. In the evening, from 7 to 8 p.m., guests may visit the barn and cuddle with lambs.

“When I set a lamb in a person’s lap, I don’t care what age the person is, their face beams like it is Christmas morning,” says Gillespie. “If I can give that kind of joy to someone for just 30 minutes, it’s totally worth it and I think that’s what this is all about.”

At the beginning of the year, Gillespie sits down and decides how much interaction The Living Farm will have with the public and she sticks to her rules. The farm comes first, of course, and she stresses that anyone interested in going this route with their farm or ranch must realize this money-making agriculture business is different than farming.

“You’ve got to greet visitors with a smile,” she says. “This is not making produce. It’s a service and your tour has to be well thought out. Your place needs to look nice and you have to be nice.”

Scenes from The Horse & Hen Ranch near Hayden, Colorado

The Horse & Hen

Ryan and Rachel Wattles joke that their foray into agritourism was an accident, although Ryan admits that for him it presented the opportunity to quit his day job and stay on the ranch full time.

Their family ranch is located in Hayden, Colorado, population 1,800. Just 20 miles west of Steamboat Springs, the ranch was bought by Ryan’s great-grandfather in 1935. Seventy-five years later, Ryan and Rachel, with their 6-week-old daughter in tow, moved from Fort Collins, Colorado, to Hayden to work the ranch.

In the beginning, the Wattles raised goats and hay, but have since sold the goat herd and are turning their attention towards cattle. The property includes three residences; two historic homes and a brand new country-style house. As soon as the big house was built the Wattles began hosting a steady stream of friends and relatives who wanted to have a farm experience.

“Everyone who visited had a ball and loved it here,” says Rachel. “That’s sort of what put the idea of starting a bed and breakfast in our heads.”

The Wattles decided to explore agritourism in Colorado and toured the areas where it was happening. After this tour, they assessed their ranch and their personal skills and decided that adding a bed and breakfast made sense as a money-making agriculture business.

Making the dream a reality, however, wasn’t an easy road. Rachel discovered that there were a tremendous amount of county government hoops to jump through, and finding insurance to cover the “farm stay” portion of the business was tough. In the end, they couldn’t afford an insurance package that would cover horseback riding, so they cut out that part of the original business plan.

While guests can’t ride any of the Horse & Hen’s horses, there are lots of other farm and ranch activities that they may participate in including milking Norma the cow, collecting eggs and helping in the garden. The area around Hayden is rich in birding and hunting so the Wattles are working to tap into that lodging market as well.

While the bed and breakfast is booked solid during summer weekends, the Wattles want ranching to remain their focus. For instance, every animal on their ranch serves a purpose. The chickens give eggs, the cow gives milk, the pigs are raised for meat and the Great Pyrenees dog watches closely over their few remaining goats.

“We don’t want this to be a horse and pony show,” says Rachel. “This is a real working ranch.”

Today, Rachel works one-day a week as an art teacher at the local school and Ryan spends his time working on the ranch where he occasionally uses a team of draft horses; an ode to the way his grandfather and great-grandfather worked the ranch in the past.

Ryan’s favorite part of running the bed and breakfast is watching guests’ children connect with ranch life.

“To me, it’s really important that kids have the opportunity to see this type of lifestyle because only two percent of Americans are in agriculture today,” says Ryan.

The Wattles now have two girls and believe the toughest thing about adding an agritourism component to their farm was determining their personal boundaries and meeting the expectations of their guests. Their home, for instance, is off limits to guests. Rachel has also turned off her online booking option because she likes to connect with people via phone or email when they book a room.

“A lot of people think that they are going to be staying in our family home or that they will be having dinner with us, which is not the case,” she says. “Having email or phone contact with them lets me explain what we are really all about here. It lets me set expectations in advance.”

The Mountain Goat Lodge

Nestled in the hills outside of the artsy community of Salida, Colorado, population 5,400, is a bed and breakfast with a goat twist. This unique lodging establishment is home to goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, a llama and a cat.

Gina Marcell ran a goat rescue outside of Seattle, Washington, for a number of years, but longed to be in the sunshine. She wanted a place where she could raise goats and run a money-making agriculture business, and in 2010 she found a bed and breakfast for sale in Salida. She moved her small farm to Colorado and opened the Mountain Goat Lodge.

The Mountain Goat Lodge in Salida, Colorado.

“When I wrote my business plan, I wrote that goats were going to be an integral part of the business. To me, it’s all about the goats, and the bed and breakfast is just sort of a front for having them,” says Marcell. “I also stated in my business plan that I wanted to educate people and enlighten them on how wonderful goats are.”

Marcell is doing just that. Her bed and breakfast is busy year round with workshops on goat care, cheese making and raising backyard chickens. She recently played host to a yoga retreat, introducing her establishment to an entirely new demographic, as well as workshops on subjects like soap-making and canning.

In addition to the workshops and livestock, Marcell grows a flourishing garden despite her farm being located at more than 7,000 feet above sea level. She utilizes a large, round greenhouse that also serves as a cold weather getaway for her guests.

Thanks to the greenhouse and the chickens, Marcell’s breakfasts are farm fresh throughout the year.

Marcell has found the internet to be an invaluable resource for agritourism information and help.

“There are forums, Facebook pages, and associations,” says Marcell. “You can get a lot of help from people who are already doing this. When something weird comes up, you can go online for help.”

They recently just opened cute “glamping” cabins for the more modern tourist.

Connect, Connect, Connect

The Living Farm, Horse & Hen, and Mountain Goat Lodge all have one thing in common: their owners have made connections with their visitors and their communities.

The Wattles’ bed and breakfast stays full thanks to the personal connections they have made with their guests.

“Word-of-mouth has been huge for us,” says Rachel. “That’s pretty much all the marketing we’ve done besides the website and Facebook.”

As The Living Farm has proven, the farm-to-table, or farm-to-fork, movement is another way for farmers to get connected.

“With the farm-to-fork movement and the interest in local food, people are shopping at farmers markets and this has helped consumers get to know the farmer personally,” says Penny Leaf, agritourism coordinator in the University of California Small Farm Program.

Hepler, director of CAA, adds that consumers seem to care about farming much more than they used to and she points out that meeting a farmer often results in a willingness by the consumer to pay a higher price for that farmer’s product.

Lynn Gillespie thinks it goes even deeper.

“I think it’s important for farmers in agritourism to remember that people are coming to your farm to get connected and it’s important to connect them,” she says. “Whether you connect them through a cute little sheep or chicken, you need to fulfill that need — that hole in them that needs to be filled.”

The Rest of The Story

Colorado is not the only state where agritourism is flourishing. Colorado crafted HB 1280 on a successful Maine agritourism bill and agritourism success stories can be found in California, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

A recently released study of Tennessee’s agritourism industry by researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture estimates that the economic impact of agritourism in the state more than doubled between 2006 and 2012.

While states like Maine and Colorado have passed bills that allow farmers and ranchers to run their agritourism operations with some liability protection, not all states have passed such legislation. In California, a state that’s been involved in agritourism for more than 50 years, no such legislation exists.

“Every county has their own rules and California has 58 counties,” says Leff. “So in each county there is a very slow movement to revise their general plans and ordinances so as to loosen some of the regulations. But permitting is probably the biggest challenge and liability is also a challenge.”

Leff went on to say that most of the agritourism in California is organized on a local level with county associations, farm trail groups and groups of farmers who are doing collaborative promotions of their farms and region.

Cooperation seems to be a key factor to successfully implementing agritourism as a money-making agriculture business.

There are several national organizations that can help a business with agritourism. The North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) is a “membership-based trade association dedicated to providing endless peer-to-peer learning opportunities, connections, and resources, for farmers who are passionate about the business of agritourism and farm direct marketing” (www.farmerinspired.com).

The National Agritourism Promoters Association (NAPA) works to create sustainable prosperity for agritourism venues through commitment to research, current information and personal mentoring.

The Gillespies, Wattles, and Marcell, stress the importance of taking small steps towards the agritourism implementation. A farmer may want to start with just one farm tour a month, in the beginning, to see how it goes.

“Hospitality is a big part of agritourism and it’s not for everybody,” says Hepler.

Leff urges farmers to check with their neighbors and county government before wading into agritourism waters. She warns that upset neighbors are sometimes the biggest barrier to a successful agritourism business.

For those who do take the plunge and do it properly, agritourism has many rewards, and the industry continues to grow.

“There is a big demand,” says Leff. “The tourism industry is very anxious for more places they can write about and more places they can send people. Right now, agritourism is really exciting.”

Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer is a freelance writer from Loveland, Colorado, and specializes in travel and tourism.

Things to Know Before Starting Your Agritourism Business

Is It Legal?

It’s important to check with your county government before starting any agritourism business no matter how small. There may be county rules regulating what you can and can’t do on your land. Beware of the rules before spending any time or money on agritourism.

Will It Bother Your Neighbors?

Neighbors can be the biggest challenge to a farm that wants to start agritourism on their property. Will your neighbors mind the increased traffic? Will your neighbors mind the signage? It’s wise to chat about your agritourism ideas with your neighbors before moving ahead with any plans.

What Is Your Liability?

When you invite someone onto your land, you are subject to legal liability if they get hurt. While some states have passed legislation limiting liability for farmers involved in agritourism, many have not. However, there are ways to limit your liability even without legislation in place. Go online to see the “Top 10 Ways to Limit Your Liability When Visitors Comes to Your Farm” by Anita K. Poole, Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Do You Understand Hospitality?

Hospitality is the friendly reception and treatment of guests and strangers. Hospitality is vital to a successful agritourism business, and while agritourism occurs on a farm or ranch it is very different from farming and ranching. Take an assessment of your personal skills and those of your employees before embarking down the agritourism path.

Author’s Note: “Biosecurity” involves preventative measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases in crops and livestock. According to the individuals interviewed for this article, biosecurity is a non-issue when it comes to agritourism. In these cases, farmers are not worried about the public bringing infectious livestock diseases onto their farms because it is unlikely these visitors have been around livestock. Biosecurity is more of a concern for large, industrial-sized farms and ranches, and these types of businesses do not usually participate in agritourism activities.

Originally published in Countryside September/October 2015 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Agritourism: A Money-Making Agriculture Business was originally posted by All About Chickens

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