polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yeah I know this is a bizarre thread title but I think it might work. As most of you know I come from a long line of poor white Arkie and Texans who got by the best they could. My idea is that as food and fuel prices are skyrocketing this inflation will eat away at many of the gains we are all working for. My idea is that if I could grow as much of my vegetables and meat as possible it would benefit my family greatly. Because I live in an area with a great economy and very high land prices I am unable to buy land to do this on. I have an acre of land where I could easily grow a very large garden and an 18,000 acre lake 3 miles away I could use for a water supply to grow this stuff. For meat my mom-in-law has a 4 acre thicket up in Arkansas. Because my brother-in-law lives with her I could start a small goat herd. I would have to fence it in and buy a few head of Boer goats to start the project but the cost for that is minimal. I would have to feed the goats very little because of all the brush and grass for them to feed on. I think I can yield 3-5 250 pound goats per year. I also plan to supplement this by massacring 3 deer annually. I think this will save me several thousand per year in food bills. Any thoughts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Man am I hungry now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I think this will save me several thousand per year in food bills. Any thoughts?? Very smart. When deciding what to grow in the garden, one of the first things we consider is supermarket prices. Why get robbed when we can buy a dollar's worth of seeds and grow it ourselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 I am going to start the garden this year with a supersized square foot garden and go from there. I have a system for growing potatoes which is extremely efficient and easy to use I will post in another thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duchess Jack Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Polk... are you considering the tax benefits of having a farm part of the equation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Polk... are you considering the tax benefits of having a farm part of the equation? Yep, but to realize the benefits I would have to sell stuff, right? It seems like I wiil consume everything I grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 It just occured to met that I might be able to grow enough potatoes so cheaply that I use them for goat feed and realize a lot more protein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Anyhow, here is the tater idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/garden.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yep, but to realize the benefits I would have to sell stuff, right? It seems like I wiil consume everything I grow. Rules are pretty strict, but the benefits are good. However, IRS likes to bust people on this (I'm in litigation over this issue right now, my client has a 40,000 acre ranch, and the IRS is still giving him a hard time). At a bare minimum, you'd need to be able to demonstrate that you had a reasonable expectation for turning a profit. If that ain't the case, then you should probably just leave the tax shenanigans alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duchess Jack Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 (edited) Yep, but to realize the benefits I would have to sell stuff, right? honestly Polk... I have no idea. Your audacity is contagious though. I was just wondering with reference to my own life. ((silly considering I live in a townhouse - but I am all ears)) Edited March 8, 2008 by Duchess Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 My brother-in-law who is always looking for a way to make a buck. He owns a party and equipment rental business. He got the idea to get a heard of goats to rent to help people maintain large pieces of property. He has a heard of about 100. He eats one every now and then, and sells some to the local mexican food establishments. He also raises talapia in a large pond, and chickens for eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Does Goat taste like chicken ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Does Goat taste like chicken ? no, I would say it tastes more like wild beef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 build an acre pond or so and stock it with catfish and you'll have a water supply and plenty of catfish to fry as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 We're starting to raise beef cattle on our farm this year. Expanding the garden and may add some chickens. With all of the crap that is added to food these days, I like the idea of knowing how it was produced. If you can't grow things yourself, I would suggest supporting your local farmers market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 We're starting to raise beef cattle on our farm this year. Expanding the garden and may add some chickens. With all of the crap that is added to food these days, I like the idea of knowing how it was produced. If you can't grow things yourself, I would suggest supporting your local farmers market. Actually, most of the stuff sold at my wife's store is grown by locals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 honestly Polk... I have no idea. Your audacity is contagious though. I was just wondering with reference to my own life. ((silly considering I live in a townhouse - but I am all ears)) You be surprised exactly how much stuff can be grown in a 3' x 6' garden bed. If you time the growing seasons right you can have stuff that is harvestable throught the summer. Replanting as soon as something is harvested can yield as many as 4 crops for some things like radishes. Put a fence along one edge and have the cucumber plants grow up the fence rather than along the ground. 1 Cherry tomato plant can produce over 50 cherry tomatos. It's all about what vegetables you'd like to grow as well as your needs, the growing seasons of the plants and how many hours of sunlight the garden would get. If you do some research you'll find lots of folks that do this sort of thing. Also you may want to check into community gardens. Some communities have a public area where people section off like a 12' x 12' area and can use it to grow stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Throw in a little renewable energy through solar, wind, whatever and you'd be living my dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I have room on my lot for a small garden or a big of a garden that I would want. I haven't had a garden for the past two years but maybe this year I will. There has to be a point with food prices that growing your own potatoes make sense but I haven't hit that point yet. I love eating fresh sweet corn or other food when it is in season. But the prime season comes and goes and I've never been into canning vegetables. Canned vegetables can be had for 3 for a $1 many times during the year. It isn't the same as eating fresh, but neither is canning your own food. I would say that corn and strawberries are my favorite to grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McNasty Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Throw in a little renewable energy through solar, wind, whatever and you'd be living my dream. +1. I'd suggest a Huddle planned community, but after years of reading the Tailgate, I am sure we'd end up like Ruby Ridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Go for it, Polk. Not only can you generally grow your own food cheaper, but you benefit by knowing exactly what goes into your food. I don't have much experience growing meat, but I do have a 45' x 70' garden that produces a whole lot of veggies and berries each year. Unfortunately, I don't take full advantage of the space and we don't put much up for the winter. We just do it for fun and give a whole lot of fresh produce to friends and neighbors. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Does Goat taste like chicken ? It's not baa-aa-aa-d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 +1. I'd suggest a Huddle planned community, but after years of reading the Tailgate, I am sure we'd end up like Ruby Ridge. Nonsense. But I would volunteer for the neighborhood watch program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I'll brew beer.....Polk will be the leader of the hippie cult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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