Newbie to 'farm' life. Any advice?

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Brittany2907
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14 Feb 2008, 3:00 am

Advise?

...Enjoy it. Take [good] advantage of the nature and wildlife you will be around. Enjoy that quietness. I sure miss the country...would love to move back there one day.


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ascan
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14 Feb 2008, 4:09 pm

Postperson wrote:
It's on a hill west-facing, so windy at times, but I like west facing. Nice whispering leaves everywhere, the top third of the block is still wooded (native trees) and there's a quarry up there too. The house is on the middle bit and the bottom bit is two large uh paddocks I guess you'd call them. The unwooded bits are like tiers or a series of banks (sloping block). there's very little flat land around the house so I need to create a flat area there, otherwise you're walking up banks all the time.

Gotta do some cheap fencing too, there's hardly any left.

How big's the quarry? If it's no longer of use for extraction, and assuming there's civilisation nearby, you may be able to do a deal with a local builder to fill it in with excavation arisings and give you a level area (local laws permitting). Just a thought.

Anyway, you asked for some advice, and I'd suggest getting a gun, if you don't already have one, and a book on DIY plumbing and wiring.

Oh, be nice to the neighbours, too; you never know when you may need their help.



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14 Feb 2008, 4:31 pm

EvilKimEvil wrote:
I used to live in a small town with no garbage collection or mail. In the US, bears and raccoons will get into your trash and make a mess if you don't secure it. I kept mine in cans with lids in a box. I put a brick on top of the box's lid, and I latched it. Raccoons and bears are clever, so all of that was necessary. I don't know what Australian wildlife are capable of getting into, but it's something to consider..


mmm, there's not too many critters on the property because the owners make a point of not having an open water source (dam). It's mainly that water sources attract snakes. At the neighbours dam there's a swarm of critters hanging around, feral cats, birds, rabbits, and the odd snake. Probably a brick or two on the bin is a good idea.

EvilKimEvil wrote:
Usually, when you're on a well, you have no water without electricity (modern wells have electric pumps), and the power goes out more frequently in rural areas (in the US at least). Because of this, it's a good idea to keep a few gallons of water in the pantry. If you can afford one, you might want to get a generator, depending on how much you rely on electricity and how often the power goes out.


Yes, one of the tanks is above roof level, so you actually get a 'gravity' flow even during a power loss. It doesn't need the pump. It's a bit unsightly because it sits on top of the old brick 'shithouse' (now empty, cos the toilet is now inside the house), but it's gunna be very useful when the power goes out. A sunken tank would be better looking (ie invisible) but uh yeah, you'd have to store water or get a generator.

EvilKimEvil wrote:
Are you going to get a dog to heard and guard the sheep?.


Well there'll only be a couple of sheep, it's just to keep the grass down, then you (apparently) have them slaughtered by a neighbour for meat and get some new ones. I have two whippets but I don't expect they'll be much use with sheep. There's not really any sheep predator animals here in Tasmania, on mainland Australia you might get dingos or feral dog packs but there's not much of that here.

EvilKimEvil wrote:
It sounds like a lot of fun. I'm envious.


:D



Kalister1
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14 Feb 2008, 4:37 pm

Send me a pet goat :)



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14 Feb 2008, 4:39 pm

ascan wrote:
How big's the quarry? If it's no longer of use for extraction, and assuming there's civilisation nearby, you may be able to do a deal with a local builder to fill it in with excavation arisings and give you a level area (local laws permitting). Just a thought..


oh it's not huge, its a flattish circle about 10 metres diameter with an access road. I need gravel to fill in the badly corroded superlong driveway, so I have to find out whether it's cheaper to get someone to crush it from my own source or just supply it. It collects water which is channeled to the neighbours dam (they want water, I don't need it).

ascan wrote:
[Anyway, you asked for some advice, and I'd suggest getting a gun, if you don't already have one, and a book on DIY plumbing and wiring..


Yep it's the drainage that's going to be tricky, I think you can get a topographical map done which maps out the contours of the land and you can re-landscape it with appropriate drainage. As fer guns, well I'd have to learn to shoot, it's mostly wascally wabbits they shoot here.

ascan wrote:
[Oh, be nice to the neighbours, too; you never know when you may need their help.


Definitely - already met them (on one side), they're good. A couple of empty nesters who have lots more equipment and experience than me, I'll be 'picking' their brains. As I said earlier their dam is fed from water runoff from my property so we have a bond!



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14 Feb 2008, 4:46 pm

Kalister1 wrote:
Send me a pet goat :)


I find goats a bit creepy, a lot of people keep one tethered by the roadside here. I know someone who got headbutted by her goat and it hurts! a lot!



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14 Feb 2008, 4:48 pm

Postperson wrote:
Kalister1 wrote:
Send me a pet goat :)


I find goats a bit creepy, a lot of people keep one tethered by the roadside here. I know someone who got headbutted by her goat and it hurts! a lot!


I have been called head strong, a butthead, empty headed, and a headache! Im ready to do battle with a goat.



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14 Feb 2008, 6:30 pm

we kept goats when I was a child, my one (which was black and called droopy) butted me down a hill into a pile of brambles. I love goats especially the cute pygmy ones. My dad used to say to goats" I could pull your tassels" (they have neck tassles) :D - he was very wierd. :D



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14 Feb 2008, 7:59 pm

Don't know about Australia but here people (like my grandparents) who live in rural areas with no trash collection have big metal cans outside they burn their trash in. Not sure what they do with things you can't burn, but when you think about it most trash is burnable. I love it out on my granparents farm, grandpa has a great fishing lake on the property that is full of Bass, Crappie, and Bluegill (aka Perch, Sunfish). It out in the boondocks of central Missouri and is absolutely beautiful.


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