Why Farm Alpacas

Even before an actual return is realized, alpaca owners enjoy several tax advantages, from depreciation to real-estate tax reductions. Many in the alpaca industry, however, are starting to breed with an eye toward what they see as the only true future...

Red Clover A highly productive biennial legume, red clover produces a lot of mass over time and excels at accumulating nitrogen and phosphorous. Most of these nutrient-rich plants can be grown at home on a small scale to provide a little extra kick to...

The harder part is cutting down the numerous trees that have crossed the boundaries and invaded the fields. While I have left a few of those nicer trees (the ones that were barely past the field boundaries), I cut down the rest using my trusty pruning...

Use: Farmers normally raise Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI-ya) alpacas for their fiber, which is short, dense, crimpy and gives a woolly appearance. Like the Suri alpaca, the Huacaya alpaca is prized for its thick, soft fleece–it's been known for centuries...

Use: Farmers normally raise Suri alpacas for their fiber, which is silky and resembles pencil-like locks. Like the Huacaya alpaca, the Suri alpaca is prized for its their thick, soft fleece–it's been known for centuries as “The Fiber of The Gods.”...

Those are kept on foster farms and trained until ready for adoption. You must also agree to allow rescue personnel or their representatives to visit the llama or alpaca to make sure that it's properly cared for.

Normally, a male's prepuce points backwards, but when he's ready to breed a female, it points forward and his penis sticks out. South American camelids evolved in the high Andes Mountains, where it's fairly warm by day but bitterly cold at night—even...

Lama poop is nutrient-rich and it doesn't burn plants if you use it fresh; read more about it here . Last week, we talked about where llamas and alpacas came from. Did you know that they always pee and poop in the same spots?

In other words, if you plan to add an amendment to your soil or potting mix, make sure it is an approved product. Admit it, you've thought about making your farm Certified Organic at some point, and why not?

Obviously, in most parts of the United States, shelter from the heat is probably more crucial than from the cold and these animals can heat-stress very easily. While this is a procedure that you can likely handle on your own once you have experience,...

Worms CAFNR/Flickr Worms used in vermicompost bins are absolutely the most sedate animal on your farm. Any male animal is going to need a firm hand, too, regardless of type. My youngest was 4 when we started raising rabbits, and we had smaller breeds...

When too much current is run through the breakers, electrical fires can occur. Smoking around generators can lead to a fire, singed hair and at worst, a large and potentially fatal explosion.

Working with horses will probably require protective boots and long pants. Gloves also block the wearer from full access to the plant, inhibit natural movement, and lead to rougher treatment of the leaves; gloves lessen the ability to handle the crop...

The slope is home to coneflowers, autumn sedum, phlox and rudbeckia. Stepping into Permaculture Venturing into permaculture is doable if you take baby steps. At its heart— whether applying it to your life or your garden, yard or farm—it is using your...

Why Choose Human-Powered Tools? Here are five human-powered tools you might consider adding to your toolshed if you want to start gardening more sustainably. And when you consider the price-point of most human-powered tools compared with mechanized ones,...

It's Fun! I personally find a staple gun fun to use since it makes a resounding “snap!” sound when in use and you feel like you're actually contributing to the job, rather than simply pushing a button and letting a motor do the work.

For now, they're fine as is. When I lifted the panels to their closed positions, they easily swiveled into place. Then I'll outline the tools stored behind a panel on its exposed side to make it easy for my wife (and me) to find needed tools without dropping...

Many of them offer in-depth information on the products they carry. If you have limited needs for an anvil, a foot-long piece of railroad rail might be enough. Before you make the investment in an anvil, consider possible uses.

My 4-gallon, non-motorized, Hudson Bak-Pak sprayer weighs in at 8 pounds empty and 40 pounds filled. Each sprayer has its place on my farm. The psi you want in your sprayer will depend on the application.

Of all the tools and machines that farmers have to be thankful for, tractors should probably be at the top of the list. As we prepare this week for Thanksgiving feasting, we turn our eyes toward some of thing things about farms we're thankful for.

You never know when a tangle of branches might spring toward your face, and if you're not paying enough attention, it's always possible to walk right into a small branch that you hadn't noticed.

I would dearly love to have one of his saws, but at $250 give or take a sawbuck or two, I have a hard time justifying it if I look at my recent use pattern. The owner makes heirloom quality saws.

With it, I stood back a safe distance from the roof and brush the top of it against the snow, knocking the heavy load to the ground. Snow is surprisingly heavy, particularly when it's wet from melting on a warm day.

But there's something about this old-fashioned measuring wheel that I find appealing—let's face it, what could be simpler for measuring a lengthy distance than rolling a wheel from one point to another and reading the result?

They'll chop through thin plastic if you need to open packaging or cut a hole in something. Wire cutters can make a serviceable pair of scissors and be used to cut through string, rope, or similar items.

Someday I may even try making a tenon. I'll probably keep my tenon saw with its cherry handle. I took it home and set it on my workbench. Again, for the most part they will be things that I see a purpose in and know I will use.

A few minutes later, I had sawn through the ash and the two trees fell to the ground. The ash had grown around the stout cedar branches. I trimmed away lower branches and made the prerequisite cuts, taking out a large wedge across the face of the tree.