Indholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2025 i Hobby Farms

Sometimes, beekeeping can be sticky. While the idea of fresh honey, nutrient-rich pollen and natural wonders of beeswax and other products of bees are enough to set any bee-enthusiast’s mind abuzz. The possibilities and benefits that await just on the other side of starting a hive are seemingly endless. But sometimes the in-between of getting there and maintaining a hive to reap those benefits can be easier said than done. As with most of the best things in life, receiving the gold takes hard work. It’s not a blind endeavor, however, but one that with advice from experienced beekeepers and helpful tips backed by research can be one that yields as rewarding a journey as the final product. PEST MANAGEMENT One of the most important factors for any beekeeper new or…

As a sheep owner, it’s not uncommon to encounter the occasional limping member of your flock. Lameness in sheep can be caused by various diseases or issues with their hooves. Understanding and addressing these problems promptly is essential for maintaining the overall health and well-being of your entire flock. IDENTIFY THE ISSUE When you notice that a sheep is limping, separate it from the rest of the flock and conduct a thorough examination. Begin by assessing the state of the hoof. Is it overgrown? In some cases, simply trimming the hoof can solve the problem. Additionally, consider the moisture level. Extended periods of wetness, especially after rainfall, can contribute to hoof problems. FOOT ROT & FOOT SCALD Foot rot and foot scald are two common hoof conditions that affect sheep.…

With summer in full swing, fighting insects at the farm can feel like a full-time job. Let’s take a closer look at three common species of flies that impact our cattle and other livestock. STABLE FLY Just a bit smaller than the house fly, the stable fly is a ubiquitous pest in the summer. Congregating along an animal’s back, legs, sides and belly, these flies (in contrast to the horn fly, see below) only take on average one blood meal a day. But the bite is painful and causes distress. HORN FLY The horn fly is a surprisingly small insect (the adult is only 3 to 5 millimeters), so it’s not the size but rather the number of these flies that causes problems. Clustering in large groups that can number…

KEEP ’EM COMING Upload the very best digital images of your smallfarm livestock to HobbyFarms.com/say_cheese or email them directly to hobbyfarms@hobbyfarms.com, with “Say Cheese!” in the subject line. Include your name and address in the body of the email. We hope to see your photos in an upcoming issue and on our Instagram account (@hobbyfarmsmag)!…

Often referred to as hardware disease, metal poisoning, heavy metal poisoning, zinc poisoning and lead poisoning, metal toxicity is a common occurrence in backyard duck flocks. This condition is caused by lead or zinc entering a duck’s body and bloodstream from ingesting contaminated water, dirt or feed, or when a duck eats bits of metal such as wire or screws. When a duck ingests a screw or other metal object, the metal piece usually works its way through a duck’s body until arriving at the gizzard. A duck’s gizzard works like a hammer, crushing the food before it moves through the lower intestine and pancreas. When a metal object is in the duck’s gizzard, the gizzard will try to destroy it. This crushing releases zinc or lead into the duck’s…

A FARMERS MARKET can be a perfect opportunity to raise extra funds while promoting a farm or business. Yet without the right knowledge and preparation, it can also be a budget drain. Simply signing up to participate in the nearest market is rarely effective; instead, a bit of research beforehand can bring more customers to your booth meaning more cash in your pocket. Being part of a market is a great way to access a multitude of customers at once and bring in a potential stream of weekly patrons. Before joining a market, you must consider several factors, from what to sell to how to sell it. While it can be simple to set up a roadside stand, a farmers market requires a bit more research and marketing consideration to be…

Of all the farm animals out there, pigs may be the most misunderstood. Phrases such as “sweating like a pig,” referring to someone as being “useless as teats on a boar hog” and calling someone a “dirty pig” are examples of this disconnect. (Pigs don’t sweat, the number of teats on a male pig are an indicator of the mothering ability of its female offspring and pigs are relatively tidy animals!) Starting a hog-raising business, you might find information out there that’s equally as off-base. From common terminology to simple husbandry and selecting your stock to raise pigs for meat, there’s a lot to understand before you venture into the hog-raising business. COMMON TERMINOLOGY The basics of pig farming can be made clearer when you understand some of the terminology…

The solution to a gardener’s rough, dirty hands can be found right in the garden that created them. As the season wears on, a gardener’s hands can take a beating. Using overlapping ingredients, let’s make a gardener’s scrub and balm to clean and nourish your most valuable tools: your hands! I love gardening without gloves, but that dirt manicure ends up damaging the top protective layer of skin. This leaves your skin vulnerable to drying, cracking and becoming inflamed. Even after wearing gloves a gardener’s hands can use a good deep cleaning. With a focused blend of Castile soap, oils and homegrown herbs you can clean and soothe your hands. HERBS AS HEALERS From companion planting to culinary uses, herbs in the garden just make sense. But we often overlook…

While no longer plentiful, family farms dating back multiple generations still populate the scenic valley that I call home. From my farm, it’s easy to think of a member of our farming community whose unique expertise lends itself well to the column topics I seek to cover. In each issue, I’ll spotlight farming operations whose practices aren’t only applicable across the country but that you can take and make use of for your own farm. This issue’s column comes from a slightly different perspective, as producing plants hydroponically is a practice that hasn’t yet caught on with many farmers. Yet, it could certainly fit very easily into any number of farming operations. Defining Hydroponics “Hydroponic production is the range of production in soilless environments,” says Natalie Bumgarner, associate professor and…

When visitors drive up to our Northern California foothill farm, they immediately notice the fluffy, long-horned beasties dotted all over our pastures. If they have never met us before, these visitors will always tell us how they love seeing our beautiful “sheep” and ask what we do with their wool. I smile and take a deep breath, because this is where the fun starts. I enjoy nothing more than sharing that we raise Angora goats as opposed to sheep, and they produce mohair (like the suit) as opposed to wool. The most interesting part is that nearly everyone we talk to has no idea that natural fibers can be produced by goats! The mistake is easy to make. After all, they are sheep-sized and look all squishy and pillowlike. In…

With literally thousands of varieties available, there’s bound to be a bean or two that will suit your growing conditions and please your palate. There are bush beans, pole beans, wax beans, filet beans, dried beans, snap beans and the list goes on. Of course, choosing varieties can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never grown beans before or you’ve only tried a couple of the usual suspects. Just as there are loads of different types of beans to grow, there are also many good reasons to include them in your garden. Because most beans are easy to care for and very prolific, growing them is a great way to bolster your own food security and stretch your grocery budget. Available in an array of interesting colors, beans can…

NARRAGANSETT TURKEY Narragansetts are meat turkeys known for being very prolific, broodiness and possessing calm dispositions. The breed was developed in the Rhode Island bay of the same name in the 1700s from crosses of native wild turkeys and domestic farm turkeys (most likely Blacks) brought from Europe by settlers. Narragansetts were most popular in the Northeast though their popularity declined greatly by the 1950s. This variety has seen recent growth on small farms due to its popularity as a productive heritage turkey. It was admitted into the first American Standard of Perfection in 1874. Narragansett’s have the same productive body type as other varieties but possess a unique coloration like the Bronze. Instead, the coppery tinge is replaced by a steely gray in the Narragansett. Standard weights are: old…