Our busy weekend started Thursday with our involvement with Matt Sherald of PIMBY Services. A couple of months ago Matt asked if we would like to be on the panel for Off Grid Living at a Small Farm Conference sponsored by WVU’s Extension Services. It was a good presentation and we had quite a few questions asked from the audience.
We headed out from there and got back home with enough sun light to fire up the chain saw and start clearing the swamp trees that have grown up in our east pasture. We dropped about 15 mid sized trees before it got dark.
On Friday we headed out to Tyler Feed to pick up some scratch and laying mash. We used to go to Tractor Supply but Tyler Feed offers scratch and laying mash ground from local farmers corn and oats. We would rather support our local farmers.
On the way home we stopped by Two Lynns Farm for a visit. They are preparing for Maple syrup season. Lynn took me for a ride around his property parameters on his four wheeler. He is a Jack of all trades and a heck of a entrepreneur. He and his wife Sandi make maple syrup, hatch and raise chickens and guineas, milk and beef cows, and horses. He has a small saw mill and creates wooden bowls and plates with his lath from interesting pieces of knotted wood he finds on his property. We decided that next month we were going to get a few more hens and guineas.
Today we spent most of the day clearing the trees and branches that we cut down on Friday. I cut them in 10′ lengths and used the tractor bucket and a chain to stack them for later cutting while Linda created a giant pile of brush. I plan to bush hog it next week and get ready for the fencing project that will come shortly.
Much Better
Had to dig out these guys
Were ready for dinner now. We dumped a hodge podge of Great Northern, black beans, pork-n-beans, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, green pepper with a load of hamburg and sausage into a lodge pot and it has been simmering for the last few hours. I’m hungry.
Off-Grid in West Virginia 
They say blogging can broaden your horizons, and for a UK housewife this does the trick.
I am goggling at what ‘bush-hogging’ is… but the dinner sounds great…
oh those darn bush hogs. that is where you beat the bushes until them darn hogs jump out LOL….LMAO
think of a bush hog as a tractor implement of a big lawnmower, for the big jobs with big brush. then the driver of the tractor snort like a hog while he is mowing….lol
might need to explane brush to nonfarmer
brush is unwanted vegitation growing in fields
here in wv most of the brush is multiflora roses,autaum[sp] olive, and blackberry briars
Hi Guys,
I’m so glad you got home in time to knock out some chores. Thanks for coming out to the WV Small Farms Conference and sharing your experiences in off-grid living. The off-grid panel presentation was a big success and I overheard many people discussing it throughout the remainder of the event. It was so nice to meet you both. Best of luck this spring!
No problem Matt, if you need us again next year just let us know. We would be happy to help.
Sounds like a great day! Just curious – where is Two Lynns Farm located?
Lynn and Sandi’s farm is just about 5 miles past Center Point on RT 23 North. They are two very good folks.