Food, Fuel, Feed and Chickens

[buc]

With the world becoming oh so painfully aware that the price of fuel has a direct impact on the price of food and the cost of feed has gone up I felt it was high time to post a question to all of you good minded people.

Just when is the rest of those in the USA (those that can) going to become as smart as us here and start to produce some of their own food?

I hope this does not offend some, but really people, we have to spread the word that being like us in these ways:

Heating our homes with wood
Growing our own food
Then canning the surplus
Growing our own eggs (for our family and friends and for sale)
Not buying things that we (if we are honest with ourselves)don't really need

Just a few thoughts.

 

[msrma7670]

I Agree to be as smart as you can and save where you can.

Farmers markets can help some but the farmers want the same price as the store with no middle man sometimes higher price.

Here is my question I wonder when THE world will have to send us Food rations? Just think of all those countries we have helped and I bet you not one would return the favor if we needed the help. So lets take care of our own first before worring about others.

 

[lilchick]

limiting your trips to town.... I usually go once a week and get all animal supplies and groceries...

Same with buying clothes. Just because it's a sale doesn't mean you buy it!

Simplify your life.. sell or give away excess stuff in your home...

raise a garden...used to be you could buy frozen and fresh veggies cheaper than growing them, but not anymore.....

going out to eat and movie less often and it really becomes a treat....

I'm sure there are lots more.....

 

[buc]

Farmers markets can help some but the farmers want the same price as the store with no middle man sometimes higher price.

Here is my question I wonder when THE world will have to send us Food rations? Just think of all those countries we have helped and I bet you not one would return the favor if we needed the help. So lets take care of our own first before worring about others."


I am all in with your last posting.


I do only direct sales, no market sales, I am almost always a little cheaper then the stores. I also do not have to collect tax, in my area that means I charge 7.5 percent less to start with and my direct customers know this.

I sell all I can produce and have tilled a little piece of my yard to plant a row of 12 more tomatoe plants just to sell them.

The local store is selling "vine ripened" Tom's for 3.49 a flipping pound, I can not, nor will I be able to bring myself to charge that much.

I sold a few doz pounds of asparagus this year, the store had it listed for 3.99 per lbs., again I can not take advantage of people that way, I sold mine for $3 per lbs.

 

[fivebigreds]

Quote:
I understand what you mean but, if we all heat with wood the smoke would smother us all. Not to mention deforestation.

 

[morelcabin]

Well, I bought my years worth of feed for the birds last week, the prices hadn't gone up so much here yet and I'd rather be safe than sorry esp considering flour (wheat) is going up sky high fast! We also heat by wood and our cooking facilities are propane, our big tank will last us a year as well. I can't have any other livestock here, (waterfront restrictions) but if things get really tough then a couple of goats might be hidden well enough.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

so many people where I am are still in denial.:|
How? I do not know. But they seem to have their heads in the sand and when they do pull their heads out they immediately put on their rose colored glasses.

I had two horses at the beginning of the year. I knew that it was going to be BAD so I gave the one that had been given to me back to his previous "previous" owner. Luckily she could take him. The amount of horses already needing homes has jumped. And will jump again as the fall/winter approaches and people realize that they really can NOT afford to feed 3 4 or more horses. PLUS their families and heat and fuel for the cars.

We have our container garden on the porch. Just added lettuce and broccoli

And the chickens And the compost pile. Neighbors are prepping their garden area. And I used our new clothes line to fry the first load of laundry today. Dried in HALF the time! Sure it was stiff since I forgot to add fabric softener in the wash OOPS But I am just thinking I have done another thing to help "us" make it. "Us" meaning my own family, my neighbors and others

 

[balticbabe]

Yesterday on the front page was a good article about people growing their own food in the city. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365448_urbanfarming02.html
So people are doing it. I heard that sales of seeds were up 50% this year.

 

[Anne]

Things are sure getting tough for us over here. Fuel and child care costs are among the highest in the nation up here in WA. I reviewed my expenses over the last few months and have been cutting out anything unnecessary. I canceled my garbage pick-up service (but kept recycling), and will be disposing of my garbage in the dumpster at work instead. I cancelled my cable TV and Netflix subscription. We hardly eat out any more, and I've completely quit my formerly twice-daily visits to Cruisin' Coffee. I have not bought any new clothes for myself for at least 6 months (for me, that's really something). We started raising beef cattle and planted a garden and more fruit trees.

I have been debating as to whether or not I should keep feeding my birds organic feed. It's horrifically expensive; I can barely afford it. I spend more on chicken feed than on groceries for our family, and I worry that with financial strain on so many families, the demand for organics has gone down. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it's definitely a concern.

I had planned to sell hatching eggs this spring -- not just because I wanted to, but because I really needed the income to help support the feed bill. Unfortunately my fertility was low and I couldn't in good conscience sell them for hatching eggs. I sold them as eating eggs to friends instead.

I really have to start making my birds pull their own weight. I've invested tons of time, money and effort into building a quality flock, and it's about time I started getting something out of it. Of course, with people not having as much disposable income, I'm concerned that my hatching eggs won't fetch as good a price either.

With my birds producing more eggs than I can handle, and fruits & veggies coming ripe soon, completing our roadside produce stand has become a more immediate goal. Hopefully that will help. :|

I guess we'll see.

 

[southernsibe]

Quote:
This is a question that I have asked for a long time. I don't have anything against "other countries" I simply don't think we should truly be aiding other countries when our own is in peril.

Rachel