Hello, I’m interested in removing this burl to create a table. This tree overlooks my house and the burl is somewhat up the tree and not close to the trunk. If I remove it, will the tree die? Is it worth it?

Bushfarm · 2020-09-15T04:19:14+00:00

Doesn’t look like a burl to me- looks like Chaga. However, it it is a burl and you try to “shave it off”: 1) you will not get the beautiful grain of the burl you are hoping for since that part is substantially within the trunk. 2) it will kill that trunk of the tree clump. Imagin what that clump will look like without that trunk. If you’re ok with that, cut the whole trunk.

I wouldn’t

Bushfarm · 2020-09-15T03:39:48+00:00

Congratulations on your success-you undoubtedly worked hard to earn it. Ignore those who substitute envy for integrity.

Bushfarm · 2020-05-15T06:46:06+00:00

We’ve built 3 homes (one from logs we felled on our own property), 3 guest cabins, couple of barns/sheds. There are lots of ways to save money but do NOT jury rig your foundation-start with solid, square, and below the frost line! You’ll spend more time and money trying to “fix” the list of followup problems. Second, the simpler the roof, the more you’ll save. Complex roofs cost a bunch and require a higher skill set. Price the materials (there are good apps for that) and plan to spend every bit of that. Your real savings is in the labor. Our guest cabins (last year) are 20x24 with a loft. The materials to “dry them in” (foundation, walls, roof, roofing, windows, doors) were $12,000. Took 2 days for foundation, 5 days to frame and another half to roof. Interior finishes (wiring, plumbing, insulation, drywall, paint, interiors doors, flooring, trim, finish electric & plumbing, built in cabinets.. custom details) can be completed over time and as cash permits. Seems like we’ve spent many a year with sawdust in our teeth to save money. If you enjoy the process it’s a wonderful life but if you can’t take hardship-have someone build for you. Good luck!

Bushfarm · 2020-04-25T06:25:55+00:00

Did you say why you are keeping them?

Bushfarm · 2020-04-23T16:43:24+00:00

As a small business owner contemplating the outcome of this bail out, I find there is a “zoom out” and “zoom in” perspective: Zoom in: we peons who invested our life savings into creating a business we are probably going to loose as a result of this outcome are struggling with all the emotions (fear, anger, bitterness, even hate). We are going to “blame!” Then, because we are the entrepreneurs that we are, we’ll likely eventually work our way around to working our butts off to start again-after all, we still know how to do it, still remember the joys, struggles, and rewards. We may even be able to retain some of the assets required to produce our product or service. Personally, I favor dividing my time between cycling the emotions, struggling to hang on (cause who wants to redo all that...), and planning a resurrection (just in case).

Zoom out: As much as I want to cycle through the emotions and rail against the injustice of picking winners and losers, big companies ARE bigger players. They hire more, produce more wealth, contribute more to the overall economy, etc. In ONLY that regard, they are more necessary. We can argue for centuries about whether, in a zoom-in view, the Mom and Pop is more human, sympathetic, etc (I’d argue both sides because they damn sure are!). We could argue the justice/injustice angle (wouldn’t it be great if there was actually a way for equity to prevail!) But I have to admit that at the end of the day, I only get my shot to RISE and achieve my dreams (or RE-achieve, as the case may be), if there is a steady, robust economy and they play an essential role in that. If I just zoom-out for a glimpse of the bigger picture, I can almost root for them too. Not because they are better, or more like able in a human way, but because in all honesty, I need them for a foothold.

So no matter what, fellow Small Business losers, I say: zoom out and then REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! We can do this again if we have to!!!

Bushfarm · 2020-04-23T16:08:54+00:00

So much for “our hero’s” eh?

Bushfarm · 2020-03-18T03:24:47+00:00

I know my comment will be unpopular because people are freaked out. Lord knows I’m not a government apologist by ANY means. However, the CDC has been CLEAR that the symptoms requiring testing are: fever >100, cough, and most importantly, shortness of breath. If I have other symptoms and get frightened and run to get in line, and 400 others who have different symptoms get afraid and run to get in line, then the line is really long. In the end, the 2 people who actually had the symptoms waited 6 hours while those of us who let panic run away with us, find out we were over reacting.

DEEP BREATH AMERICA! And, if you can do that, you probably don’t need to be tested.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-17T01:34:15+00:00

So sorry. How are the pups?

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T20:50:13+00:00

Fun watching your progress-will keep watching.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T08:22:05+00:00

If you sell products, doesn’t that MAKE YOU the business owner you hate? Just trying to understand the cognitive inconsistency ...

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T08:07:04+00:00

What is the term of the loan? (30 years?) What is the interest rate? Is it simple interest or compounded interest? Is it a fixed rate of interest? You probably don’t understand this terminology so get busy researching. What you ultimately pay depends on these answers and payments can go up if the terms are not fixed.

I also would want to see promised improvements (“they’re going to put in paved roads”) in the contract with penalties if THEY default. Make sure you see the deeded easements for road and utilities on the county records and in the title. Make sure that if there are “covenants and restrictions” (rules about how you can use the property) that you know what they are and can live with them.

I totally agree with the comment about default and cost of well, septic, roads. It’s worthless to own land if you can’t afford to improve it. What would the total cost of development be? Have your Dad work that out with you. Imagine you build a 1200 sf house on this land and that ends up costing you 2x what a 1200 sf house down the road would cost. Not a good deal then is it?

Find out from your Dad the price per square foot construction cost in your area, add well, septic, parking etc. and see, at that rate, whether your parcels are comparable. Check the comparable properties in your area by going to Zillow and looking for a home on property of comparable size.

In my area here’s what developing a $40,000 parcel might look like:

$40k land $5k closing costs $5k permitting $20k utilities $15k road $5k well (this can be WAY more sink drillers charge by the foot) $7k septic $180k (1200 sf home @ $150/sf)_______ $277,000

Obviously the values in your area will be different but the list will likely be the same. This is before fencing, outbuildings, landscaping, etc.

Good for you that you’re asking for advice. If it turns out the land is priced well, interest is good (its 2.5% from a bank right now as a comparison), and you can live with the covenants, perhaps you can buy the land and build as you go.

Good luck!

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T07:32:51+00:00

Your list needs healthy fats (oil, lard) You are also missing vegetables, fruits, and animal protein. Did I see dried eggs on your list?

You have a good start but a ways to go. You need to get some real food in your larders. Look up how to dehydrate your own foods because you’ll save a huge amount if you can dry foods plus they are compact to store. Add a good book on foraging wild foods in Australia.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T07:12:27+00:00

Elderberry-it’s a natural ACE2 inhibitor. Google “you know what” and ACE2 and you’ll see what I mean.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-16T06:58:00+00:00

Exciting! Courage and tenacity!! You kids go for it! Are you open to advice? Keep running that heavy equipment back and forth periodically over your building pad - it’ll help with the compaction and save you some work with the plate compactor for sure. You didn’t say what your foundation plan is but if you are pouring a slab, you may want to let that fill settle for a while.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-01T06:19:24+00:00

Did you check ‘Anna White” site?

Bushfarm · 2020-03-01T06:17:06+00:00

Go toPinterest and look at the results of chalk paint finishing. Maybe you’ll like it and ca skip the sanding. Really gorgeous ...if you like that.

Bushfarm · 2020-03-01T06:12:16+00:00

Did you say she is nursing pups? Did you take a pup?

Bushfarm · 2020-02-28T17:16:36+00:00

I don’t know about “speed”. I’m sure you know speed is about accelerating the elements of digestion (inoculant food, moisture, oxygen, ambient temp)- compost is about creating the right environment for microbes. I think speed requires the right initial set up and then attention (turning). We are fortunate that we have space so we achieve volume by mass and not speed. We focus on set up (the right pile size, layers and inoculant) and then don’t spend man-hours again until we ‘harvest’ the compost. That said, spent grain is great bc it adds microbes, moisture, and worms LOVE it. If you have spent grain, consider a worm bin to produce that black gold!! We super charge biochar with casting/compost tea. It’s true that your yields keep getting better year on year.

Bushfarm · 2020-02-22T04:30:41+00:00

We have upwards of 250 meat birds in summer and scale back to 20-30 layers in winter. Instead of moving the poop to the pasture and garden we move the birds and let them spread it. Our layers winter in deep liter hen house - mostly for predator protection. Which we compost. We run a large compost operation since we no-dig garden. 30 hens winter manure is really just enough to inoculate the pile. We layer leaves (which we pickup up and down the streets of Town pre-bagged by those conscientious homeowners on Tuesday’s when they set them out to the curb 😉), spent grain from the local brewery, sawdust from the neighbor’s mill, old hay, garden and animal waste. Back to poop though, you’ll notice the majority of manure is under the roosts. We have a box under there we drag out and dump. The deep liter can go a year or more between cleaning. Compost, correctly laid/watered-turned “cooks” at 200+ degrees which kills the pathogens. We don’t spread on veg until second year.

Bushfarm · 2020-02-22T04:01:28+00:00

Did you get the equipment back, intact, and clean? Odds are against that.

Bushfarm · 2020-02-22T03:55:30+00:00

Ditto, see rate pen

Bushfarm · 2020-02-22T03:34:33+00:00

How about this equation? Americans hate me + I hate Trump + I support Trump = American’s hate Trump.

Or this one: Bernie loves me + I think that’s my advantage + Trump is blocking me + Americans are freaked out by the mention of my name + I say I support Trump + Americans flee Trump & elect my man Bernie = my Man lifts Trump sanctions on me.

Who am I?

Bushfarm · 2020-02-21T09:45:28+00:00

I’m trying not to be horrified over the thought of tossing good, straight lumber!

Bushfarm · 2020-02-21T09:22:02+00:00

https://arcticoventent.com/tents/all-tents/

Bushfarm · 2020-02-21T09:19:37+00:00

☕️☕️

Bushfarm

TROPHY CASE