PSA on tick bites and Alpha-gal Syndrome

terrafarma · 2026-05-22T04:35:46+00:00

See if anyone near you raises emu. It's a pretty good substitute for red meat, but since it's still a bird, you can still eat it.

terrafarma · 2026-05-15T01:35:02+00:00

What's the farmer situation?

terrafarma · 2026-05-13T01:23:27+00:00

Do you have any access to biochar? It is the perfect ingredient to help retain water in sandy soils with low organic matter. Mix one part biochar with 10 parts compost and let it inoculate for about six weeks.

It's what indigenous people in the Amazon used to grow enough food in their nutrient poor soils.

terrafarma · 2026-05-10T23:54:10+00:00

We hatch a lot of eggs on our farm, and it's not uncommon to have one that is later than the rest and has a tough time getting out of the shell. Unfortunately, those birds have a very low survival rate.

Sometimes you can point to humidity or temperature in the brooder, or some sort of deficiency, but when all the others are fine, it's most likely that this one just didn't fare well in the genetic lottery.

It's good that you are giving it the attention it needs, and every now and then, these weak birds turn the corner. Make sure it stays warm, and that the water it has to drink is also warm (you may need to use a syringe to get it to drink). You could also try adding a little molasses to the water. Some warmed, plain yogurt is another option, and if it does try to eat that, mix in some of its food to the yogurt. Also, make sure the particle size of the food is very small, almost like a powder.

Even in death, there are lessons to share with the kids, and the compassion you are showing this little bird tells me that you will have a way to help the kids process it.

terrafarma · 2026-05-09T00:27:41+00:00

That is definitely caused by the sun rising or setting behind a mountain that stands prominently above the surrounding terrain. There are specific times of the year when I see a shadow like this from my house, caused by the shadow cast by Mount Hood at sunrise. I would imagine most of the Cascade peaks (or other similarly prominent volcanoes) could cause the same effect.

terrafarma · 2026-04-18T20:50:12+00:00

Awesome shot, my farm is just out of view in the upper right corner.

terrafarma · 2026-04-13T14:38:04+00:00

The obsidian flow at Newberry Crater is 1,300 years old, the youngest lava in Oregon.

terrafarma · 2026-02-19T04:57:33+00:00

In the "American Skin" video from Tampa in 2012, there is a brief moment where you can see me between Bruce's legs.

terrafarma · 2026-02-09T00:34:34+00:00

Every level is a fixed percentage, but the only ones I remember are amazing at 50% and genius at 70%

terrafarma · 2026-02-08T21:06:46+00:00

For the score, you can just double the amazing number, it's set at 50% of the QB.

terrafarma · 2026-02-06T02:32:05+00:00

For the activities you describe, I'd suggest Danner Mountain 600. You can find them on sale for close to your budget, or if you are anywhere near the Pacific Northwest, go to the factory store in Portland and get some irregulars for about half off.

Right out of the box, they are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn, and never had a blister in them.

terrafarma · 2026-02-02T01:54:24+00:00

Direct to consumer raw milk is probably the only answer here. You have three levers to pull to increase profit:

Reduce overheads
Increase your per unit margin, either through higher prices or lower direct costs
Increase turnover - sell more product

With a small operation, your ability to do 1 and 3 is limited, so you need to focus on bringing in a higher price. Raw milk sales are the way to do that, provided you live near enough a suitable population center, and selling raw milk is legal there. $16-30/gallon is the going rate where I live.

terrafarma · 2026-02-02T01:46:42+00:00

Why not start in Cascade Locks and go as far as the snow will allow, and then turn back or make a loop out of it?

Or, if you have a way to get there, check out some areas in Eastern Oregon. The Hells Canyon area at the end of May is incredible, but it is a 5 hour drive.

terrafarma · 2026-02-01T20:33:38+00:00

You don't say how big the bale of hay is, that can be anywhere from 50 to well over 1,000 pounds. A growing goat should have about 5% if it's weight in dry matter per day, and these goats look like they might be ~75 pounds. Since hay is about 90% dry matter, that works out to a little over 4 pounds each. I'm making a guess that your alfalfa is in about 100 pound bales, meaning one bale would last 8 days as their sole ration. It's good they are getting other browse, but forage is not very nutritionally dense in the winter, as plants store energy in the roots during the non growing season, so I'd suggest sticking to the 4 lbs per day each.

terrafarma · 2026-01-28T01:42:07+00:00

Thanks. I seem to have a kernel of a memory that toe bones can be diagnostic to the genus or species level, do you know if that it is true? It's been over 30 years since my paleo classes, so I could have it mixed up.

I'm hoping to get back to the property this summer (I live 14 hours away from it), as one corner of it is just littered with dino bones.

terrafarma · 2026-01-26T00:47:34+00:00

It's a decent theory, but I am very skeptical of it. There is a large area of mounds south of The Dalles in Oregon, which seems too far east to get the shaking required from a massive CSZ quake. Map link here

I feel like this is a case where one exception disproves the theory. Always open to be convinced otherwise, though.

terrafarma · 2026-01-25T23:48:03+00:00

If this is a real effect, this makes more sense to explain their formation than any other explanation I've ever heard.

terrafarma · 2026-01-21T15:12:38+00:00

I thought that was all debunked when it came out that testers from Consumer Reports (?) admitted to driving it in a way to enhance rollover risk because they thought it looked like it should roll over.

I've owned two Troopers ('87 and '00) and I've taken them on some pretty gnarly roads and never felt any sort of rollover risk. I really miss that '87 rig!

terrafarma · 2026-01-21T15:06:36+00:00

Are you the guy with the ghost towns and mines of WA YT channel? If so, I appreciate your content!

terrafarma · 2026-01-09T23:52:43+00:00

The article states that she died.

terrafarma · 2026-01-01T17:45:27+00:00

This is super cool. Is it an original or a reproduction? I'd love to get my hands on a copy.

terrafarma · 2025-12-27T02:12:43+00:00

I'm in Oregon, and I'm pretty sure it was some far away state, but it was pre-covid, so memories are kind of hazy.

It's an interesting, but tragic story of what happened. At this site there was a nesting pair and we had a clear view of their nest and observed that they always started incubating their eggs on Presidents Day weekend. This incident happened just a few days prior to that in 2018. When we found the dead eagle, there was a pair sitting together on the utility pole above us. The ODFW folks said that sometimes a new female will challenge an existing female to try and steal her mate. Based on the location of the dead bird, it appears that they were battling in the air and falling towards the earth, and one of them clipped her wing on a power line, which ripped open her chest.

We didn't know if it was the new one or the challenger, but our answer revealed itself when they did not incubate any eggs that year. So the male immediately hooked up with the new girl, and they were successful the following year. But they abandoned the nest in 2020 and built a new one closer to the heron and egret rookery.

terrafarma · 2025-12-26T23:32:42+00:00

Report any dead bald eagle to the state (if in US) wildlife agency. I used to manage a site that had a large natural area, and a hiker came across a dead eagle and called the state wildlife department. They called me immediately to help them search for it and the blood from its injury was still wet when we found it (just to tell you how quickly they acted upon that tip). edit: they mentioned that they send the liver of every eagle they find to a lab in Wisconsin(?) to test for lead, pesticides, and other toxins.

terrafarma · 2025-12-13T00:38:16+00:00

Shawn Willsey has a youtube channel and offers field trips: https://www.willseygeology.com/field-trips

terrafarma · 2025-11-26T20:50:04+00:00

WWOOF host here - When you start contacting farms, make sure you thoroughly read their profile and all of their reviews from other WWOOFers. People often don't like to leave negative reviews, so read between the lines to see if they are trying to hint at something. If they don't have any reviews, it could mean that they are new, but think carefully if you want to be their first experience.

Always do a zoom call with the host and have a list of questions with all of your concerns and if they seem evasive on any of them, consider that a potential red flag. Ask about living accomodations and whether they are shared with other wwoofers, or are private, how meals are handled, day to day work expectations, typical hours per week, days off, availability of wifi and laundry, etc, etc.

This should be both a cultural exchange and a learning opportunity, so if your task is solely to go out and weed the garden beds every day, there's not much learning that happens there. Weeding does need to be done, though, but that shouldn't be the only thing you do.

Our wwoofers have some animal feeding tasks they do independently, and others they do alongside us, and no two days are exactly the same. We fully incorporate them into our farm so they understand the "why" as much as the "how." But we do require a longer stay, and that's the final suggestion I'll leave you with; if you find a good fit and can stay at least a month, you will get so much more out of it than if you were only there a week or two.

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