Backyard Bounty

SHOW NOTES

How to make money homesteading is this week’s topic of conversation as we join Nicole and Joel Salatin, farmer and author of many books including the new title soon be published; Homestead Animal Happiness.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How To Make Money Homesteading even on a small acreage.
• How a solarium and rainwater catchment lower your overheads and help your homestead be more profitable.
• How to make money homesteading with the power of perseverance!
• The animals should you first add to your backyard hobby farm?
• How to use synergy in your homestead to increase your output and decrease your input
• How to use deep bedding to reduce animal odor and make fertilizer.

OUR GUEST

Joel Salatin is a self-described Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer! He is a second-generation farmer and farms full-time with this family in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley at their aptly named Polyface Farm.

Polyface Farm is a multi-generational pastured livestock enterprise raising beef, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, sheep and also has a sawmill which adds value to their forested acres. The farm supports about 20 full-time salaries, offers educational seminars, and germinates new farmers through a formal stewardship and apprenticeship program.

Polyface farm delivers and ships to some 6,000 families, 50 restaurants, and also services on-farm customers.

Joel has written 14 books and is also the editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. He is currently working on a new book, Homestead Animal Happiness, which will be available summer 2021.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Polyface Farm Website
• Polyface Farm Facebook Page
• Polyface Farm Twitter
• Polyface Farm Instagram
• The Stockman Grass Farmer Magazine
• *You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise
• *Pastured Poultry Profit$
• *Fields of Farmers: Interning, Mentoring, Partnering, Germinating
• *Beyond Labels: A Doctor and a Farmer Conquer Food Confusion One Bite at a Time
• *Your Successful Farm Business: Production, Profit, Pleasure
• *Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World
• Polyface Intensive Discovery Seminars, July 26-27 July 30-31 Aug. 6-7 2021 Registration is handled by The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine:  Tel: 601-853-7755

SHOW NOTES

The basics of raising goats is our topic this week as join Nicole and Deborah Niemann of Thrifty Homesteader.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Goats are browsers, not grazers, and what that means to your homestead.
• Why learning the basics of raising goats before you bring them home is essential to their health.
• Steps to complete before you get goats.
• What to look and tests that need to be performed on goats before you purchase.
• The basics of raising goats will differ depending on your individual circumstances.
• Why the vet you use for your pet cat or dog is not the best choice for your goats.

OUR GUEST

Deborah and her family moved to the country in 2002 to start growing their own food organically.

They have raised cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry, plus llamas, but ultimately have settled on sheep, goats and poultry as their livestock of choice! The family also have a garden and make their own maple syrup.

Raising goats did not come easy to Deborah. In fact, she found it was the hardest animal she has ever tried to raise. In the early years, her goats dying and nobody could really tell her why, but rather than give up, she set herself the task of figuring out what was wrong and learned more than just the basics of raising goats but enough to write three books! Two editions of Raising Goats Naturally, which are 300+ pages, and Goats Giving Birth – see resources below for a link to purchase.

Deborah doesn’t simply tell people to do what works for her goat herd because every farm is different, and every goat herd is different. What worked on Farm X may literally kill another farm’s goats. She tells people that there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation for raising goats. The answer is almost always “it depends.”

She firmly believes in understanding the “Why” behind information given to goat owners and she explains the science behind various recommendations. This then enables people to understand why they see so many conflicting opinions and can then apply only what will work best for their herd’s specific needs.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Thrifty Homesteader Website
• Thrifty Homesteader Facebook
• Thrifty Homesteader Twitter
• Thrifty Homesteader Instagram
• Thrifty Homesteader Youtube
• Thrifty Homesteader Pinterest
• For the Love of Goats Podcast
• Backyard Bounty Podcast Goat and Sheep Health ft Dr. Reid Redden
• Courses from the Thrifty Homesteader
• *Raising Goats Naturally (second edition 2018) book
• * Goats Giving Birth (June 2020) book
• Just Kidding: Stories and Reflections on Goats Giving Birth Kindle Edition

*Denotes affiliate links

This week planting habitat for bees and other pollinators is the topic of discussion between our host Nicole and Dr. Marla Spivak of the University of Minnesota

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How planting habitat for bees and other pollinators is the best way to help them
• What flowers to include when planting habitat for bees and other pollinators
• How everyone can help bees and other pollinators
• What is a bee lawn

OUR GUEST

Dr. Marla Spivak, McArthur Fellow 2010, Distinguished McKnight Professor and a beekeeper for over 40 years. Currently, she works primarily on research and extension with the University of Minnesota.

She is the head of the Spivak Honey Bee Lab and where you will find links to research, academic classes, research, and a plethora of information on planting habitat for bees and other pollinators

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• University of Minnesota Bee Lab
• University of MN Bee Squad Facebook Page
• University of MN Free Bee Info
• Spivak Honey Bee Lab
• Backyard Bounty Podcast Pollinators of Native Plants
• Board of Water and Soil Resources - Lawns to Legumes Program
• *Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants Book
• *Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists Book

*Denotes affiliate links

Growing mushrooms at home is the topic of conversation this week as we join Nicole and her guests Megan and Josh of Megan's Mushrooms.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How easy it is to get started growing mushrooms at home.
• Different ways to grow mushrooms at home.
• The health benefits of growing mushrooms at home.
• The process of growing mushrooms on a larger scale in a dry environment.
• Some basic mushroom cooking techniques

OUR GUEST

Megan and her husband Josh live in Rocky Ford, Colorado on 40 acres and have always had dreams of homesteading and growing their own food. They have rescue cats and 3 dogs, no children and are looking forward to getting more animals as the homestead grows. Both Megan and her husband absolutely love going to the little farmstands in their local area and have dreams of having a similar stand with all of their different kinds of mushrooms!

Megan’s passion is all things mushrooms! Four years ago she didn’t even know that most of the gourmet mushroom varieties existed. Then she found a grow your own kit on Amazon and fell in love with the oyster mushrooms due to their flavor and health benefits. From there she started her business and is always learning more about how amazing all mushrooms are!

Megan has a great interest in the medicinal benefits of mushrooms and how they can help so many people. Her goal is to bring the culture of medicinal and gourmet mushrooms to Colorado. She carries organic mushroom extracts in 14 different varieties. Medicinal mushrooms are superfoods that have been utilized in eastern medicine for thousands of years.

The mushrooms available for Megan’s Mushrooms taste like bacon!! All of their mushrooms are wood-loving species grown off clean-sourced, sterilized sawdust. They contain up to 28 grams of protein per cup and varieties are chosen based on flavor and nutritional benefits. Lion’s Mane tastes like buttered lobster, Blue Oysters and Black Pearl Trumpets have an amazing umami/bacon-like flavor, and both Trumpet varieties have a meaty texture that makes them an awesome source for hundreds of alternative vegan dishes.

Megan’s Mushrooms grow kits are an easy and fun activity for all ages and provide education on growing mushrooms and a motivating appreciation toward food independence.

Megan’s Mushrooms aim to provide the highest quality, fresh mushrooms as well as other mushroom products that even non-mushroom lovers can enjoy! They grow indoors year-round and deliver from Rocky Ford all the way to parts of Denver weekly.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Click here for a generous special offer just for Backyard Bounty listeners and you too can start growing mushrooms at home!
• Megan’s Mushrooms Website
• Megan’s Mushrooms Facebook Page
• Megan’s Mushrooms Instagram
• Myers Mushrooms
• Mossy Creek Mushrooms
• Mushroom Growing For Beginners & Experts Facebook group
• * Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation book
• * Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation eBook
• * Mini Greenhouse 4 Tier Indoor Outdoor 

The prevention and management of common backyard chicken predators is the topic being discussed this week as we join Nicole and Dr. Matt Springer of the University of Kentucky.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Learn which are the most common predators of your backyard chickens.
• Techniques for the prevention and management of common backyard chicken predators.
• How securing your flock and their food supply will be one of the best tools in the prevention and management of common backyard chicken predators.
• How your State Wildlife Agency and local Extension Service can help in the prevention and management of common backyard chicken predators.
• How to use fencing, escape cover, and netting as a tool against common predators from the ground and sky.

OUR GUEST

Matt Springer, Ph.D. is an Assistant Extension Professor of Wildlife Management at the University of Kentucky.

Matt Springer is from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and went to Juniata College for his B.S., University of Delaware for M.S., and Southern Illinois University Carbondale for his Ph.D.

Although he grew up in the city Matt was instilled with a love of nature from his parents. An avid hunter, fisherman, and trapper he enjoys gardening and has had a small chicken flock until recently. Matt has firsthand experience with the prevention and management of common backyard chicken predators

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• University of Kentucky Wildlife Extension Facebook Page
• University of Kentucky Extension Website
• University of Kentucky Forestry Extension Radio Show/Podcast
• From The Woods Today on YouTube
• University of Kentucky Predator Management for Small-scale Poultry Enterprises in Kentucky PDF
• University of Nebraska Identification Key to Scat
• *National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals (National Audubon Society Field Guides) 2nd Edition
• *Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America (Peterson Field Guides (Paperback)) Paperback – October 1, 2006
• *National Audubon Society Pocket Guide: Familiar Animal Tracks of North America
• *Bird Netting 50’x50′ Heavy Duty Nylon Netting for Bird, Poultry,Deer and Other Pests

*Denotes affiliate links

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes!

• Get behind the scenes on Patreon
• Shop Backyard Bounty Swag & More
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group
• Join our VIP Text Club
• Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page

Join Nicole and Dr. Reid Redden, sheep & goat specialist with Texas A&M Agrilife extension as they chat about goat and sheep health.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• The importance of good nutrition for goat and sheep health.
• How coccidia affects goats, it’s symptoms, and when to treat.
• Why a Google search of plants toxic to goats and sheep shouldn’t cause panic!
• Why internal parasites are a concern for goat and sheep health, how to treat and prevent.

OUR GUEST

Dr. Reid Redden grew up on a diversified ranch in Utopia, Texas, and attained his BS, MS, and Ph.D. related to animal science and small ruminants. Reid raises sheep, and it is his life’s work.

His work with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension allows him to offer non-biased science-based information to support goat producers.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Website
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Facebook page
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Twitter
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Instagram
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Youtube
• American Sheep Industry Podcast
• Episode #057: Livestock Guardian Dogs ft Renee of Mountain Woods Farm

*Denotes affiliate links

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes!

• Get behind the scenes on Patreon
• Shop Backyard Bounty Swag & More
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group
• Join our VIP Text Club
• Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page

Join Nicole and Dr. Merlin Tuttle and Theresa of the Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation as they discuss much-maligned bats.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Overcoming your fear.
• Did bats really cause COVID-19?
• How & Why to attract bats.
• How intelligent are bats?
• Effects on crop pollination and pest control.
• How to select and locate your own bat house.

OUR GUEST

Merlin Tuttle, renowned bat expert, educator, and wildlife photographer, has studied and photographed bats worldwide for more than 60 years. He has been a leader in international bat conservation and his organization, Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation, is the most recent contribution by Merlin Tuttle to the world of bats. 

With over 60 years of in-depth knowledge and experience, Merlin Tuttle founded MTBC to teach the world understanding and appreciation of the vital contributions bats make to human beings and the world we live in. 

Merlin is also a Research Fellow in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. His famous photos and case histories are used worldwide to document the importance of making conservation relevant to people, using the power of photography, and the urgent need to end careless disease speculation. He will also stress the need for better research documentation of bat values, and emphasize the key role of entertaining communication.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• MTBC Website
• MTBC Facebook
• MTBC Twitter
• MTBC YouTube
• MTBC Instagram
• Learn the facts about bats and rabies
• COVID-19 Impact on bats
• Become a Member to get newsletters and more, join MTBC

Join Nicole and Farmer Fred Hoffman as they chat about how growing popcorn in your own backyard is possible. Also, hear Farmer Fred’s tips for beginning gardeners.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Growing popcorn in your own backyard!
• Growing popcorn is possible even for the beginning gardener!
• How to harvest and strip kernels from the corn ears.
• Where to find a good heirloom popcorn seed.
• Get information to begin your own garden.

OUR GUEST

Farmer Fred is the son of a farmer’s daughter and has been a master gardener since 1982. He offers advice to beginner gardeners on the Farmer Fred Blog and is the host and producer of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, KFBK Garden Show, Get Growing with Farmer Fred, and the KSTE Farm Hour.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Farmer Fred Website
• Get Growing with Farmer Fred Facebook Page
• Farmer Fred Twitter
• Farmer Fred Instagram
• Farmer Fred Rant Blog
• Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Podcast
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Sunset Western Garden Book
• KFBK Garden Show 93.1 FM/1530 AM KFBK-Sacramento Sundays, 8-10 am
• Get Growing with Farmer Fred, Talk650-KSTE Sacramento, Sundays, 10 am-Noon
• The KSTE Farm Hour, Noon-1pm on Sundays.
• Vermont Bean and Seed Company "Little Stripper" tool

*Denotes affiliate links

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes!

• Get behind the scenes on Patreon
• Shop Backyard Bounty Swag & More
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group
• Join our VIP Text Club
• Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page

Join Nicole and Amber Bristow whose family has been growing cranberries for the Ocean Spray Coop for generations.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Growing cranberries in their preferred conditions

• How to tell when a cranberry is ripe
• How cranberries taste and preferences have changed
• Learn where cranberries got their name
• Common cranberry misconceptions

OUR GUEST

Amber is a fifth-generation Wisconsin cranberry grower and works alongside her dad, cousin, and husband – a true family affair! Amber has been working on the marsh full time now for over 4 years.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Amber’s Instagram page
• Amber’s Facebook page
• Forward Farming Podcast Facebook Page

*Denotes affiliate links

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes!

• Get behind the scenes on Patreon
• Shop Backyard Bounty Swag & More
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group
• Join our VIP Text Club
• Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page

Join Nicole and Charlotte of Carolina Honey Bees as they discuss how the information overwhelm can be a problem for beekeeping beginners.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Where to find reputable online sources for the beekeeping beginner.
• Common mistakes made by beekeeping beginners and how to overcome them.
• The importance of learning beekeeping basics.
• Why it is important to connect with local beekeeping clubs.

OUR GUEST

Charlotte grew up spending the summers on her Grandpa’s farm and her best friends were the farm animals. She enjoys gardening and became interested in beekeeping due to a passion to produce her own food. Over the years, she has devoted a lot of time to helping local beekeepers who are new to the hobby and I still enjoy doing that today. Charlotte and her husband live in the foothills of the South Carolina mountains with their chickens, mini donkeys, and other pets.

In addition to the free info on her site, Charlotte offers an online beekeeping class for beginners that is designed to help the new beekeeper get started and through the first Winter and honey harvest! Also available from Charlotte is a popular beekeeping journal that is available as a download and in print from Amazon. This is more than a diary – it has hive inspection sheets, a beekeeping calendar, and more. In just a couple of weeks, her new beekeeping beginners book will be published – Buzz into Beekeeping – it is available for pre-order now – link below.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Carolina Honey Bees Website
• Carolina Honey Bees Facebook Page
• Carolina Honey Bees Twitter
• Carolina Honey Bees Instagram
• Carolina Honey Bees YouTube
• Carolina Honey Bees
• Buy the *Buzz into Beekeeping Book
• Bee Extension Article Library
• 12 Best Books for BeeKeepers
• Find your local Beekeeping Club

*Denotes affiliate links

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes!

• Get behind the scenes on Patreon
• Shop Backyard Bounty Swag & More
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group
• Join our VIP Text Club
• Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page

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