Here We Go Again With Animal Tracking

The USDA, or the USDuh, as I like to put it, is at it again.  They are pushing animal tagging in the form of ear tags for traceability.  Remember the big fight that took place with the NAIS (Nation Animal Identification System)?  This is the same thing with a few twists.  Read this article and be on the lookout.  The USDuh does not give up.  The bottom line is that there is a lot of money out there and the big guys are upset that they might lose their share (Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson, etc...).  The problem for them is that the average farmer/rancher wants nothing to do with all the big government bureaucracy that comes with it.  I feel the same way.  Big government has proven, time and again, that they can do nothing well.  Why do we continue to trust them?

How Did Colonists Fight Squash Bugs? Can Tansy Be Used?

We have a continuing problem on our little homestead with squash bugs. Every year we battle the little demons, leaving nothing untried. The only sure method of dealing with these bugs and keeping them from killing the precious squash plants is to pick off every little egg we could find. That, along with picking off and stepping on every squash bug we saw. Believe me, the effort always seemed futile. We have even decided to forgo growing squash for a couple of years in hopes of the bugs going away. The trouble is that we always have incidental squash plants popping up in the compost bin or elsewhere. So I am not sure how to get rid of them.




Pesticides are not an option. We like real food. So I got to thinking and wondering how farmers dealt with these squash beetles in colonial times. I am not sure that I found an answer (bummer) but I did come across something interesting and possibly valuable for us homesteaders/survivalists/farmers.



Tansy is a plant that has shown a natural ability as a pesticide and insect repellent. Townsfolk used to put Tansy wreathes on deceased loved ones and pack their coffins with the flower to ward of worms and insects. Colonists and English, alike would place pots of Tansy on window sills to ward off house flies. They would even put sprigs in bed linen to drive away pests and used it for ant control. Colonists went so far as to put Tansy in their shoes to fight off malaria carrying mosquitoes.



Try this one, Common Tansy is often planted along side potatoes to repel Colorado Potato bug. Research has shown that Tansy does, indeed repel mosquitoes, but not as well as the modern chemicals. Research in Sweden has shown a 64%-72% tick repellent from Common Tansy. Interesting, to be sure.



I don't know if I will find an answer to our squash beetle problem, but I love the way we can learn new things from the past. Maybe Common Tansy can find a place around our homestead.



A word of caution: the oils found in Tansy are toxic and can cause contact dermatitis on people with sensitive skin. Although Tansy has been used for centuries by herbalists to kill internal parasites (which is very effective), be careful. In the USA, Tansy has been limited to alcoholic beverages, so do oyur research before taking it internally.

Cheaply Preparing-Homesteading

When you desire to raise your own food, for what ever reason, you will need to consider space.  For now, I am sticking to animals, but will branch off into gardening later.

In my opinion, after you get your feet wet with some chickens, a good family milk cow is the next investment.  The breeds are myriad but I would stick to the smaller framed bovine.  They simply fit the homestead better and are, generally, easier to handle.  Disposition is crucial when choosing a milk cow, for several reasons.  You want to be able to milk her, not fight with her every time you grab the teat.  If you have children (like us) a gentle cow is a must.  I want my kids to love animals and be able to have confidence around them.  A mean cow can change all that.  I had one, trust me.  She scared the fire out of my girls.  Our current cow is a sweetheart and the girls love to "love on her".  If you rotationally graze (which you should), you want her to move when she is supposed to, so she needs to be gentle.  Also, if you have to "doctor her up", you don't want to feel like you have to sedate her to give her medicine. 

On the medicine note, I want you to know that the anti-biotics no longer phased the mastitis our cow had.  I was getting very worried.  I decided to religiously give her apple cider vinegar, which takes care of mastitis via the minerals, etc.  The apple cider vinegar did it, period.  It took some time, but it worked.  I made the connection when the stringy stuff stopped when giving the apple cider vinegar.  Then I would relax and quit giving it.  Within 2-3 days the stringy stuff would come back.  This went on for a couple of weeks, that's when I got regular (every milking) with the vinegar.  It has cleared up and both the cow and I are happy.  Just a tid bit for you.

More on the family cow next time, see y'all then!

Here is a picture of the Dexter heifer we have for sale. Please email any questions you might have. She was born last August ('06). She is bred due in late July-early August '08. She was bred with our Dexter bull, (I'll post a picture of him, as well.) She will have to be picked up as we don't have a stock trailer. We're located in Ozark County MO. Thanks for looking.

Acouple more things; she is not registered (I leave high priced pedigrees for wealthy people), and we are asking $850.