As the saying goes, “If you want a job done right, do it yourself.” It’s a simple adage that’s central to your lifestyle, whether you’re growing your food, chopping wood or building a homestead. If you want to feel satisfied with the final product, you can only trust yourself.  Of course, buying land and building […]

The phrase “going green” has more than one connotation. You’re helping the environment, of course, but you’re also helping your bank account. The money you’ll save from tax credits for sustainability can be well worth the effort of making green repairs. For many homesteaders, this effort might not even be too crazy. Even a small […]

Cottage Food Laws Cottage food laws allow small-scale individuals to produce particular food items using their home kitchens without governmental oversight. Baking, cooking, canning, pickling, and producing other low-risk food items are a few options. Cottage food laws by design help give the small people a break. Affording small-time producers, the opportunity to try out […]

Everyone who wants a healthy flock should learn about Pullorum and how testing can help perpetuate a healthy poultry population.   Who needs to be concerned with Pullorum and the NPIP? The NPIP is technically a voluntary program, however, if you want to sell, move or show your chickens legally, you must be NPIP clean. […]

I recently attended a class at Michigan State University and became a Certified Salmonella Pullorum Tester. This certification allows me to test chicken flocks for Pullorum Typhoid which is required for NPIP certification.   Over the next few posts I will take you through the experience and explain:   What is Pullorum Typhoid and the […]

No matter where you live or what stage of development your business is in, there will always be rules and regulations you must be aware of. As cities, counties, states, and the federal government take action to protect the public, selling homegrown or homemade goods will continue to be regulated. UPDATE!  March 20, 2018 The […]

If you have lots of extra goat milk, and you’re tired of just feeding it to your pigs and chickens, what can you do with it that would also bring in a little extra income? Most people immediately think of selling milk, ice cream, yogurt, or cheese, but those types of businesses require a big […]

Imagine that a family with small children comes to your farm one day to purchase some of your products. While there, one of the children picks up your friendly old barn cat. The next thing you know, the child is crying because the cat scratched him. Oh, well, that’s unfortunate, you think, but he’ll be […]

Laws are made to protect people. I feel strongly that abiding by laws is important for the peace of society and overall well-being of the community. However, as a homesteader it’s easy to find yourself bogged down by bureaucracy.   As farmers, homesteaders and do-it-yourselfers, we are faced with unique challenges in the nature of […]

What are Cottage Food Laws?   The Cottage Food Laws are a set of more lenient regulations that allow small entrepreneurs to sell homemade foods to the public without having to follow and apply for more restrictive and expensive licensing that larger facilities have to abide by.   The main focus of these laws come […]