[jbpiii]

Dear dlskidmore,

Just in case you were wondering, this post is intended to make everyone think. It is not intended just for you.

Think beyond today.

While many people may not believe it, we are living in the end times. There is absolutely no question in my mind that the antichrist is on earth today. (This is not just my opinion. I have had a few experiences I consider to be divinely inspired that made this clear to me as early as middle school and I am 43 now.)

The simple truth of the matter is that in the next few years we will see the worst times in the history of the world, and it will never be as bad again. (Matthew 24:21) In the next few years we will see the collapse of economies all over the world. The food supply system we have come to rely on will fail, so it will be necessary to grow/supply your own. Can each person master everything they will need to know to survive the next several years? I don’t think so. I believe it will take small communities of like minded people depending on each other to survive the next several years. Regardless, if God is not the focus of our hearts, each of us will perish in eternity.

American will be hit especially hard. There has been a push to replace the dollar as the world reserve currency for many years now. WHEN that happens, (not IF but WHEN), you can bet your backside we will be living in a world without fuel, not because we ran out of petroleum reserves, but because the average American will not be able to afford it. Add to that the fact that most Americans have had a pretty cush life, compared to other places in the world. In other words most Americans are spoiled and have been spoiled since right after World War II. (Financially, my parents generation was probably the most prosperous generation in the history of the world, yet they were probably the most Godless generation too.) Americans have no idea what hard work is. Most farmers know what it is to work from dawn to dusk most of the year.

Consider what it will mean when you can no longer go to Walmart and buy jeans for about $20 and shirts for less than $10. Do you know how to make your own clothing. I don’t. Not yet. Do you have the skills to make the tools you will need? I don’t. Not yet. Can you make your own soap? I can’t. Not yet. Do you know how to preserve foods, including meats? I don’t. I have started a library of books to learn the skills, but in reality when SHTF you should already know how to do a lot of these things. You may not find a full sized cow useful, but an 80 year old cousin of mine uses surplus milk from cows to feed pigs. I love pork so that would work for me, but in reality, in the days of no refrigeration, it would be a terrible waste so slaughter a full sized pig / goat / sheep unless it would be consumed in a single day (ie huge feast) or preserved by smoking or canning. Chickens would make a better sized meal for most families.

Religious prophecies indicate that after Jesus Christ returns, there will be no factories to steal mens’ souls. If there are no factories that also means there will be no internal combustion engines and no electricity. That means we will live with pre civil war technology. That means draft animal power, or people power. I don’t know about you, but I have turned over sod to make a garden with a mattox and shovel. It isn’t fun, and it doesn’t go fast at all. I would rather learn to use draft animals. HOWIE’S way of doing things by starting your draft powered life with a team of heifers makes a great deal of sense to me. Have them bred when they are of age, then you have milk and more draft power possible. I currently have steers, but will be buying breeding stock as soon as I can afford it.

Sure, dairy goats are easier to handle. I have heard you can train a goat to work as a draft animal, but they can only handle light loads. (I have oxen for draft power; dairy goats for weed control and milk; and sheep for wool and meat; and chickens for eggs and meat. I have 2 bushel each of various grains stored in a rodent resistant cage Dad and I built.)

Also, it is just my opinion, but I think that because I know what (but not exactly when) this stuff will happen, I have an obligation to share as much knowledge and as much food as I can. I am not advocating a liberal agenda-I believe if you don’t work you don’t eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

Having been a police officer for 13.5 years, I know that when all of this begins, you must flee the cities as fast as you can if you wish to surive. If you stay, you will perish. Too much crime and not 10 % of the police officers you would need to handle anything like economic collapse. In addition, I have talked to many police officers who have said they wouldn’t come to work, they would flee with their families. Also, when all this begins, the powers that be will start eliminating the population by any means necessary.

My plan: Flee into the wilderness with my family and live as simply as possible. If it isn’t necessary for survival, it doesn’t go on my oxen powered wagon. (Machabees 2:28-30)

Hope this helps.

James

The George Guidestones
Conspiracy Theory by Jesse Ventura
The Three Days of Darkness (prophecy-beware of false versions)
mostholyfamilymonastery.com

A plan for the future can be found in the Bible:

[jbpiii]

Thank you all for your input.

I am currently living less than 10 miles north of the city limits of Memphis, TN. I will soon be moving to western PA, hopefully in less than a month.

It sounds like my best bet is to try to get both an older 4-H trained team and a pair of calves to train.

At this point, I haven’t decided on a particular breed. The honest truth is that I don’t really know that much about breed selection. As an adult, I have no personal experience with cattle outside of the Tillers Oxen Basics class. I believe I would stay away from Ayrshire because Mr. Ludwig’s book reports they have a tendency to kick. I think I would stay away from Jerseys because several people at Tillers and the MODA gathering made that recommendation. Other than that, I don’t know. I decided long ago that I wanted to stick with a heritage breed that hasn’t been changed much through modern breeding practices. I am leaning towards Milking Shorthorn or Milking Devons. What concerns me about shorthorns is the number of genetic defects that Shorthorns are susceptible to. I realize it’s not such a big deal of you only buy steers for oxen, but since I want to farm sustainably, it makes sense to me to find a way to perpetuate my ox supply by starting a small herd of whatever breed I end up with. At that point the genetic issues may become a factor. Devons don’t seem to have the genetic defects but I was advised to stay away from Devons for my first team because they would likely outsmart me if I was not sure of myself and what I am trying to do. The Ancient White Park intrigues me because several centuries of natural selection would seem to have eliminated many of the undesirable traits, but I have never heard comments for or against the Ancient White Park.

What do y’all think about getting heifers for a first pair of calves to train? At least if I started training a team of heifers and I messed up, I could still use them as breeding stock and would not have trained steaks.

The idea of watching while the owner has the oxen demonstrate their capabilities sounds like a great idea. Is that a normal thing for an oxen seller to do?

How old do oxen have to be before they settle down and just do what you tell them without really testing you?

[jbpiii]

I will be near Pittsburgh. Initially I will be splitting my time between Wexford and Eighty-Four. It looks like I won’t be too far from you.

[Author]

Posts