[ngcmcn]

I mowed for years with a single horse 4′ cutter bar with older mid size Belgians and they did fine on moderatly hilly ground with a sweet running mower, so when i got a #7 with a 6′ bar the power of a team was a step up and we got a lot more grass down. With a good running mower even a mid size team should be able to handle heavy grass, its kind’ve like the the old wood choppers, for all day chopping with an axe they went for the lighter ones.

neal

[ngcmcn]

I have about ten 9’s and 7’s, never paid more then $175 for a working one, have been given a few, the last 9 i bought was $35.It needed a pitman. The last 7 i bought here in Maine was $50 with a bad wheel and some other abuse. Once you fix the cutter bar the price goes up $200 or so.

I used to have a deal with an old farmer here that it didn’t matter what piece of gear i bought from him……the price would would be a dollar a year since the time he last used it. The hayloader had sat 35 years and had a tree in it so it was $35.

Once you restore one they’re good for many years.

Neal

[ngcmcn]

Richard , if the bore, or Inside diameter, of your mower case is severally worn , new bearings might not be of much help. Depending on how good a job you want? I rebuilt a #7 a few years back with a machinist friend. We measured the I.D. of the mower case(where the journal bearings run) measured the axle and subtracted that from the I.D. aloowed some slop and figured out what size rollers we needed. We ordered the needed size drill stock(available through machinist supply places)took apart the cages, turned down the ends reassembled them and hitched up the ponies. I’ve mowed alot of acres with taht old mower since. Any machinist could do it piece of cake.

good luck, i’ve got three mowers to fix before may.

Neal

[ngcmcn]

Don,
In our little town of Unity,Maine we used to have a Coop which did okay in a building the Coop owned until they decided to rent a larger building and move the Coop which eventually failed due to hight rent. We have a small college here which helps but the Coop never really did that well. Then a farmers market was established. A poor little market at that with support with from a community group but meager at best was the business. Then a sandwich shop which is pretty popular opened and as a sideline sold fresh local veggis, meats, milk, fruit and has established it self fairly well. Theres no way the store could make it on the non-sandwich end of things.

Will the brewery help bring in customers? Are there other food related business’s that might want to share the space and thus bring in cross pollinating, or spending customers? This is all good stuff to think about. We too are considering a small, on farm, store selling primarily dairy products but also other locally produced food stuffs. Evolving Business plan ? Yes. We are thinking it through and need to research the market a bit better at this point. Our location is better then excellent. High traffic etc., but we still need to run all the numbers.

Good luck. Will write more when time allows.

Neal mcnaughten
unity, me.

[ngcmcn]

Geoff, No picture but i can try to explain; the grass stick goes in a metal socket kind’ve like a flag holder on a house, with a bolt through the pointy end. The stick is angled off about 30-45deg. to the board. with a second bolt attaching it to the board not through socket but through stick wood and on flat of stick angle cut. Compass stick to create several 2nd, bolt holes to change angle. Mess around with it and find what works best for what your mowing. I’ve been using the store bought metal ones these past few years and they work fine. You can bend the grass stcik(rod) around and experiment. There’s a lot of snow here in Me. but I’ll see if the camera can work.

Good luck
Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, Me

[ngcmcn]

The New Hampshire Horse Council Does Not Support HB 427

If this a revenue generating bill, why does it fall exclusively on horse owners? Why not license cows, sheep, pigs, etc? If this is a health related bill due to rabies concerns, then address it as such without going through a licensing process.

A portion of this bill is allotted to go the State of NH General Fund- how is that going to help horse owners? If a portion goes to the local animal control, again how does that specifically help equine owners? A portion also goes to the State Vet Fund, which is yet to be determined on how that money can be spent.

This bill does not promote the equine industry and ownership in the state of NH. In fact, it does the opposite, by discouraging individuals from owning horses and damages already struggling equine owners and businesses by adding more to their cost of keeping horses in an already declining economy. Hay is at an all time high, with prices jumping just in the last few years a 100%. Grain prices are high, and shavings are becoming scarcer with the building industry at a low.

NH horse owners already pay their fair share in taxes through their property taxes. They pay on their barns, riding arenas, and parcels of land. Now, you want to add another cost to them? This seems unfair and unreasonable by targeting a group that is preserving our states’ open spaces and maintaining rural heritage.

Finally- many horse owners recognizing the economic plight of many have taken in ‘rescues’. This bill will certainly discourage anyone from continuing or even considering this.

HB 427 would create an additional burden and expense to the paperwork process of Town Offices.

HB 427 not only levies a $25.00 cost per horse for the license, but a farm visit by a local vet to administer the vaccine. That cost can vary, but we all know veterinarians will incur higher costs due to managing this reporting process, which will in turn land on the horse owner. A rabies vaccine administered by a vet can run approximately $20 per horse, as well as the farm visit and time. This can easily cost in today’s money $100 to have a horse vaccinated by a vet. Horse owners can and are allowed by law in NH to administer their own shots. So, you have added not only a licensing fee, but also a required veterinarian bill.

The New Hampshire Horse Council Strongly Opposes HB 427

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Laurie Weir

Laurie Weir

President New Hampshire Horse Council

Approved unanimously by the Board

[ngcmcn]

Jason,

What is the best place for good info on NAIS.

Thanks

Neal McNaughten

[ngcmcn]

Dave,

I don’t have plans, but the last one i built from a Saab rear axle. I parked the Pioneer cart I own next to it and basically copied it. I would say with the Saab rear end it’s alot like the standard Pioneer cart w/15′ tires. Its light, easy to get on and works well for tedding, raking but i wouldn’t put the baler on it. The next one i build will be with another free Saab rear end but will have brakes be a bit heavier and i would like to be able to balance the axle and load , like the WhiteHorse carts, by being able to shift the axle forward or back some how. Heck with new carts around 900 to 1000 bucks, building one out of the scrap pile is good.

I do have a design for a logging cart. Came from Healing Harvest/jason Rutledge.

GoodLuck

Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, Me

[ngcmcn]

Nice Job Iron Rose,

Please post as many jokes as you can(one a week?) to off-set the deeeeeeeeep intellectual thought on DAP.

I used to know an old horse-man farrier who’d tell a lot of jokes. Don’t think i could post them here. I’d get in trouble.

Thanks

Neal mcNaughten
Unity, me.

[ngcmcn]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have posted the analysis of the mibneral we’re feeding below. It’s labelled for cows, so not sure how that translates to horses. There’s no added copper, and obviously it contains a lot more trace minerals, etc… part of the reason for choosing a kelp based mix.

However, we’re still not sure how much of this he’s getting, or even if the levels of nutrients in this mix are adequate or excessive. We feed it free-choice to the horses, as we do our cows, despite the paranoid labelling… but he doesn’t seem to eat a whole lot of it–or the kelp and redmond salt.

Anyway, we thought about putting the little bugger on a peletted feed instead of oats, just to be sure he was getting adequate levels of vitamins and minerals… Any recommendations would be appreciated. We’re not looking for top of the line gourmet. Just a basic feed with about the right energy and protein levels, plus a good mineral pack.

Any thoughts???
—

Fertrell Grazier’s Choice

Guaranteed Analysis:
Calcium (max)9%
Calcium (min) 8%
Phosphorus (min)1.5%
Salt (max)25%
Salt (min)23%
Selenium (min)45 ppm
Copper (min)2.5 ppm
Zinc (min)11 ppm
Vitamin E (min)1500 IU/LB

Ingredients:
Kelp Meal (Ascophylum Nodosum), Sea Shell Flour, MonoSodium Phosphate, Salt, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin E Supplement, and Diatomaceous Earth.

Directions:
Feed Gazier’s Choice free choice along with forages and grains. Cattle should not consume more than the following amounts: Growing Animals – 1 oz. per day for maintenance. Finishing Animals – 1 oz. per day for maintenance. Brood Cows – 1 oz. per day prior to calving and while lactating. Consult your local Fertrell Dealer for more information about feeding Grazier’s Choice.

Caution:
Follow label feeding directions. The addition of feeding higher levels of this premix containing selenium is not permitted.

[ngcmcn]

George,

If your horses plod along, get the Hi gear. If they’re quick you might want the regular gear. The ratio difference is slight between the Hi and Regular like 1:4, and 1:5 but it makes a difference. I like the Hi gear because it seems to be able to mow right through late first cut or lodged, quite well even with worn(certainly not new)ledgers and knives. Buy them both, if one breaks down on the first day of three beautiful days of sun you can just hitch on to the other one………..amd go.

Goodluck

Neal McNaughten

[ngcmcn]

Hey Julie,

Have you ever heard the stellar pop sensation folk crazys, the Mangel Wurzels? From Norfolk England? You Tube has more then one recording of their smash hits. Nyuk-Nyuk. Check out “Combine harvester”.

Anyhoo, most grocery store granulated sugar comes froms beets. Sugar beets.And many people use beet pulp to bulk up horses, cattle etc. Its also a bio friendly tractor tire loading material. I could see mabey supplementing a grass diet with them but a horses gut ain’t designed for high sugar intake. Grass that has gone through a frost has definetly increased sugar and some horses/ponies can founder if they gorge. I’d be curious to see what other info is out there about it. It sounds a bit like corn and horses….a little is okay. I’ll check the article.

Did ya git your pony yet. Paul B. stopped through here last week. He’s not doing the fair next year. We need to get up and visit with him .

Neal mcnaughten
unity, me.

[ngcmcn]

Hey Kristin, I want to know what Jet’s cut is? Nah, just joking.

I would raise your prices. We got into a debate here in central maine with some other small milk producers. They said “we want to price our products to match Oakhurst’s (Supermarket) pricing” Their intent, you see, was to keep their product competitive for the “average” consumer (dare I say Joe the Plumber)…..we said “No Way. It ain’t apples for apples.”

Baseline, everything has gone up. You can’t buy dollar-a-bale hay any more, even if it’s mulch. I think we all still use gas, not matter how important the horses are. Grain, fertility, animals….

The bottom line is that good food is worth the money. And I think, when it comes down to it, it’s not that expensive. What;s expensive is the effort, skill, and time required to prepare it. If we’re willing to put the time in and learn to prep food, we can eat 100 times better for the same price as processed conventional food–even now.

I’ve been thinking about an article that I read recently that looked at the effect of rising energy costs on the value of human energy. So, for example, it pointed out that as gas prices go up, it will make a lot more sense for people to work less at a job, more at home. If the wage that we earn in a job pays for less and less of the resources that we need to get there (food, gas, time not spent preparing food, mending, building shelter, splitting wood), then the relative value of those other things goes up.

I think the same applies to food. As the real energy costs of food become more apparent, the value of local food will become obvious–even in the strict economic sense. Shipping food thousands of miles does have costs.

Anyway, I need to go use some of that valuable labor to process today’s milk… It seems that Central Maine residents are not yet on the same page with us, because there are probably 10 gallons of milk in the sales fridge. We’ll be selling pork in the spring! I certainly don’t have the answer, but wanted to share some thoughts, for what they’re worth. We know our work is valuable, we need to get paid for what it’s worth. And if not, as Carl said, this food may just be more valuable to us than to our customers for a while yet.

Where’s the middle ground for you? How do you make that call, about when it is not worth selling one more share? It may sound greedy, but what we strive for is to be selling as little as we can, for as much as we can, while keeping our quality of life. We know if we were really greedy, we would be doing something other than milking cows, driving horses, raising kids, cooking, preserving… and getting up and doing it again.

Gwyneth & Neal

[ngcmcn]

chaff, pine needles…….we have many pines that are near the barn and shed their needles close by, last year i clipped a neighbors field late, then baled it during a dry spell in Nov., we used about a hundred bales for bedding. Not as good as straw or as absorbant as sawdust, but the price was right, composted it with manure and spread it. I ‘ve known dairy farmers to use junk hay but ran it through a shreader.

neal

[ngcmcn]

Yo jason,
Was talking with a friend who is a long time tree crop expert, fruit and nut mostly but is a fair forester as well and he was suggesting the impact of a skidders ticking and whining engine on forest floor micro-biology to be ……..”not good”. Wouldn’t suprise me, . The dolphins won’t go near the new hi-speed jet turbine ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia. The older ships they’d pace right into the harbor.

Neal

[Author]

Posts