finally farming in WNY, and glad to be here!!

[8BitFarm]

Hi everybody! Just wanted to say I’m so glad to have found all of you and this terrific website.
We finally got ourselves 20 acres in the finger lakes region of NY, and so far have learned a lot from this website about the practical aspects of farming with draft animals. I’ve been riding and driving horses most of my life, but actually farming with them is quite a different (and much more technincal)matter! Thanks to everyone for posting and sharing. It’s a real inspiration for me to see you all learning and doing just the things we’re trying to do, too, particularly those of you working with pony/light draft singles and teams, since all we have right now is my little 13.3 bay draft pony to have all our fun with.

Have a great day, and have fun farming. I’m sure we will!

[Andy Carson]

Welcome 8bit. It is nice to see that the website is such an inspiration for you, it was a big inspiration for me as well. What are your plans with your farm? 20 acres is alot to play with!

[8BitFarm]

plans for the farm at the moment are to rehab the pastures, keep plugging away at the market garden(maybe next year we’ll do the whole “market” part ;0) and get my little horse home from his vacation in Ohio(long story short, we moved from Philly where he was boarded at the farm I worked at, we had no land to put him on, then we had a kid, and now we have the farm but the barn needs tlc and we have another kid coming so it’ll be spring ’11 when the horse gets here..)
In the mean time, I’m learning about the wide world of chickens and geese(and how very amusing they are!) and how much I enjoy living the farm life with my husband and son and our gang.
Eventually, sooner rather than later, we’d like to ad some fiber sheep and a jersey cow, and if we hit the lotto and can find some, a nice team of ardennes horses (or maybe brabants since they’re more available).

So what do you do on your farm?

[Carl Russell]

Welcome 8bit. I look forward to reading about your trajectory into farming.
Glad we can be here for you.

I think it’s cool how those of us who’ve been at this a while can inspire the novices, and then we get inspired as well by the novice enthusiasm.

Thank you for sharing, Carl

[Howling Farmer]

Welcome! I just joined too and also have a 13.3 hand draft pony and live in the Finger Lakes. Whereabouts do you live? I live about 10 miles outside of Ithaca, near Trumansburg.

Leslie

[8BitFarm]

Thanks for all the welcomes everybody!

Leslie, we’re in Hemlock NY, so a little ways off from you. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one “working small”. I’d love see some pics of your pony if you have any. I’m trying to find some of my guy where he looks a little respectable. I have none of him working since I was always at the lines and usually alone at the old farm. Also, any thoughts on where to pick up a good sturdy farm harness for a little guy in this part of the world?

[Howling Farmer]

There’s an Amish fellow, Henry Esh (not sure if that’s the correct spelling for his last name) — Locust Lane Harness Shop over in Romulus, which is close to me. I would think there might be someone closer to you. There is a large Mennonite population over near Penn Yan/Dundee that uses horses — I would think there would be someone there.

There’s a picture of Milt in the photos under the working the single horse section. Just a funny shot I took of me hitching him to our lawn tractor. I’m hoping to take some of him pulling the sickle bar mower this weekend. Yes, I’d like to see some of your guy too.
Leslie

[dlskidmore]

My water supply comes from Hemlock NY. You’re a bit further ahead than I, I hope to be where you are in a couple years. I have similar plans: sheep, market garden, maybe a small beefer, and some side businesses to bring in a bit of mortgage money.

[8BitFarm]

dlskidmore: we got here ahead of schedule, we figured we’d never find a place we could afford, but if you’re willing to live in a crappy house that smells like old nasty carpeting, and take on a major barn rehab, you too can live the dream!
Have you heard anything about what the state is planning to do with the preserved land around Hemlock lake that it just bought from Rochester?

[dlskidmore]

What do you know, we already live in a crappy house that smells bad, only we have a 40 foot wide lot. We have no mortgage though, so we’re putting cash away for a downpayment. We’d be a lot closer if we could count on the equity here.

I don’t know about the state land. A bit foolish to buy new land when they can’t fund the parks they have right now?

[dlskidmore]

We pulled up lots of carpeting when we moved here. The old hardwood is not pristine, but it is way better than the crud that was on top of them.

[8BitFarm]

I wish there was old hardwood under our carpeting. The kitchen is a random smattering of cruddy linoleum and mysteriously new subflooring, and the rest of the floors seem to be covered in lead paint, perfect for my 2yr old son to be in constant contact with… uggh. Still, it’s getting to the point with the kitchen carpeting(yes, i said *kitchen* carpeting… gggglaaaghghghgggg and/or bbblarrrghhh!) that it has got to go. The kid threw a dozen eggs of the counter the other day and, well, you can guess the rest. Ugh.

[dlskidmore]

Self-stick linolium tile is really cheap and easy to lay. I’ve done 3 houses with it. (Other people’s at a church event.) It does have gaps, so it’s not great for your subfloor to pour liquid on it regularly, but it damp mops well, and if you get the tiles nice and square they come close to sealing together.

The lead floor paint is an issue for refinishing. Can you use a paint stripper before sanding so you don’t kick that up in the air?

We actually put a piece of canvas down in one room as an interim solution while we were refinishing the floors.

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