Hi from Essex Farm

[Kristin]

Hi everyone –

My husband Mark and I run a year-round, full-food CSA on 500 acres in northeastern New York. We raise beef cattle, pigs, meat and egg chickens, grow vegetables and grains, milk a small herd of Jerseys, and make maple syrup for our 75 members. This is our fifth year of operation.

We created this farm around the idea that horses would be our main source of power, and that decision influenced everything from row width to how many members we could take on. We were very green teamsters five years ago (as opposed to now, when we’re just plain green) and so the learning curve has been steep, but very rewarding. We use our horses for pretty much all our field work, including plowing, harrowing, planting and cultivating. We also use the horses to haul sap in the sugar bush, and haul hay to the beef herd in the winter. We hire out the haymaking so most of that is done with tractors but we do some of the mowing and a good deal of the raking with our horses. We haven’t been able to wean ourselves from the bucket loader yet.

We attended the NEAPFD last year, and loved the equipment demonstrations, workshops and roundtables, but the most exciting part was meeting so many farmers who have experienced exactly our own esoteric challenges and rewards with animals in the field. I’m awfully glad for this forum and the chance to continue those vital conversations.

[goodcompanion]

Welcome Kristin.

I’ve read the write-up on you guys in SFJ. Very impressed. I’m pretty close by and would like to see for myself sometime.

So I take it you harvest grains with your horses? With a reaper-binder or with a powered combine? And where can I get an English shepherd? Many other questions besides.

Erik

[Plowboy]

I would also like to find some English Shepherd breeders. I am thinking of getting one in the future. My Great Grandfather had one at all times but their popularity has declined. From what I have read and what my Dad says about them I am very interested.

[Kristin]

Last year we harvested our corn by hand and we’ve always hired a neighbor to combine our wheat. We have two reaper-binders (both IH, one 5 foot bar and one 6 foot bar) in the shop waiting for parts and the time to fix them, so hopefully we’ll be able to harvest with horsepower within the next few years. Equipment is always our weak point. Does that sound familiar to anyone out there?

Would love to talk English Shepherds with anyone. If it’s too off-topic for this board feel free to email me. My dog, Jet, sired his first litter this year, and those pups should be on the ground in February in Caladonia County, VT. Plowboy, where are you? I’d be happy to put you in touch with breeders.

all best,
Kristin

[Gabe Ayers]

Hey Kristin,

Would you post a photo of your dog on the other farm animals spot in the photo gallery. We would enjoy seeing a farm animal other than our draft working stock.

Yep equipment is always the bottleneck for all of us trying to live gently from the land in an economy that is about casual consumption of everything.

Plowboy is in New York State.

[Kristin]

Erik, I meant to say earlier that we would welcome a visit from you — or anyone else. And if anyone on this board is going to the NOFA NY conference this weekend in Saratoga, Mark and I will be presenting at Donn Hewes’s Animal Power workshop (that’s Friday January 25th) and we’d love to say hi.

I will work on posting pictures of Jet but my internet connection is agonizingly slow!
-Kristin

[Donn Hewes]

Hi DAPPERS, Kristin It is “our” Intro to farming with Horses Workshop! yes, anyone that wants to say hello; I wish I had gotten on this site earlier as I probably could have made the organizing easier. As it now stands we have a good presentation set up for our first time. I wish I had one more team of horses but it is alittle late to worry about that now. Jason, If you want to see a funny picture of a working dog check out our New Zealand Huntaway helping me feed horses. You can see him on my web album. I have been haveing alot of fun this week starting a new three year old belgian mare. we are skidding little logs for fire wood and she is doing great.

[Jean]

Can you tell us more about what you are doing on Friday at the NOFA NY conference? And where it is going to be in Saratoga. Maybe a website that we( or at least me) can look at to find out more about it. Saratoga is not that far away, I am always looking for ways to learn from the experts.

Jean

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jean, The NOFA winter Conference is happening all weekend in Saratoga Springs. On Friday we are doing a pre-conference Workshop called ‘Introduction to farming with Horses’. There was a limit on the number of participants and as of a week ago there were only afew spots left. You can find a full description at NOFANY.Com. You would also find contact info if you wanted to register. I am considering doing a weekend workshop like this on my farm this spring. If I decide to do it I will post it here.

[Carl Russell]

Please make a habit of visiting the calendar on this site. We will make a habit of listing events, workshops, and contact info there, but PLEASE list your own, or ones you know about. I will be presenting a class room workshop followed by one outdoors in the afternoon at the NOFA-VT winter conference in Feb. and VTC, in Randolph Ctr. Details on the Calendar. Carl

[Gabe Ayers]

Donn,

That dog is earning his “gravy train” for sure, cool photo, great way of making a pet into a useful draft animal – in addition to being a faithful friend. Thanks for sharing that man. I had noticed it when I first went to your album. Draft mutt, awesome use of your animal power. My dog is to small to provide much draft power and she just barks while I’m sleeping and keeps an eye on the place while I rest. She does a good job at being a friend and organic alarm.

Where did you get that harness arrangement you have on the pooch?

You should post this photo on the other animals place on the photo gallery page.

Thanks,

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jason, The ‘dog harness’ is just scraps from the old harness pile. “jack” is just 11 months old so he really needed something to do to burn alittle energy. It is fun and gives us a chance to work with him alittle as all the sheep stay quietly in the barn. I think next summer I will make him a little cart to carry electro-net and mineral feeders from pasture to pasture. Thanks for the thoughts on lever bit. It kind of fits with, and broadens the direction I was going anyway. I will try to post some of my photos, but it my be next week before I do. My Wife is home tonight so I gotta clean the house and tomorrow we are off to the NOFA Conference. Donn

[Plowboy]

Kristin we are in Central New York about half way between Binghamton and Albany. I’m not sure where you are located but their is an Amish repair shop in Palatine Bridge that may be able to get you parts or repair your reaper binders. His labor is very reasonable so we take major jobs to him and when it comes back it’s all fixed. I’m not sure how far that would be for you.
I won’t be in the market for an English Shepherd for a year or two. I got my wife a Golden Retriever and she is only 5 months. One puppy at a time is enough. I would like to know where the breeders are though. I tried to locate them on the Internet but there aren’t too many around. I haven’t asked the Amish some of them keep grade dogs but I haven’t seen any English just Austrailian Shepherds and Heelers and alot of Border Collies. Border Collies are good dogs but are very nervous. I like the laid back nature of the English Shepherd.

[Kristin]

@Donn Hewes 545 wrote:

Hi DAPPERS, Kristin It is “our” Intro to farming with Horses Workshop!

But YOU did all the work!!
-Kristin

[Kristin]

@Plowboy 580 wrote:

Kristin we are in Central New York about half way between Binghamton and Albany… I would like to know where the breeders are though. I tried to locate them on the Internet but there aren’t too many around. …

Hi Plowboy –
When the time is right here’s a breeder to look into. I think this is your neck of the woods. I would love to have one of her pups and I plan to, soon as I can convince Mark that we actually *need* another dog around here. It is a war of attrition and I shall hold out.

best,
Kristin

http://www.farmcollie.com/Dogs/torenssuzy.htm

[Author]

Posts