CATEGORIES

Meet Holly Callahan-Kasmala & Chrisie DiCarlo
Hobby Farms

Meet Holly Callahan-Kasmala & Chrisie DiCarlo

In Maryland, best friends of 40-plus years share a passion for good food, laughter and, most of all, poultry.

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2 mins  |
July - August 2024
HISTORIC Hogs
Hobby Farms

HISTORIC Hogs

The Hereford breed has a bright future.

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6 mins  |
July - August 2024
ON TRACK
Hobby Farms

ON TRACK

Animal activity trackers, also known as pet location trackers, let you keep an eye on your pets or livestock from your phone or computer.

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7 mins  |
July - August 2024
ELECTRIC BORDERS
Hobby Farms

ELECTRIC BORDERS

Here's what you need to know before you buy a portable electric fence.

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7 mins  |
July - August 2024
beyond TRADITION
Hobby Farms

beyond TRADITION

Raise these alternative animals on your hobby farm.

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7 mins  |
July - August 2024
Sheep HOOF CARE
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Sheep HOOF CARE

The key to good sheep hoof care is keeping an eye out for problems and moving to prevent serious issues.

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2 mins  |
July - August 2024
Santa Carota BEEF
Hobby Farms

Santa Carota BEEF

For 35 years, the Pettit family has been upcycling waste carrots for cattle feed, challenging traditional ranching practices while producing exquisite beef.

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7 mins  |
July - August 2024
Metabolic Disorders in Cattle
Hobby Farms

Metabolic Disorders in Cattle

Manage these body conditions in your herd with diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

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7 mins  |
July - August 2024
Midsummer Garden
Hobby Farms

Midsummer Garden

Keep those vegetables growing late into the year with these planting options and advice.

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6 mins  |
July - August 2024
Microclimate Trouble Spots
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Microclimate Trouble Spots

Spend enough time gardening in one place and you can get to know it well.

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6 mins  |
July - August 2024
Recognizing & Treating Bloat
Hobby Farms

Recognizing & Treating Bloat

Growing up on my father's dairy farm, bloat was a condition that I gained a familiarity with early on.

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6 mins  |
July - August 2024
Feeding Layers
Hobby Farms

Feeding Layers

What to feed laying hens should be top priority as egg-laying hens must be fed correctly to achieve their potential.

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1 min  |
July - August 2024
Acorns = Better Pork
Hobby Farms

Acorns = Better Pork

By feeding your hogs acorns, you can reduce your feeding costs and get better pork. Pigs can safely consume acorns as part of their diet, unlike other livestock. Pigs were historically pastured in woodlands in the fall to consume the falling nuts, chestnuts and acorns. This provided much benefit to the forest and was great for the hogs.

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3 mins  |
July - August 2024
Kohlrabi
Hobby Farms

Kohlrabi

You probably plant lots of brassicas in your garden each year; after all, brassicas include garden staples such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale. But there's a good chance you aren't growing one of the most interesting members of the Brassica oleracea family: kohlrabi.

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3 mins  |
July - August 2024
Spot & Treat
Hobby Farms

Spot & Treat

Parasites happen, but proper management keeps things under control.

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3 mins  |
Goat-101-24
Parasite PATROL
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Parasite PATROL

Keep your worm treatments effective with these three valuable tools.

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3 mins  |
Goat-101-24
HEALTHY GOAT, Happy FARMER
Hobby Farms

HEALTHY GOAT, Happy FARMER

Goats may be hearty, but they still need their keeper's care in order to live long and be healthy.

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8 mins  |
Goat-101-24
Notes ON NUTRITION
Hobby Farms

Notes ON NUTRITION

Dairy and meat goats have specific feed needs, and they're not the same.

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3 mins  |
Goat-101-24
milking how to
Hobby Farms

milking how to

Goat milk is liquid gold, but you have to get milking right to get it.

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2 mins  |
Goat-101-24
BREEDING BASICS
Hobby Farms

BREEDING BASICS

The traditional goat breeding season in the U.S. is between late August and the early part of January, according to Angela McKenzie-Jakes, extension animal science specialist at Florida A&M University.

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2 mins  |
Goat-101-24
GIVE ME Shelter
Hobby Farms

GIVE ME Shelter

When Kathryn Spann started raising dairy goats in 2008, she thought wooden sheds built on skids would be the ideal housing for her herd. The shelters could be attached to a tractor and moved, ensuring the herd had a safe space to escape the elements and allowing Spann to practice pasture rotation without building individual shelters in each pasture.

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6 mins  |
Goat-101-24
Natural FIBERS
Hobby Farms

Natural FIBERS

When visitors drive up to our Northern California foothill farm, they immediately notice the fluffy, long-horned beasties dotted all over our pastures. If they have never met us before, these visitors will always tell us how they love seeing our beautiful \"sheep\" and ask what we do with their wool.

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7 mins  |
Goat-101-24
Choosing a DAIRY GOAT
Hobby Farms

Choosing a DAIRY GOAT

A number of considerations will determine your ideal dairy goat breed.

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3 mins  |
Goat-101-24
CHOOSING A Meat Goat
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CHOOSING A Meat Goat

Once you've mastered the basics, keeping goats for meat is pretty easy.

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4 mins  |
Goat-101-24
WHY KEEP Goats?
Hobby Farms

WHY KEEP Goats?

My love affair with goats began because of one simple thing: goat cheese. It was love at first bite when I first tried the creamy, tangy spread in college. For almost two decades, it was an infrequent treat because of the high  price tag of a dollar an ounce. (That was back in the 1990s!) When my family decided to move to the country to grow our own food organically in 2002, I knew I had to have a couple of goats so that goat cheese could become part of my regular diet.

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8 mins  |
Goat-101-24
Meet Li Schmidt
Hobby Farms

Meet Li Schmidt

At Cultural Roots Nursery, in Winters, California, Li Schmidt grows more than 100 Asian-heritage vegetables, herbs, fruit and trees on 1⁄4 acre.

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2 mins  |
March - April 2024
A DUCK FOR ALL Seasons
Hobby Farms

A DUCK FOR ALL Seasons

Care for ducks throughout the year with this seasonal guide.

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7 mins  |
March - April 2024
Turkeys for the Home Table
Hobby Farms

Turkeys for the Home Table

Raise your own birds for a tastier and healthier holiday meal.

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6 mins  |
March - April 2024
FLERD is the Word
Hobby Farms

FLERD is the Word

Explore the benefits and barriers of multispecies pasturing.

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7 mins  |
March - April 2024
raise STRONGER CHICKENS
Hobby Farms

raise STRONGER CHICKENS

Look around your kitchen, and you'll likely find some natural poultry supplements.

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7 mins  |
March - April 2024