It’s trash.” The little girl, schooled on recycling, smiled and said, “Mama, metal’s never trash.” That’s certainly true. I repeat that story every time my wife raises an eyebrow at my sprawling piles of trash, I mean, scrap metal.
I’m not above picking up scrap fencing and other metal off the curb. And I always take a look into construction site dumpsters. One builder had tossed a heavy, broken nail gun that was easily worth $15 at a scrap metal yard.
What’s This?
Our FREEcycle column will provide ideas on ways to recycle things already on your farm to provide substantial savings, such as making chicken feed from scratch, recycling metal, creating free liquid fertilizer and more. In this column, we’ll show you how to recycle some of your natural materials and food scraps into a perfect soil amendment.
Every bit of metal from my scavenging trips and building projects — stripped screws, sheet metal, broken tools, worn saw blades, excess pipe — gets tossed into black, 10-gallon nursery pots by the back gate. That includes household metal such as jar lids, out-of-date keys and, of course, bottle caps. Because the pot has drainage holes, I don’t have to worry about it filling with rainwater. And because it’s black, it’s not very eye-catching — other than to my wife.
Denne historien er fra July-August 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra July-August 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
