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Countryside Magazine Contributor
Articles by Countryside Magazine Contributor
Propagating, Collecting and Saving Seeds
By Anita B. Stone; Photographs by S. Tullock Had the Pilgrims not brought and introduced abundant seed varieties to the New World, we would not be enjoying a diverse variety …
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Removing Porcupine Quills From Cattle
By Heather Smith Thomas — Removing porcupine quills from pets, cattle, and other livestock is an unpleasant task for everyone involved. The porcupine is a peaceful, timid rodent whose unique method …
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Finnsheep are the Perfect Fiber Animals
By Mary O’Malley, Honeysuckle Farm johnandmaryomalley@yahoo.com An ancient variety, Finnsheep are both meat- and wool-yielding animals. Finnish sheep characteristics have been bred for thousands of years. Stentorp—the farm of Jill Christensen …
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Cattle Handling 101: Play it Safe
By Heather Smith Thomas – Most accidents with cattle handling occur when people don’t understand cattle behavior and are in the wrong place at the wrong time, or may be …
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The Care of Aging Guardian Dogs
By Brenda M. Negri Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) research studies have shown that a working LGD often suffers a short lifespan, the average full time working flock protector dying well …
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How to Store Firewood: Try Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Racks
By Ed McClearen, Fleetwood, North Carolina – One thing we have in abundance here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina is firewood. Last winter, we noticed that the …
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How to Make a Hydrosol
By Erin Oberlander, Certified Holistic Aromatherapist Hydrosols are becoming more well-known in the home and natural health care communities, and this is causing many to wonder how to make a …
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Tractor Comparison: Thinking About Buying an Old Tractor for Your Homestead?
By Ken Johnson – In the past 40 years or so, I have owned a few old tractors and liked most of them. When I was a teenager, I helped local farmers …
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Foot and Mouth Disease: What You Need to Know
By John Hibma, Connecticut – Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects cloven-hoofed animals. All ruminants, including cows, meat and dairy goats, sheep, and deer as …
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50 Must-Haves for TEOTWAWKI
By Thomas Sciacca – Arguably, the most important thing to store for a SHTF (Stuff Hits The Fan) or complete TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) …
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DIY Fence Installation and Maintenance on the Homestead
By Heather Smith Thomas – When building a new fence, you need to consider whether to go with DIY fence installation or hire it to be done. Probably the most crucial …
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Tornado Safety Tips to Keep You Ahead of the Storm
By Amy G. Hadachek – “We have a tornado warning!” I yelled to our storm chasing team. “A tornado warning is now in effect until 7:30 pm,” squawked the automated voice …
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How to Build a Portable Pig Feeder
In 2017, I raised two pigs as an experiment. I wanted to see how much work and cost goes into raising feeder pigs. The final cost of the pork was …
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KuneKunes: The Pigs That Smile Back
By Jill J Easton – Are you looking for pigs you can live with and enjoy, but that will also provide delectable table fare? Consider KuneKunes. These heritage pigs have many …
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Akaushi Cattle Provide a Delicious, Healthy Meat
By Heather Smith Thomas – The word Akaushi means red cow in Japanese. Akaushi cattle were introduced to the U.S. in 1994. “This is the only free-grazing beef cattle breed in …
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