Anybody here interested in homesteading?

[Megan7]

I think a lot of people are waking up to what is going on around us. As sisters and brothers in Christ, we need to warn those who haven’t done so. The US economy is on the verge of collapse and we are seemingly past the point where a solution is possible. We are in too deep. Sounds doom and gloom and conspiracy theory, doesn’t it? Only, it’s a fact. And the most informed and respected person in the entire country has tried to warn us.

Whether you or your children or grandchildren “want” to live off the land or become self-sustainable…you all are going to have to when the collapse happens. This is basic math. It will be happening. It’s time to start preparing in the US, not for a zombie Apocalypse, but reality that massively large numbers of people are going to be without food and care.

Thanks Kelly, EXCELLENT link I agree with you.
I guess everything is peachy king right?

God bless you,
Thanks for sharing this important information.

Pax

 

[Ridgerunner]

The figures you are talking about are for the factory chicken mills. That’s almost the exact opposite of what the OP and I are talking about. You seem to be writing about an attempted capitalist venture…we are talking about homesteading. These are completely different in almost every single way. We are talking about working outside of the mainstream system, not becoming a part of the corruption you speak of.

Also, as I’ve mentioned, I have a dear local friend who is already doing it and she didn’t even come close to spending a million dollars. Things are simply not as you suggest with the kind of operation we are speaking of. We are trying to get away from having to rely on the terror that is the industry you describe.

Plainly, you do not know very much about the poultry industry. I have been in lots of those facilities, and they’re a great deal more benign that people come to believe who have watched PETA and other Luddite propaganda films. “Old MacDonald’s Farm” is not a better environment for the birds at all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Uh, I think what you’re not getting is that very few people have the startup capital or the desire to leave society and “live off the land” (or whatever the rustically romantic plan is.) Why would conservative Catholics want to live like that any more than anyone else? And why would they have the funds to do so any more than anyone else? Frankly, I’d miss my extended family desperately and would probably be bacj in town after 6 months of idyllic homesteading turned into a miserable money sucker.

I know a lot of Catholics who are farmers by occupation. One of the parishes I go to is a rural parish. There is a lot to be said in favor of their way of life if it’s done well. But it does take a lot of capital, which is usually the result of intergenerational efforts.

While the world has changed since Rerum Novarum, so that farming is no longer the mainstay in economies, it’s still possible to live on farming. Possibly Pope Leo XIII understood that intergenerational efforts are often required, and perhaps that’s why he emphasized widespread ownership of productive INHERITABLE assets. Yesterday I talked to a woman who, with her husband, acquired a substantial amount of land over the years. They could live better if they sold it and spent the money. But she and her husband ae determined that their sons will own it, no matter what they have to do to preserve it.

Unfortunately, we have all gotten used to the idea that the fruits of our labor are to be spent on consumer goods, so that little is inherited by most.

And it isn’t impossible to acquire a farm without inheriting it. The farm supply store I go to has a lot of young men (and sometimes young women) who hang around the country sale barns buying inexpensive calves, which they raise on rented land. Eventually, their goal is buy land of their own. Particularly I admire a young woman who saved her money and bought haying equipment. She works at a regular job in the day and does custom haying on summer evenings and on the weekends. She’ll make it, i believe. But it does take a long time and a lot of effort.

 

[AnastasiaRomano]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned something that I think bears repeating – aside from any considerations about the practicalities of farming, you really have to consider what parishes are in the area. I don’t know where you live, but our state (which does have a lot of farmers) has very very few Catholics in the rural areas of the state… You might get great land, but what if the nearest Catholic church is 45 minutes or more away? And what if, once you get there, the liturgy isn’t very traditional? Or what if the nearest parish only has Mass once a month because that diocese doesn’t have enough priests?

Obviously it depends on where you’re living, but in the majority of rural areas in the USA these are very important questions to ask, because there aren’t a lot of Catholics or a lot of parishes out in the country.

 

[Becca3]

This thread has got me thinking about something else too. We don’t want to become so overpopulated with peoples in the land that we outsource our resources. Look at what happened to the people of Easter Island. They ate up all their crops and livestock. They had cut down all their trees to make these giant statues of their gods. Eventually, they finally died off by eating each other from pure starvation.

Now, I know God has said we should go out into the world and multiply, hence procreate, but nowadays the way the world is going, the question is: is that getting to be too much of a good thing to be so greedy with our eating so much food and becoming obese? Is that a survival instinct with our bodies that it is doing that maybe cuz deep down in our subconscious, we think that we know there are way too many people on the earth and we are afraid of the food running out?? What do you guys think??

Some have said that it could be a government conspiracy to make us obese and run out of food hence the prices going up. I personally don’t believe that. But people are taking it seriously by creating their own farms and their own ways of surviving.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This thread has got me thinking about something else too. We don’t want to become so overpopulated with peoples in the land that we outsource our resources. Look at what happened to the people of Easter Island. They ate up all their crops and livestock. They had cut down all their trees to make these giant statues of their gods. Eventually, they finally died off by eating each other from pure starvation.

Now, I know God has said we should go out into the world and multiply, hence procreate, but nowadays the way the world is going, the question is: is that getting to be too much of a good thing to be so greedy with our eating so much food and becoming obese? Is that a survival instinct with our bodies that it is doing that maybe cuz deep down in our subconscious, we think that we know there are way too many people on the earth and we are afraid of the food running out?? What do you guys think??

Some have said that it could be a government conspiracy to make us obese and run out of food hence the prices going up. I personally don’t believe that. But people are taking it seriously by creating their own farms and their own ways of surviving.

The area in which I live is mostly rural, but it’s heavily populated even so. (Extreme SW Mo & NW Ar) Moderate sized cities, lots of small towns and more hobby farms and real ranches than one could count. Nevertheless, if I head in any direction from the heavily populated part, the countryside is surprisingly empty. Mile after mile after mile of almost no people at all. Not even many cattle or crops, and it’s good land for the most part. It’s astonishing how empty so much of the countryside is. And it isn’t just this state. The countrysides are emptying out everywhere.

It is very difficult for me to believe the U.S. is overpopulated.

 

[Becca3]

The area in which I live is mostly rural, but it’s heavily populated even so. (Extreme SW Mo & NW Ar) Moderate sized cities, lots of small towns and more hobby farms and real ranches than one could count. Nevertheless, if I head in any direction from the heavily populated part, the countryside is surprisingly empty. Mile after mile after mile of almost no people at all. Not even many cattle or crops, and it’s good land for the most part. It’s astonishing how empty so much of the countryside is. And it isn’t just this state. The countrysides are emptying out everywhere.

It is very difficult for me to believe the U.S. is overpopulated.

Well, that is what I am saying. Chances are if the countrysides are emptying out everywhere, then those people are or have moved to the big cities where it is overpopulated. And maybe due to their ignorance or lack of education, they don’t realise there is plenty of land to be had to make a living off of it and survive in the countryside. So, therefore, another thing here too is the fact that people have lost the skills to thrive on hunting the lands. We have lost what skills and know-how that our ancestors did back in the Stone Age and what have you. Secondly, those that have moved to the bigger cities have become complacent and lazy about using the land. They are letting the government do the hard work. The government pays these farmers to raise crops to feed millions but yet the farmers are struggling to take care of their own families whereas the general population can step in to help out with their own survival.

I believe in teaching kids right up from birth on how to raise crops and take care of themselves. That is why the midwest have these 4-H Clubs for kids to do that. That is smart. But there is just not enough of those in the cities for kids to learn how. Another thing too here is the fact that I heard about these Co-Op Farming going on where the adults grow their own crops and share a certain percentage of it. I think that is smart too.

 

[Rence]

My friend with the goats also raises chickens and turkeys for sale and personal use. She is in the process of looking at cows and I’m not sure how you are coming up with the 100 number without even knowing how many people are involved. She got her land for practically nothing and it’s in a very good area. They have been learning how to build their own chicken and turkey tractors thanks to the free instruction Joel Salatin. They now have two that they pull around the fields in addition to the large enclosed coop that they also built. Right now we get our beef from a farm not too far away, going in on shares together for grass fed steer. My kids and husband are all intolerant to cow’s milk so goat’s milk is the way for them – or no dairy at all. She also has horses, donkey, rabbits and more. She is able to open up to the public for animal husbandry clinics to make money in addition to selling her eggs and goat milk shares.

The farm where my sister apprenticed was on the Eastern Shore where land is much more affordable than where we currently live. There are many farms out there due to the low cost of land and it’s very good for farming.

Most people who have lived in the city all their lives do not understand the country life at all, and what it has to offer. It’s just very foreign to them. I used to be one of those city people. I was the most resistant in the family to make the move from city to country. Now I have my own Jersey, Nubians, chickens and guineas. I can churn my own butter, make my own cheese, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, ect. We send a steer to the butcher yearly and fill up our freezer. I have gotten together with friends to processes roosters and rabbit to put in the freezers as well. I understand the draw. Not many people do.

However, it would take quite a few committed families together to make what the OP is suggesting. Though I can do all the above, I also work full time and it’s difficult to make time for everything. Of course, I’m alone. But if I had a family it would work better and I know it would because I’ve seen it. I’m one of the very few that is single. And there are a lot of non-Catholic Christians who make this lifestyle work very well for them. I haven’t even started my garden yet this year The first year I grew too many things to count and filled up the freezer.)

Anyway, a farming community such as the one the OP is looking for would take a great deal of planning and organization, and of course, many people to be on board.

 

[Rence]

Plainly, you do not know very much about the poultry industry. I have been in lots of those facilities, and they’re a great deal more benign that people come to believe who have watched PETA and other Luddite propaganda films. “Old MacDonald’s Farm” is not a better environment for the birds at all.

And plainly you don’t know much about backyard chickens. You can’t tell me that my chickens are not in a better environment for them than if they were in a factory. Mine free range from dust to dawn all over the farm and are healthy. You have been in some facilities, you have not been in all of them.

 

[Rence]

The figures you are talking about are for the factory chicken mills. That’s almost the exact opposite of what the OP and I are talking about. You seem to be writing about an attempted capitalist venture…we are talking about homesteading. These are completely different in almost every single way. We are talking about working outside of the mainstream system, not becoming a part of the corruption you speak of.

Also, as I’ve mentioned, I have a dear local friend who is already doing it and she didn’t even come close to spending a million dollars. Things are simply not as you suggest with the kind of operation we are speaking of. We are trying to get away from having to rely on the terror that is the industry you describe.

Like I said, they don’t understand 10 acres for a few chickens?

 

[JackieMom]

I know a lot of Catholics who are farmers by occupation. One of the parishes I go to is a rural parish. There is a lot to be said in favor of their way of life if it’s done well. But it does take a lot of capital, which is usually the result of intergenerational efforts.

While the world has changed since Rerum Novarum, so that farming is no longer the mainstay in economies, it’s still possible to live on farming. Possibly Pope Leo XIII understood that intergenerational efforts are often required, and perhaps that’s why he emphasized widespread ownership of productive INHERITABLE assets. Yesterday I talked to a woman who, with her husband, acquired a substantial amount of land over the years. They could live better if they sold it and spent the money. But she and her husband ae determined that their sons will own it, no matter what they have to do to preserve it.

Unfortunately, we have all gotten used to the idea that the fruits of our labor are to be spent on consumer goods, so that little is inherited by most.

And it isn’t impossible to acquire a farm without inheriting it. The farm supply store I go to has a lot of young men (and sometimes young women) who hang around the country sale barns buying inexpensive calves, which they raise on rented land. Eventually, their goal is buy land of their own. Particularly I admire a young woman who saved her money and bought haying equipment. She works at a regular job in the day and does custom haying on summer evenings and on the weekends. She’ll make it, i believe. But it does take a long time and a lot of effort.

The area in which I live is mostly rural, but it’s heavily populated even so. (Extreme SW Mo & NW Ar) Moderate sized cities, lots of small towns and more hobby farms and real ranches than one could count. Nevertheless, if I head in any direction from the heavily populated part, the countryside is surprisingly empty. Mile after mile after mile of almost no people at all. Not even many cattle or crops, and it’s good land for the most part. It’s astonishing how empty so much of the countryside is. And it isn’t just this state. The countrysides are emptying out everywhere.

It is very difficult for me to believe the U.S. is overpopulated.

The US isn’t overpopulated, but parts of it are. Same with the rest of the world. Plenty of uninhabited space, but people need more than just space to live (i.e. they need reliable utilities, jobs, and reasonable access to schools, churches, stores, doctors, hospitals, etc.)

 

[Fairwinds]

What’s your idea?

tool around the post-apocalyptic landscape in the last of the V8 Interceptors with my blue heeler dog. then wake up and go to work like I do every day, because I live in the real world and have real world responsibilities to God, family and country.

 

[Becca3]

The US isn’t overpopulated, but parts of it are. Same with the rest of the world. Plenty of uninhabited space, but people need more than just space to live (i.e. they need reliable utilities, jobs, and reasonable access to schools, churches, stores, doctors, hospitals, etc.)

But that is just it. Have we become too modernized?? Too complacent??

 

[JackieMom]

But that is just it. Have we become too modernized?? Too complacent??

I do not think so, no. But, you know, I’m someone who has had a young family member’s life saved by proximity to a major hospital and cutting-edge medical care

 

[Becca3]

I do not think so, no. But, you know, I’m someone who has had a young family member’s life saved by proximity to a major hospital and cutting-edge medical care

Yes, I understand that and that is the fine line people have now. Where to draw the line at complacency and where to fight for the land. Why not go ahead and let those people like the OP suggests, homestead a certain percentage of the land and let the certain percentage be modernised? Then if there comes an Apocalypse, the ones who run the land will survive.

 

[PaleoConCatlick]

I’m not talking about cutting off all modern conveniences, I’m just saying, we need to form medium sized town where we have everything we need. Including hospitals.

 

[Fairwinds]

I’m not talking about cutting off all modern conveniences, I’m just saying, we need to form medium sized town where we have everything we need. Including hospitals.

and the police department, National Guard arsenal, radio and TV stations. we’ll seize those first.

 

[Becca3]

I’m not talking about cutting off all modern conveniences, I’m just saying, we need to form medium sized town where we have everything we need. Including hospitals.

Yes, small towns like they have in the midwest. I grew up in a small town and we had everything we needed.

 

[mommamaree]

I think the best bet traditional Catholics have at surviving postmodernism is to invest in the sustainable homesteading movement.

This means raising large families on a farm and growing your own food, raising livestock, but also being self-sufficient in terms of clothing, money, and energy. People have to invest in animals that make clothing (llamas, sheep) and also use renewable energy to power their houses.

A traditionalist Catholic community like this should rise up. It would not necessarily be like an Amish community, in the sense of old fashioned equipment, but the community would have to be self-sufficient and independent.

I agree that everyone should learn these skills, and I am working on learning vegetable gardening and planning to raise chickens soon. I even like the idea of Catholics relying upon each other more than we do now. But a separated community does not appeal to me. Those types of things have a tendency to quickly become cultish or very restrictive of its members. Just across the river from where I live is a Charismatic community. There are a lot of good things to say about it, but there have been a lot of people who had to move away because they were ostracized or excluded because of personality conflicts or holier-than-thou attitudes. I would hate to invest my time, my money, and my self into the building up of such a community, only to have it become cliquish and exclusive. I think it is far better for Christians to work and live right alongside non-Christians, with a good support network amongst the Christians to keep the Christian community cohesive and thriving. Just my thoughts!

 

[mommamaree]

I dunno, have you heard about what KGB Officer Lazar Kaganovich did to the Ukrainian Catholics in 1932?

I actually don’t believe in evangelization. Why does the Catholic Church position on having so many children stand. It is to create lots and lots of followers.

**I believe that the government, in lockstep with the popular media, will make things gradually more and more obnoxious for Catholics. They will try to defame us and brainwash our children. They will stop at nothing. **Catholics have a strong rock of a church, whereas Protestants splinter up all the time and some tend to be secular as hell.

Homeschooling or parish school.