Minimum requirements in NE Indiana ?

Willowynd · #1 03/11/11, 11:03 PM

Hubby and I were having a discussion about not relying on outside sources eventually and working towards that...we know we would need an alternate source of heat (woodstove), cooking (cookstove), lighting (hmmm- kerosene would need bought) and/or power (I doubt wind power is a great option in Indiana)- so solar only option? Water (hand pump?)..But I was thinking- how about the animal feeds and supplements we depend on? Yes, goats and cows can graze during most of the year- but winter until the grass comes back up?....Goats need minerals as well- we buy those. We don't have the equipment to farm hay....and equipment today takes gas. We already do our gardening almost completely by hand (we still rent a tiller- but could do it by hand if need be) with no commercial fertilizers. We need to get better at starting from seed. Just thinking basics- not conveniences at this point. I know we would need a way to keep food cold in the warmer months too. Maybe I am posting in the wrong forum...but this was not about emergency preparedness...its about changing the way we live.

VaFarmer · #2 03/11/11, 11:26 PM

1 aspect to consider is instead of trying to raise, grow, or do everything tobe self sufficant, specialize in a couple of areas and do that in a large scale to have a produce that you can trade or barter with for the items that you are lacking. I bring in a fare amount of hay from neighbor properties, do not buy it or rent the fields, get the cuttings for free to maintain the properties and fences & stuff. With the hay trade for calves, corn, & sometimes rough cut posts & fence boards, sell & use the rest. Extra garden stuff either sell at wagon at driveway or go to farmers market, handy to get rid of sweet corn fast. Pick it fri night & go to market Sat. morning. With that money fill the fuel tank in the barn & buy seeds for next yr. Stuff like that may be the better way to go. Of couse this will work better if you hook up with like minded folks that are producing a different produce, PS find somebody that has fruit trees LOTS of fruit trees uummm. I'm planting 10 more apple & a couple more peaches this yr to add to the 2 doz that I've been haarvesting from the last 15yrs. Sell & give friends fresh peach, apple and my favorite cherry pies through the summer. Still got a freezer 1/4 full of fruit from last yr and a shelf full of pressurves.

MullersLaneFarm · #3 03/11/11, 11:35 PM

Willowynd
(I love collie breeds!)
Water ... even frost free hydrants can freeze in the winter. We're in NW IL. Our barn hydrant (a frost free hydrant, dug down 10' filled in with large stone so the water can drain and hydrant wrapped) still freezes in late January/early February most years. We declare spring around here when the barn hydrant flows again (spring arrived here 03/10/11!!)

There are a few on this forum that actually do live totally self-reliant, without 'normal' outside jobs. Forerunner is the one that comes to mind immediately. He and RebelLemming will be at our Homesteading Weekend this year. You might want to attend.

geo in mi · #4 03/12/11, 06:49 AM

Some areas in the general Northeast Indiana section, because of the Amish influence, may have services and stores already set up for that kind of living.....small batch propane, feed stores within reasonable distance, stores with special off-grid equipment and supplies, etc. Nappannee, Goshen, La Grange, up to Sturgis,Mi., then down to Berne and Geneva.....

Some of the other areas in NE Indiana, good luck, it's all large farming, miles and miles between towns and services. You might be pretty much isolated, even if you could find small adreage.

geo

Willowynd · #5 03/12/11, 04:52 PM

Cyndi, I would love to attend- but will have to see if I can find someone to take care of the animals. I don't think we will be able to pitch the outside jobs for at least another 15 yrs...but who knows- DH is looking into a home business in his field and would work via internet, so if that is successful enough- then it may be a possibility.

VAfarmer...that is the thng- in this close area- very few like minded people. Now an hour away- we have amish. I am starting to network with a few people I have found and do some trading. Seems to me that suburbia is moving out closer and closer here. My oldest son said probably not in my lifetime, but maybe his- that our little town will eventually be annexed into Ft Wayne. It may be an option once this house is paid off to move completely off the grid, but until then- here we are. Our largest expense by far is energy consumption...which is due mainly to our jobs and heating and electric...$35 a day in gasoline for 2 vehicles (3 jobs) and $15 in kerosene (heat main areas)- and as the prices creep up it is worse! I just finished paying a $300 electric bill....and it is only my husband and I here but we run electric heaters in 2 rooms- the bedroom all the time and my office only in the evenings for the most part. That is $1800 for last month. Warm weather the costs go down as we don't have the kerosene expense and the electric bill drops like a rock, but then we have gasoline expense for equipment to mow and maintain the property and haul in mulch and such....but still much less and we spend the warm months catching up....only to try to make it again through the next winter. So long as we are forced to buy gas and kerosene and electric...I don't see much hope of being able to live only on a barter system.

stirfamily · #6 03/12/11, 06:06 PM

Willowynd,
You're wrong about windpower being an option. We live in NE Indiana also and there are several Amish that are using wind turbines and there's a house not far from us that is totally wind powered. We are considering wind power for DH's shop. It wouldn't run the whole place but would do lights, etc.

Willowynd · #7 03/13/11, 12:07 AM

Really? The maps I looked at put as at a 2 for annual and 0 in summer.