We have a little bear problem. A little cub black bear is hanging around our farm and despite assurances he won't go away. DNR has caught him in their trap and released him twice. the first time they said the night in the can should scare him away. It didn't he just came back looking for more 'lassy bread. (They bait the traps with molasses soaked bread which black bears apparently can't resist.) The second time they were pretty sure it is orphaned and the biologist assured them it would be dead within 48 hours since it can't nurse.
Well he was back today eyeing our meat king chickens. Because SCIENCE!
Anyways After numerous visits and conversations with the DNR crew I have read between the lines come to the conclusion they would rather I just shoot the little guy than them driving him off into the wilderness to die because he is going to die if they drive him off to the wilderness. To that end I decided to take a few minutes this evening to do some target practice with "old hair trigger", the .22 my grandfather left me. I know a .22 is rather small for a bear (it is a really little bear - about the size of a fox) but it's all I have so I figure I better aim well and shoot straight if it has to be done.
At 20 yards I hit the can five out of six shots. At 30 yards I hit the can less than five out of six shots. Luckily I can usually get to within 20 yards of the cub because apparently I have to. Satisfied that I had established my current effective range I was about to leave when I head a rustling in the bushes behind me. I wondered, "now what kind of animal wanders up on a man shooting a rifle?" So I turned around and lo and behold there was the other current threat to my flock, old Mr. Skunk. Or maybe Ms. Skunk I wasn't about to get up close and find out. It was bad enough that the skunk had me at a disadvantage - I was downwind!
Willy old veteran that I am I skedaddled to the upwind position and using the horrendous reek of our fresh pile of chicken manure as cover put and end to the skunk threat with a single shot.
Not surprisingly there are no recipes for skunk in my better half's wild game cookbook (I guess I'm not the only one who would have to be desperately hungry to gut and clean around that stink sac.) so I will just go bury it in the morning.
Assuming the bear cub hasn't made a stinky meal out of it by then.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Monopolies are as bad as mono-cultures.
Mono-cultures are a failed experiment in agricultural efficiency. After a brief honeymoon of bumper production mono-cultures require more work and more artificial inputs to produce the same amount of food as managed mixed agriculture. Mono-cultures are only feasible because diesel is so incredibly cheap when compared to manual or draft animal labour.
We need to stop the "Agricultural Growth Act". Sounds crazy doesn't it but Bill C-18 has a clause in it that has to be a deal breaker. It sounds simple and it is. It sounds harmless but it isn't. The Government of Canada wants to enhance plant breeders rights (giant corporations) over growers rights (people).
In a nutshell the Bill wants to change what is currently the right to save seed into a privilege essentially controlled by the plant breeder. Essentially transferring more control over food safety, food security, health and the environment to unaccountable third parties.
Benefits to you as a Canadian citizen:
1. Food costs will rise because the cost to producers will rise as more money will be transferred to giant multinational corporations that are already making huge profits.
2. Food production will be consolidated into fewer ever larger corporations as added costs continue to squeeze small and medium size producers out of business. (And if that doesn't get them the legal fees will!)
3. Food variety will shrink as plant breeders will decide what to sell based on their profit margins. And no, that's not the same as what sells well at the supermarket.
We all know things go downhill fast once one or pitifully few companies control an industry and well, the ugly truth is food is not a normal industry - food is a necessity.
So unless you like the idea of paying what was once your "fun" fund to eat flavoured starch as you wait for your next doctor's appointment (your malnourished) please write your MP.
http://www.nfu.ca/issue/stop-bill-c-18
We need to stop the "Agricultural Growth Act". Sounds crazy doesn't it but Bill C-18 has a clause in it that has to be a deal breaker. It sounds simple and it is. It sounds harmless but it isn't. The Government of Canada wants to enhance plant breeders rights (giant corporations) over growers rights (people).
In a nutshell the Bill wants to change what is currently the right to save seed into a privilege essentially controlled by the plant breeder. Essentially transferring more control over food safety, food security, health and the environment to unaccountable third parties.
Benefits to you as a Canadian citizen:
1. Food costs will rise because the cost to producers will rise as more money will be transferred to giant multinational corporations that are already making huge profits.
2. Food production will be consolidated into fewer ever larger corporations as added costs continue to squeeze small and medium size producers out of business. (And if that doesn't get them the legal fees will!)
3. Food variety will shrink as plant breeders will decide what to sell based on their profit margins. And no, that's not the same as what sells well at the supermarket.
We all know things go downhill fast once one or pitifully few companies control an industry and well, the ugly truth is food is not a normal industry - food is a necessity.
So unless you like the idea of paying what was once your "fun" fund to eat flavoured starch as you wait for your next doctor's appointment (your malnourished) please write your MP.
http://www.nfu.ca/issue/stop-bill-c-18
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Spring
I can now safely say winter is over. Apparently this was a really severe winter so that's not so bad. Other than running out of firewood I didn't find it bad. And I knew going in I didn't really have enough wood. That said, it was awesome to enjoy my first real winter in years.
All that is done now. A week ago my tractor implements were lost buried under the three feet of snow. Today even the pallets they were sitting on are dry. I've never seen so much snow melt so fast. The province has flooding all over the place and even the main highway between here an the city was flooded today. Which is good for us. Very little water in the basement and more erosion than I would like in the garden but for the most part the water drained away fast and furious.
During the late winter storms are ewes decided to lamb. We started off with Middy having two still births, then Little Mum and Shaggy only keeping one of each of their twins. We were lucky enough to give away the abandoned lambs to a petting zoo. Then Matilda had a sets of twins with no problems, Friendly had triplets and Tebow had a big one.
There are seven lambs in the barn. Friendly couldn't look after three so we have one in the house. And yeah, they are way cuter in person.
The chickens are doing fine, the cats are fine, the bees are all dead. It looks like the hives got wet with all the freeze/thaw and the bees froze. I'm sad but I will try again because I really like working with the bees.
Other than that all is well and I'm still looking for work but at least the opportunities seem to be picking up so hopefully I'll land something soon.
All that is done now. A week ago my tractor implements were lost buried under the three feet of snow. Today even the pallets they were sitting on are dry. I've never seen so much snow melt so fast. The province has flooding all over the place and even the main highway between here an the city was flooded today. Which is good for us. Very little water in the basement and more erosion than I would like in the garden but for the most part the water drained away fast and furious.
During the late winter storms are ewes decided to lamb. We started off with Middy having two still births, then Little Mum and Shaggy only keeping one of each of their twins. We were lucky enough to give away the abandoned lambs to a petting zoo. Then Matilda had a sets of twins with no problems, Friendly had triplets and Tebow had a big one.
There are seven lambs in the barn. Friendly couldn't look after three so we have one in the house. And yeah, they are way cuter in person.
The chickens are doing fine, the cats are fine, the bees are all dead. It looks like the hives got wet with all the freeze/thaw and the bees froze. I'm sad but I will try again because I really like working with the bees.
Other than that all is well and I'm still looking for work but at least the opportunities seem to be picking up so hopefully I'll land something soon.
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