Colonel's Blog, Earthdate 11 Jan 2023...
Hey Y'all!!
Happy foggy Wednesday morning from Free Missouri! The top pic is the beautiful moonrise last night. The bottom pic is the "grounds crew" distributing the straw and manure on the (still not covered) garden. No new babies on the farm today, all animals are doing well. Wow, was I overly optimistic for what I thought we could get done yesterday! We did install shelves and hooks in the milking barn. They immediately improved the milking processes. Well worth the time. We did make something with milk. We made another gallon of yogurt and another couple of pounds of cheese. We again made a paneer cheese but this time we flavored it with our favorite habanero pepper sauce, Harold's St. Bart. We grew, harvested, pureed, and canned the Harold's St. Bart habaneros a while back. We love the smoky, fruity, habanero flavor. That's about it from my list. We did not get to the new sheep paddock, tax prep, or fence clearing. Our new milking machine arrived and we plan to unpack it today, clean it, and learn how to use it. If you've been tracking the Local Farm Report, you know we are now bringing in over 3 gallons of milk every day. We are learning how to use that much. We also have quite a few folks that have expressed interest in buying raw milk from us, which is legal in Free Missouri.
When we purchased our acreage, our real estate agent (retired USAF) said "Welcome to Free Missouri!" We weren't exactly sure what he meant, but we liked the sound of it. Well, we have since learned what he meant. I already mentioned, unlike many states in our nation, it is legal to sell raw milk off of your farm in Missouri. What else? Ozark County Missouri is 745 square miles, ~475,000 acres, 51% farmland, with a population of just over 8,600 people for a population density of 11.5 people per square mile. It is considered a Class 3, or third class, county. In Missouri, that means there are no building or zoning codes unless adopted by a vote of the people, which in this county has not occurred. Yes, you read that correctly, NO zoning or building codes, no stormwater, fire, or zoning codes or regulations. We built the house (barndominium) we designed without any permissions or government oversight. We installed the plumbing and electric ourselves. We installed it to national codes, because that is how we wanted it. We built our milking barn and asked no one first. It's our property and we wanted it designed a certain way, placed in a certain spot on our land, built a certain way, at a certain size...all our decision. Missouri is one of the best states for homeschooling, no notifications, no teacher quals, or assessments. If I can summarize, it's pretty much a case of everybody leaves everyone else alone. You do you. You stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours. Awesome! I can't imagine a more opposite situation to living in base housing! So, I proudly say "Hello from Free Missouri!"
Local Farm Report for 10 Jan 2023
Harvest:
29 Chicken eggs
7 Duck eggs
3 1/2 Gallons of milk
Sales:
N/A
Cheers! Rich & Shelley
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