American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Dexter Cattle Dexter cattle are among the smallest of cattle breeds in the world, standing 40" tall and weighing 700–900 pounds. Though size is the breed’s most distinguishing characteristic, the Dexter is a useful and producti ve multi‑purpose animal. The Dexter originated in southern Ireland during the early 1800s. It was developed from the Kerry, an Irish dairy breed, through selection for smaller size and improved beef qualities. Even after the Dexter gained an identity as a breed, its history remained intertwined with that of the Kerry. Dexter cattle are solid and compact in appearance. The Dexter has always attracted attention because of its size, and it has sometimes been marketed as a novelty or ornamental breed. Dexter cattle are increasing in numbers in North America and globally, and the breed seems destined to succeed. Status: See CPL Click Here for Breed Clubs and Association Contacts
Spark: Upgrade your lights with Wi-Fi and apps by Spark Devices TechCrunch: "The project aims to turn every lamp in your home into a web-based juggernaut." WIRED Gadget Lab: "It's not hard to imagine using lights to display other types of data..." Fast Co Design: "It’s all pretty neat for everyday consumers, but it could be revolutionary for the deaf or hard of hearing." Forbes: "A light bulb socket that lets you manage one light bulb (or more) from the internet is groundbreaking." Apartment Therapy: "Perfect for renters and upgrading over time, you can start with one sconce or one room and add Sparks as you go." Silicon Republic: "Turn on and off the lights and potentially other devices in your home with the power of a tweet..." The Spark Socket screws into any standard lightbulb socket, and connects to the internet over the Wi-Fi connection in your home, so that you can control your lights from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Here are some of the great things that Spark can do: Using Spark is just as easy as installing it. Back our campaign!
free pvc greenhouse plans Greenhouse Assembly: This 6x9 ft, pitched-roof kit greenhouse can extend the growing season on your farm or in your garden. You may also want to check out www.pvcplans.com for free arched greenhouse plans and free PVC coldframe plans. Top 10 Things You Can Upgrade with a Little Electronics Hacking it is a skill to do a good solder joint, it comes with LOTS of practice. so most people who rarely do it will ever get good at it. Bingo. Of course, part of the issue is having a soldering iron at the right temp with a properly tinned tip. I don't expect to ever master tricky stuff like smts or even multilayer pcbs so I'm not much better then a newbie, anyway - and I totally suck at sweating pipe joints. Ah, well... SMT is actually a bit better than through-hole once you get the hang of it.
The pastured poultry scam Late in my second season of raising pastured poultry on a small scale, I have become aware of some fundamental, fatal conceptual flaws in the operation. The implication of these is that, unintentionally and without malice, pastured poultry producers are foisting a scam on their market. The problems stem from basic lack of understanding about what words like "sustainable" mean and to some extent from denial about the realities of chicken production, both industrial and on the small farm. The two biggest unintentional lies are about pastured poultry's being environmentally friendly and its being humane. Environmentally friendly, sustainable production of livestock is first and foremost a function of what and how the animals are fed. Pastured poultry fails on both of these. As for impact on the environment, pastured poultry are overstocked. Another impression that pastured poultry producers like to give is that our birds are happy birds, treated humanely. Sigh... back to the drawing board.
Another great invention, the Exhaust Air Jack at One More Gadget This invention is pretty sweet. It basically uses the air from your exhaust to inflate a big bubble that is strong enough to hold up your car. Once it’s to the right height, just turn off your engine and change your tire. The bubble will stay inflated for hours (if you are really bad at changing a tire). And did I mention it comes in orange? Get your Exhaust Air Car Jack here Misty Meadow Farm, Virginia - All-natural Katahdin Lamb and Galloway Beef How to clean and secure your browser like a pro The Internet runs on ads, but when you see them in your browser, your first instinct should be to run the other way—fast. The lion’s share of the Internet is wallpapered with tacky ads that invite you to “Lose 15 lbs. with this 1 weird tip” and load your browser with spyware in the process. In other corners of the Web, you might download a free game or a piece of music from an untrustworthy site, ending up with malicious adware that hitched a ride along with it. Legitimate sites do a decent job of screening their advertisers, weeding out those that spread viruses, malware, or scams. Wikipedia That’s how an adware infection starts. Run virus and malware scans Obviously, the very first thing you should do when you think your PC has a malware infection is to run a complete scan with an updated antimalware utlity. Disable browser toolbars If your browser is still acting up, you need to remove every toolbar you don’t use. Double-check every extension and add-on Hit the Reset button
Mini Beltie.org Reshaping Kentucky's cattle industry Beef cattle generate nearly as much income for Kentucky farm families as tobacco. Yet, as tobacco income continues to decline, the profit potential from cattle is rising. Kentucky farmers are poised to reap huge rewards from beef cattle production, although the lack of a well-organized system of production, processing, distribution and marketing is hindering this sector’s promise. Community Farm Alliance members have been working to understand the way the system operates now and the possibility for creating a more farmer- and buyer-friendly approach to the cattle business. The Present: Beef cattle, profits flow out of state Although Kentucky is the largest beef producing state east of the Mississippi, most of its cattle are finished and processed outside its borders. Currently, Kentucky has around 1,120,000 head of beef cattle. The challenge is to begin bringing cattle feeding and slaughter back to Kentucky so that producers can gain the value-added benefits of selling the end product.
Portable Chicken Mini-coop Plan Chickens are every bit as fun and easy to care for as dogs or cats, plus they give you great farm-fresh eggs. The biggest challenge is keeping the birds safe from predators, and at the same time allowing them to enjoy a natural diet of grains, greens and insects. Most poultry predators roam at night — raccoons, coyotes, owls and such. To make it easy for anyone to raise a few chickens on pasture, I set out to create a coop design that would be secure, low-cost, easy to build, light enough to move easily and scaled to fit well even in small back yards. To make this portable mini-coop, head to your local hardware or farm store and get the following items: Barn-style doghouse: the larger the better, but be sure you get the 1-by-2-inch mesh wire fencing for the pen’s side walls (see below) in a height that’s at least as tall as the doghouse you choose.1-by-2-inch mesh welded wire fencing, as tall as the doghouse — 38 feet is enough to make the sides and doors for one 3-by-10-foot pen.
Free-range hens: What you should consider before letting your flock out. - Kitchen Garden If you have (or are thinking about getting) a backyard flock of chickens you should consider the possibility of letting your flock free-range. Chickens are foraging animals and thrive best when they can hunt for insects (and lizards!) and greens which no chicken run provides. Being able to scavenge the lawn for worms, to pluck at grass and weeds, and to explore is deeply satisfying to them. We let our first flock of hens free-range a couple of hours a day (the last couple of hours of daylight) and they loved it. By the time we got our second flock of hens we had a dog. At our current house the fencing isn't an issue and we've been wondering for a long time whether or not our dog might be trained not to kill the hens if we let them out. Just like that we are now able to let them free-range and I can tell you that they are very excited about the yard! It worked for our flock this time, but will it work for yours? Not everyone who keeps chickens will be able to let them free-range.
Institute for Responsible Technology - Before the FDA decided to allow GMOs into food without labeling, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored. THE CAMPAIGN FOR HEALTHIER EATING IN AMERICA Our goal is to stop the genetic engineering of our food supply. Engage Your Community Use the Campaign materials and Action Tool Kits at our website to engage your community and create a buzz on this issue: Send this information through your social media networks Distribute Non-GMO educational materials at events Organize a house party to show one of our DVDs Inspire restaurants to offer non-GM food Get other organizations involved Meet with others to form a local action group By working together, we can reach the tipping point of consumer rejection and Make It Happen!