My BHAG: To learn how to regenerative farm!
Current Status: We bought an 11-acre property and we are going to learn how to regenerative farm on it!
Farm Related Posts
Driveway Renovation (DeanoFarms: Week 17)
The driveway on our new property is a mess. I’ve got grading and water flow issues that need to be corrected. The driveway renovation involves getting the tractor and box blade set up for the job, getting the design for some retaining walls marked, leveling some areas for mowing, and getting the driveway renovated (leveled,…
Architecting and Building Plans – DeanoFarms: Week 15
I told my wife I was going to move her into a metal building out in the middle of nowhere. I figured this would go over like a lead balloon but she’s game! We’ve started the plans for the building’s renovation/buildout. It all started with a very hot day doing some core drilling at the…
Trimming Low Branches – DeanoFarms: Week 13
Emily runs our mowing operation. In an effort to make her life easier I cleared out the low branches that slowed her down (or worse slapped her in the face) while mowing. I also have some decisions to make as far as which trees and which types of trees I want to foster on the…
Clearing Brush In Hay Bales – Project Finished (DeanoFarms: Week 9 and 10)
My first major farm project is now finished! I’m not very smart (most people know this and would agree). My plan wasn’t the best one. I picked the middle of a very hot and dry Tennessee summer to stand out in the middle of a field and clear brush (a lot of it very thorny)…
Rain, Snake, Work, Sweat (DeanoFarms: Week 8)
Good things in this video: Rain (we needed it) and Work (never a bad thing). Bad things in this video: Snake skin (Emily will be excited) and Sweat (lots of it). #DeanoFarms
Clearing The Gully (DeanoFarms: Week 7)
I cleaned out the gully near the back fence row. Warning: Many large blackberry thorn bushes were harmed in the making of this video! #DeanoFarms
The Back Field – Mowing and Clearing Fence Rows (DeanoFarms: Week 6)
It took us too long to mow our back field this spring. Work and normal life got in the way. Luckily the land isn’t going anywhere. The land is patient like that I guess. Emily ran the mower and I worked on clearing a fence row. She finished her part and I made a small…
Farm Safety – Ticks, Poison Ivy, Tractor Tip Overs, Snakes, Spiders, Chainsaws (DeanoFarms: Week 5)
I was proactive on ticks (and my efforts have paid off). I wasn’t on poison ivy (and that stuff made me pay). As I was itching I wondered what other lessons might the farm try to teach me that I haven’t fully assessed. Spiders, snakes, tractor tip over, chain saw accident?!? Hmmm…what else?!?! Deano doesn’t…
I Got Poison Ivy (DeanoFarms: Week 4)
Well, that was fun?!? I’ve never had poison ivy in my life. It hasn’t been from a lack of trying. I honestly believed I wasn’t allergic to it. One of the first lessons the farm taught me is I AM allergic to it. [scratch, itch, scratch] #DeanoFarms
Our Farm Is Flooding – Water Management Needs (DeanoFarms Week 2)
Fine, I’m being dramatic (clickbait). It was really only raining. But I was excited to walk around the building to see where my water problems were located. I was able to confirm we do have water problems. Then the hot water heater started leaking and really flooded things (the building, not the farm). So, maybe…
Our First Time Mowing Our Farm (Or Any Farm?!?) – DeanoFarms – Week 2
I joke with people that we bought a farm just to mow…because mowing in TN heat is fun?!? We’ve never mowed anything bigger than our yard until now. I read all my tractor and implement manuals. We got the tractor set up for our first time and tested everything. Then we set off to mow…
Moving My Antique Tractor To Our New Farm (DeanoFarms: Week 2)
This day has been a day I’ve been waiting for since I was in high school. For the first time in my life, my old John Deere will be on my own place. A lot of trucking was involved in a very enjoyable day. I had to get the old antique tractor woke up from…
I Upgraded My Tractor (DeanoFarms: Week 1)
Hand cranking a ’38 Model A John Deere to work on the farm in 100-degree Tennessee heat ain’t anything fun. Modern solutions are needed, so I upgraded my tractor. We did our research, shopped around, and came up with a John Deere compact 3 series as the winner (3038E). Of course, it isn’t as good…
Removing Thorn Bushes (AKA Blackberry or Brier/Briar Bushes) Without Chemicals
One of the first projects on our farm to-do list was to clear an area of pasture that has been overtaken by blackberry bushes. Whatever you call them (thorn, briar, brier) we don’t need them. The thorn bushes have grown into a row of hay bales (and subsequently grown into the surrounding pasture). For a…
3 Steps To Keep Ticks And Chiggers Off You!
The first item on my farm’s master plan was to keep ticks and chiggers off of me. I was researching this the day after I walked the property for the first time. I don’t want any of the blood-borne illnesses that ticks carry. I also do not want a chigger anywhere near any part of…
How We Decided To Buy A Farm In 16 Days
March 10th, 2022 I listened to a Joe Rogan episode (#1784 Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf). They wrote a book (and documentary) called “Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat.” I listened to the 3-hour podcast mainly for the nutritional component. I was fascinated by some of the things they talked about involving how the…
We Are Going To Be Farmers (Regenerative Farmers)…DeanoFarms?!?
I have an old tractor…what to do?!? I have some of my grandfather’s old coveralls…what to do?!? We have an RV I pay to store in town….what to do?!? Emily has an old Bronco…what to do?!? Let’s become farmers! Well…we are not going to be farmers yet. We have kids in school and both have…