{Farm} The importance of a Great Feed and Tack Store

Food is one of the most important things to consider when it comes to owning and raising animals on your farm or homestead. For some, homesteading means complete self-sufficiency. However, for many it just isn’t possible to have enough space or time to grow enough rations for the livestock you desire. This is not an excuse to keep from getting animals and enjoying the benefits they bring to your farm or homestead. 

If you are like me and have a hard time even fathoming what it would be like to grow all the food for your animals, there is an alternative. Patronizing your local feed and tack store is just as beneficial as growing your own feed. It can be a friendly environment that can allow you a little socializing away from your farm or homestead. It is also a reliable source for feed, even in the cooler months. 

As some of you may know, our little farm is nestled on an acre within city limits. We are blessed to have a fantastic establishment just a few minutes away. Benson’s has been serving the area for generations. Gran has shopped at this particular store for almost 40 years. It has taught me that customer loyalty pays off. I started purchasing feed for my animals from them almost 6 years ago when I purchased my first flock. Ever since then, the relationship built up with the proprietor and his employees has been priceless. Since we frequent the store for supplies, there are many instances where I no longer even have to give my order because they know what I get. 

It’s a bit like being a part of a rather large extended family-which keeps getting bigger and bigger. As a family would ask after one another, Mr. Benson always asks after my parents and the farm. He usually asks how the homesteading is going as well. We like to share with them come Christmastide in the form of cookie trays or little gifts. The store really is a family affair, as his grandkids are often in the store taking orders and helping process payments behind the counter.

Being a feed and tack store means they carry more than just feed- they supply for all aspects of life with animals. We purchase alwmost everything we need for all our animals there-including the dogs. It there is something I need, I will usually look to see if they have items in stock before searching elsewhere. I have found that if they don’t carry it in store, they are often willing to order an item for you if they have the ability to find it. I found out one day that the store accepts recycled egg cartons, which when I am in need of a particular type, I can be found rifling through their stash. 

I was blessed to become a patron of Benson’s through family tradition. Since we are a family here, I wanted to pass on a few tips to help you find a store that will allow you to have the same great experience. 

Online reviews can be misleading

In this day and age, it seems only natural to jump on one’s phone and scan Yelp or Google for reviews on a particular business. I caution against this- not everyone deems it necessary to post a review online. This means that there may be a bias one way or another with the reviews that are given. I encourage you to trust your own intuition. It will be of greater service to you in the end. 

Make a visit to the establishment. 

Actually stepping through the door can help in allowing your intuition to work. It will give you a better sense of the place. Take a walk through the store and browse their inventory. Do they carry items you use? Have a conversation with the employees. You will likely get the chance to speak with the proprietor, since it seems to be my experience that they spent quite a bit of time in the store. This will assist you in getting a feel for the store and help you make an educated decision as to whether or not the store will fit your needs. 

 Share with your new extended family.  

          This can take any form you feel is appropriate. Gran and I like to bake cookies at Christmas for the places we go to often. We make up a tin and deliver it to the store. I started sending a card to the store at Christmas as a thank you for the service throughout the year. It can even be as simple as taking your kids into the store upon occasion.  

A good feed and tack store can make all the difference in raising animals on your farm or homestead. If you don’t already give your patronage to a local store, I encourage you to find one and visit. You might be surprised.

Ms. B

{A Homespun Holiday} A Nevada Winter

This was the view down our street during a storm this past winter.

 Winter in Nevada is tends to not be “normal” from year to year. The weather changes a bit from year to year. The averages from one to year to the next are never particularly good indicators of what the weather should be like. For instance, the winter forecast for December here is that we will have above average temperatures with highs staying in the 50’s. This is keeping in mind that the winters tend to be mild where I live. Even with those forecasted highs, it can still get a bit chilly- especially in the evenings and at night. It also won’t snow if it is super cold.

There is an agreement here with Mother Nature that when it does snow, it really snows. The lake effect can leave even more snow on the ground. I am sure you are reading this with a stunned expression thinking to yourself, “B, isn’t Nevada a desert? I can’t snow there.”  I would return your glance with an exasperated expression and say to you, “Well, as a matter of fact it can snow here because it is a high desert climate.” It is true that being nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada’s helps as well. They aren’t called the snowcapped mountains for nothing. My town boasts some of the most picturesque scenes when the natural glitter sparkles in the sunlight.

          With that said, I can only remember a handful of truly white Christmases I have had living in this beautiful place. Most years the view outside our window come Christmas morning were of melting snow barely clinging to life in the sunlight or no snow at all. The lack of a white Christmas never diminished my lover of the season. I will admit that somedays, I feel as if I wouldn’t mind living somewhere where 2-3 feet of snow would keep me homebound on Christmas Day.

Cheers,

Ms. B

What is the weather usually like com Christmas time where you live?

Use #ahomespunholiday, #flyingvsfarmchristmas, or #flyingvsfarm to share your holiday with us on Instagram.

{Home} Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary Shave Soap Review

 

image from cobblehillfarmapothecary.com

When I first discovered Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary, I had been looking for farm or homesteading blogs on the internet. I came across their farm blog Life at Cobble Hill Farm. I read through a few of their posts and really enjoyed Staci and how she wrote about her farm. She had me hooked from the first word I read. Soon after, I discovered that she and her husband ran a small soap business from their home. Staci had posted about a giveaway she was hosting to share some of her products. I was intrigues and decided to enter. As fate would have it, I won the giveaway and was privileged to try some of her products. I was so excited when her package arrived containing a lip balm, her seasonal soaps, and a body butter. There were a few other things, but I honestly don’t remember what they were. After using the items I received, I was hooked. 

Since then her business has grown into the Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary. One of my most recent purchases was some of her shaving soap. I wanted to find an alternative for the clunky aerosol cans of shaving cream. I remembered seeing a post of some of their new products. One of them was a shave soap. I got on the website and looked it up. The Shave Soap bars are $5.00 each, which is comparable to a can of shaving cream.  In the end, I purchased the blackberry sage scent. I got it home and haven’t used anything else since. The soap has a wonderful lather that works just as well as the canned stuff for shaving your legs and underarms. 

For about the first month, I used the soap with the disposable razors I was purchasing at the store. I was tired of throwing them away and decided to switch over to a safety razor. I also bought a brush and a soap dish from amazon. Up to that point, I had been storing the soap in an old Altoids tin and using it like regular soap to shave. While it wasn’t a perfect solution, it was working.  After purchasing the correct tools and using the way it was supposed to be used, it worked even better. 

The only hitch with the soap was that the bar was too large for the bowl I had purchased, so I was having to cut a chunk off the bar to use it. Again, not the perfect solution but it worked. I know have a small mug that the bar fits into perfectly! If you want to have the right tools from the get go, Staci sells handmade brushes and mugs on her website as well. It makes for a perfect gift for that special guy in your life. 

I have enjoyed using the shave soap so much that I purchased another bar to give to Scooter to go with the shave kit I bought him for his birthday last year. The other scents in her “collection” are a bit manlier sounding in my opinion. He has been enjoying using her bar as well. I believe I bought the Barbershop scent for him. 

If you are interested in seeing the shave soap and any of the other products Staci has for sale, you can find her at the Cobble Hill Farm Apothecary.

Cheers,

Ms. B