[Cat wrangler]

I have a friend who has operated a non-profit seed foundation since the 1970s. He has hundreds of species of grains that he keeps viable. Often growing tiny parcels of each grain, some as small as 20' by 20'. Each is grown every four years.

Could you elaborate on this, please? Ancient grains are getting harder to find. There were two places I used to get "old" varieties of wheat and I either cannot find them or they don't have the seed. I do need to dig out my seed collection and catalog it

I have recommended this book many times, "Small Scale Grain Raising" by Gene Logsdon. A small plot is doable for many and a good practice skill.

A place to look for inspiration is the Amish. I the fall, the shocks of grain are a testament to people and work ethics.

 

[Aceoky]

A tractor was pulling a wagon through the rows (high axles, tall skinny tires) driven by the farm owner

I've harvested several acres of corn exactly like that; so yes it can be done when you don't have a mechanical picker you do what you need to do. We had hogs, chickens and cows to feed. We also picked up hay bales and loaded them on trucks and wagons by hand.

 

[PondEdge]

Could you elaborate on this, please? Ancient grains are getting harder to find. There were two places I used to get "old" varieties of wheat and I either cannot find them or they don't have the seed. I do need to dig out my seed collection and catalog it

I have recommended this book many times, "Small Scale Grain Raising" by Gene Logsdon. A small plot is doable for many and a good practice skill.

A place to look for inspiration is the Amish. I the fall, the shocks of grain are a testament to people and work ethics.

The folks at Great Lakes Staple Seeds have quite a few ancient grains as well as other grains, many of which are hull-less which eliminates the need for the de-hulling that most ancients require. Ancient Wheats

 

[DKR]

Through WWII, much of Brit farming was via manual labor.

See Wartime Farm Part 1 of 8 (youtube.com) part 1 of 8.

Sit down and watch the entire series - it will likely be a real wake up - and you just might learn something!

 

[Gravel Rider]

I didn't watch the video, and didn't read the replies. If the SHTF, I'll just cut down trees behind my house to make a field and then learn to grow grains. How hard could it be? They're plants. They just need sun, and they'll do their thing.
















Just kidding!

My plan for grains is mainly storage NOW before the SHTF. Growing and harvesting grain is labor intensive, and I've never done it before. We grow a good size garden each year (about 1000 square feet), so we're familiar with gardening, but that's far different from actually farming grain.

 

[PondEdge]

I have experimented with rices and grains from seed to table... It is a lot of work..... I am getting older and its not viable in my camp.

This is why I have bulk stored rice beans and grains that will probably out last me. This lets me spend my energies on other aspects of gardening and storage.

How did you de-hull your rices?

 

[ImStillHere]

How did you de-hull your rices?

The rice never made it that far I tried growing it in buckets but ended up with it drying out and not developing. It is very water dependent and not suited for the DSW.
The grains were never going to be enough volume even with high bushel to square foot grows. Plus the extra work to get it threshed out.
Both of those are why I buy and bulk store them, they would be not possible it was more of a learning curve ROI I wanted to try.

Same with beans/legumes of all types. I grow some for fresh use and winter storage. But also have put up OTS in buckets as a security for a "rainy day" LOL.

Rices and grains should be bulk stored for even avid gardeners better than myself.... I tend to be more of a winter squash nerd.

 

[Eagle Scout Survivor]

I didn't watch the video, and didn't read the replies. If the SHTF, I'll just cut down trees behind my house to make a field and then learn to grow grains. How hard could it be? They're plants. They just need sun, and they'll do their thing.
















Just kidding!

Not hard at all. Its like 8 swings of a stone ax. Obviously you want to upgrade to an iron ax as soon as possible to be the most efficient. Wait that was a Mine Craft knock off video game.

 

[inMichigan]

I honestly do not see someone just "give in" and willing to die from starvation if the option to work for food was there..

The tricky bit without any of our control is the timing.

I prepare and plant my fall grains mid-September. If I was going to expand the amount of land tilled, I'd need to be cutting brush and doing serious work in August to be ready for planting. That grain planted in mid-Sept will be harvested the following late-June/early-July. Feeding that expanded worker pool needs stored food which I won't have.

Now in the spring, I'll be planting other crops, with the busy work of mid-April (oats) thru early May (grain) and into end of May (corn) among many other things. Weeding is June, and by the end of June, cutting fall grains begins. Those spring planted crops are ready in August thru October depending on what. And of course while harvesting all that mostly by hand, I'll be wanting to prepare as much land as we can. My Fitbit says I can do 5000 cal of work, or 45,000 feet of steps; almost never both on the same day. I expect to become a bit leaner.

So, if the 'event' happened anywhere between mid-August thru April; I wouldn't have a way to feed these laborers as there are only 2 real time periods per year where big changes to the flow of crops can be made. And that 'jump' in production will show up 6 to 10 months later. Oh, the deer will all be gone within two weeks which will help with 4-legged critter damage in the fields.

Pre-electric motors, Victorian laborers ate 5000 cal a day to power their bodies. If I split my rations with one unplanned person, I will not have the energy to jump start the new era of manual farming. I foresee very tough decisions that are best pre-made the moment an 'event' is acknowledged to have occurred and the rule of law no longer exists.

inMichigan

 

[wilderness bushman]

Rices and grains should be bulk stored for even avid gardeners better than myself.... I tend to be more of a winter squash nerd.

agree and I store extras as well ,, and I grow more food than I can use /eat/store right now as well,, I've reach the point where my gardens give me most/all the veggies I need each year,,, and allows me extras to sell/trade in enough volume to pay the cost[seeds/fuel] of my gardens. so my "food" from them are a cost of my time..

also agree that winter squash are a good/great crop to grow,,, again its ease of growth/harvest/storage that makes it a good crop ,,,

 

[wilderness bushman]

The tricky bit without any of our control is the timing.

agree with the time lapse as well ,,and it is part of my worries as well,, but I am also working more ground than I plant every year also,, total of almost a acre has been garden at one point here[more if you include things like asparagus /raspberries],, as part of my improving the ground areas have been left fallow with organics being add ,,sometime easier to do it that way as I can use the fallow ground to compost on and not worry about "fresh" manure burning the crops but it still adds to the soils ability to produce when/as I reclaim it into gardens,, right now about 3/4 of a acre ready to plant with spring tillage,, as in open ground[prepping for this year] or ground that was grown in last year,, there is probable about another acre+ that is good/great soil that could be turned into gardens with the labor of just turning/working the soil

a fair amount that is also in fruit/berry bushes some native [others transplanted] that I made a priority to keep and make as productive as I can by cutting/clearing/expanding/propagating to give them more/better conditions ,,with it being scattered around the property its hard to say how much area but a guess would be around 1/4 acre+

I know this is not enough to "save the world" but say I had enough "stored" food to feed 6 people 6 months ,, with harvest here being about 6 months away it would be a tough call not to look for 4 or 5 others to build as much as we could

 

[DKR]

General observation not aimed anyone....

I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you.

 

[wilderness bushman]

General observation not aimed anyone....

I can explain it to you, but I cannot understand it for you.

please do explain,, and I will do my best to understand

Im just not sure if not helping out a few others and helping them survive would have a down side,,,and I sure as hell feel that if I managed to "survive" 3 years on stored foods/gardens and dieing 5 or 6 years later than a "event" happened and being the last one alive in a hundred miles is not a "win" in my mind

that seems to be the "mindset" of many,, if you are the last to die is it worth it?? we all are going to no matter what

 

[mtnairkin]

I've harvested several acres of corn exactly like that; so yes it can be done when you don't have a mechanical picker you do what you need to do. We had hogs, chickens and cows to feed. We also picked up hay bales and loaded them on trucks and wagons by hand.

I've regularly picked an acre of corn by hand. Half a day's work. I'd just drive the pickup down the rows and do about 4 rows at a time. Also I regularly have a few acres of small grain growing but only (finally) succeeded in harvesting an acre last summer (neighbor combined it). By hand would be much more difficult than picking an acre of corn.

Erves several purposes. Gives me a store of grain, shows me I can raise food enough for several families and keeps my ground worked and feeds my deer. It also gives me a multiplier to extrapolate a bit if I need to feed a number of people come SHTF.

Picking an acre of corn is relatively easy. Not what I'd consider hard work. I wouldn't be able to envision picking 80 acres by hand (mentioned above), I've never done it. With large plantings even the Amish use machinery, horse drawn. I do believe a large family could quite easily pick enough by hand, to readily feed themselves plus some to barter.

Two of my gardens measure just about exactly an acre so that's what happens to get planted.

 

[DKR]

please do explain,, and I will do my best to understand

Im just not sure if not helping out a few others and helping them survive would have a down side,,,and I sure as hell feel that if I managed to "survive" 3 years on stored foods/gardens and dieing 5 or 6 years later than a "event" happened and being the last one alive in a hundred miles is not a "win" in my mind

that seems to be the "mindset" of many,, if you are the last to die is it worth it?? we all are going to no matter what

My comment was -- 'do' rather than read about it and hope for the best.

The videos were to show 'It ain't easy' and does require some real acquired skills. Better to try and fail NOW rather than when facing starvation.

 

[Aceoky]

Well corn compared to hand digging several acres of potatoes is not so hard. Most stuff on the farm is hard work, even harder when you have to do it without the proper machinery for the easier job.

 

[wilderness bushman]

Well corn compared to hand digging several acres of potatoes is not so hard. Most stuff on the farm is hard work, even harder when you have to do it without the proper machinery for the easier job.

agree ,, but then the potato is being washed off away from being ready to cook/eat ,,, not many grains are and corn to be efficient part of a diet is not even if we consider shelling as washing it.. so there will be more calories expended to prep it,, and lol washing a spud is easier than shelling a cob

then there is also the fact that corn requires pretty high inputs along with it being a longer grow time with it needing to dry on the stock,,

 

[wilderness bushman]

Erves several purposes. Gives me a store of grain, shows me I can raise food enough for several families and keeps my ground worked and feeds my deer. It also gives me a multiplier to extrapolate a bit if I need to feed a number of people come SHTF.

this is a big part of where I am looking/thinking the using of food [either grown/stored] to try and use as a multiplier ,, we are going to need the other people to even try and build much more/maintain where we are as preppers/survivialist.. I was trying to use the grains labor needs as a way to point that out and maybe have a few other preppers that do or do not grow a fair amount to think outside the box about "others" being a "needed" resource

 

[inMichigan]

Through WWII, much of Brit farming was via manual labor.

See Wartime Farm Part 1 of 8 (youtube.com) part 1 of 8.

Sit down and watch the entire series - it will likely be a real wake up - and you just might learn something!

I love that series. Victorian Farm is another eye opening series. For readers, "A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II" discussed the food & calories situation in the UK during the war. It was portrayed as quite grave.

inMichigan

 

[inMichigan]

Also lurking in the background of this topic is 'how much land it take to feed one person for a year". I always read any articles very carefully that imply 'feed a family' on this tiny plot by doing X. I'm always trying to determine, is it 'feed' as in that is all you eat, or a source of side dishes. That link is to work to compute the 'full calorie needs'. Depending on many, many factors; for me, I'm thinking 1 to 2 acres per person once the land is tamed and put back into production.