Getting started with NRCS...

We finally met with the Arkansas Forestry Commission guys to review our Forest Stewardship Plan and discuss possibilities for the future of our private forest. Unfortunately, many of our questions and concerns were met with shoulder shrugs and frowns. There was no "out of the box" thinking or eagerness to approach and resolve issues which may affect the region. There was a complacency that was disappointing from folks we hoped would share our enthusiasm for the environment and conservation efforts. They stated they faced a lack of funds and were only able to point us in the direction of other agencies which may be helpful.

The Forest Stewardship Plan we have was created 3 years ago by the agency. It is rather vague and they left it with us saying we needed to get a forest land manager to assist us in developing the plan and applying for aid packages. At that time, we were unable to find a forest land manager willing to come to our area of the Ozarks and work on this project. After doing some research, we learned that we did not have to hire someone else, but could do the work of the forest land manager ourselves. We cannot hire ourselves out to help others in our same situation as we are not degreed, vetted and credentialed according to state law to conduct this type of business. We can, however, share our story for others.

At this point, we still have not been able to find a forest land manager willing to come work our area, but we now have the time to address this ourselves. The forestry guys did leave us four contact names and we will reach out to them. In the meantime, they told us the deadline for the NRCS applications for ranking period consideration was coming up on us quickly (11/21/14). That gave us a week to review everything and submit the application. We weren't waiting for a forest land manager to be involved. Although I've haunted the NRCS web pages since September, I had not seen this deadline at all. The day after they told us, I found it with some ease. The AFC guys did tell us that our Forest Stewardship plan does not need updating and we can proceed. They pointed us to the NRCS for assistance from this point, stating they would only come back to check on the plan occasionally.

Having completed all of the steps listed on the NRCS website for starting our application process, we went to our local NRCS office to meet with the Conservationist. When we told him what we needed he paused for quite some time saying he needed to think through what steps were next. We didn't share with him that we had done our own research and were aware of the deadline. After some hemming and hawing from the conservationist and too many unproductive minutes, we produced our copy of our land plan. "Oh, this is good!", he was visibly relieved. He told us this makes things easier. I went on to tell him we had our DUNS and SAM numbers. And after this, he got a bit peppier and moved a little quicker as he got our application for us. I had printed one at home and partially completed it, leaving uncertain questions blank. I pulled this out and handed it to him. This excited him even more and he proceeded to tell me to just sign it and we are good. This is when he shared that the deadline was at the end of the week, but we were in good shape. I knew there was more to the process than this from my visit to the NRCS website. So, I asked, "what about form 1026? and what about the land deed?" He indicated that I would need to go next door to the FSA office to complete that step in the process. He said it as if I should have known this. I had indicated when we arrived that we were new to this and didn't know what we needed or what was available. Lucky for me, I knew enough to ask. Otherwise, I would have left the offices without completing some important steps in the application process.

The application itself is straightforward but the process is not. Getting information from the conservationist was a bit like pulling teeth. We had to ask very detailed and pointed questions to get the information we needed. While the USDA houses the NRCS and FSA offices in the same building, we had to make a visit to several offices to assure all information was provided to the appropriate entities. After the application was complete, the conservationist told us we were good to go. But, we asked him what the next steps were. He went on to tell us that in a few weeks we needed to complete a plan of what we want to do for the next few years. From that, he will figure out what programs might assist us.

Well, when one looks at the plan provided by the Arkansas Forestry Commission, it is rather simple. A few bullet points with goals, some maps indicating areas for conservation and some narrative describing the land in general is all there is. After a few pointed questions, we confirmed that NRCS requires much greater detail. Detail that goes beyond, "install firebreaks across 200 acres". Detail that says exactly where those breaks are, how many feet long will they be, what is the slope of the terrain, and how will they be constructed. Fortunately, Eric has a background in construction leadership and I in business management, so this part isn't quite as daunting for us and we were expecting this to be the case. However, had we not been informed/prepared, we would not be able to jump through these intimidating hoops. We can use the tools available through TOPO maps and satellite imagery to create our plan and map it out. We can refer to the BMP guide the Arkansas Forestry Commission provided to us for some of our specifications. We have located the NRCS field guide online and can use it as a reference for designing our plan. With these tools and some time, we are certain we can create a detailed plan that will be more than satisfactory for the NRCS.

The task is large, no doubt. But we are undeterred. We are disappointed that the folks at NRCS were not as helpful and forthcoming with information and assistance as the websites would have you believe. Our advice to individuals in our situation is to ask a lot of questions. If you can hire a land/forest manager to help you with your plan, you should. There are NRCS funds to assist with paying for the technical assistance, so don't let the cost scare you. That wasn't our issue. Ours was simply... we can't find one willing to work here.

So, the first steps are complete and we are working on our detailed plan... and cutting firewood to stay warm.

Historic Preservation, Traditional Building Techniques and the Hillbilly Way

Over the years we have evolved to love and embrace our hillbilly heritage. What once look liked the rundown housing of poverty, now represents a stubborn strength and determination to survive on one's own terms. The log cabins, split rail fences and rock work of the Ozarks represent this strongly to my brother, my husband and me.

Barn at Farmstead Exhibit - Historic Arkansas Museum

Eric Sammons, my brother, has become something of an expert in the historic structures of early Arkansas. He was commissioned by the Historic Arkansas Museum to rehabilitate the barn and slave quarters of an 1850's farmstead and to replicate a period smokehouse and privy for the exhibit. Black River Technical School contacted Eric when they wanted to restore and preserve historic log structures in the river valley. He worked extensively on the REACH program completing both the Rice-Upshaw House and the Looney Tavern for the project as well as conducting workshops for the organization.

His background not only in all aspects of the construction of modern buildings but also the techniques used for historic structures is rare indeed. It was born of the curiosity my father encouraged and an appreciation for the work of others. He could never simply look at a structure and walk by. He studied it and looked deeper to understand which axe was used and why. He sought to understand why that structure was still standing 250 years later while others had faded away. This gave my brother the unique ability to combine his knowledge of the past with more modern techniques of today to create sustainable, affordable structures.

My husband, John, shares Eric's enthusiasm for and knowledge of historic log and timber frame structures. He has a passion for sustainable living and re-purposing old materials. They often share tools and problem solve difficult tasks together. This is very helpful as we assess the future of structures on the farm. While most of the older structures will not be salvaged, we look to the future with an eye toward using the materials available on the land and techniques of the past. By doing so, we make the most of what is available to us, embracing a truly sustainable lifestyle which is more affordable.

While clearing cedar from along the utility lines, Eric remarked that the stone ledge we were walking across could easily be quarried for use in a future structure. Several of the cedar logs we can harvest for beams of a structure. In short order, we decided we had enough materials on that piece of property to build a decent structure with very little added material expense. Between Eric and John, they have the knowledge and ability to construct any structure we desire from the available materials.

For us, it's just the hillbilly way. We make the most of our resources because they are all we have. Why would we purchase fancy rocks when we have beautiful rock to quarry from our land? Why would we purchase lumber when we have timber to harvest?

After listening to their discussion, it was decided that perhaps we should share this knowledge and ability with others in a more open fashion. We are now working to develop workshops for those interested in traditional building techniques for sustainable homestead living. While we are in the planning phase of this project, we are very excited about the potential for sharing this knowledge and lifestyle with others. The idea is simply that by using knowledge from the past, we can use traditional building techniques with more modern approaches.

We'll keep you posted as our plans develop, but as of now our goal is to start workshops in late March of 2015 and provide several levels during various phases of construction. We will highlight Ozark stone building, complete with quarrying your own rock and timber construction (we haven't decided if we will use timber-frame, log or cordwood yet) including harvesting timber for your project. We hope there are plenty of folks interested in these workshops so that we can continue to offer more and varied projects.

Please, contact us if you are interested in workshops. We are interested in your feedback as we develop our plans!

Made in the USA

As we've cleaned through the barns and sheds on the farm, one thing has made us a bit sad. The majority of the items we've discovered are proudly stamped with city and state of their manufacture. They proudly declare they were made not only in the USA, but in Cleveland, OH, St. Louis, MO or Trenton, NJ...just to name a few. Sadly, that's just not something we see today.

Much of the USA manufacturing has shut down and been shipped out to other countries. We simply cannot compete with the prices of the cheap labor available in other countries. However, the craftsmanship, quality and creativity have suffered with large-scale mass production. Unfortunately, there are few willing to pay the cost for quality, crafted pieces.

At one time, here in our valley in the Ozarks, over 300,000 novelties were manufactured and sold annually. We are unsure exactly what they were, but suspect they were "Gee-Haw Sticks" or dancing men which were common Ozark toys and souvenir gifts during the time period. Cedar pencils were also manufactured from the abundant cedar in the area. None of those industries exist here today. And they would be hard pressed to compete with similar items manufactured overseas.

While there aren't as many as there were 50 years ago, or even 30 years ago... there are some manufacturers which have stubbornly stayed the course and maintained their manufacturing plants in towns across the country.We encourage folks to support local artisans and manufacturers by looking for "Made in the USA" products. And, to celebrate the past, you can repurpose the vintage items we found on the farm - now available in our Etsy Shop

As we have Arkansas Pride, here are a few we recommend:
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning - A family owned company founded in 1971 and located in Harrison, Arkansas exports this seasoning, created originally as a meat seasoning and now used by numerous cooks around the country as a "secret ingredient" in many other recipes
Juanita's Candy Kitchen -  peanut, pecan and cashew brittles, handmade in Arkadelphia.
Stone County Ironworks - America's Blacksmith Shop, based in Mountain View, uses traditional hand forging techniques to create iron furniture and accessories, one at a time.
Terra Studios -  The home of the Original Bluebird of Happiness^® and the Pink Bird of Hope^®, Terra Studios is a wonderland of art, a popular Northwest Arkansas tourist attraction and a family friendly destination.  *Watch as our collectible glass bluebirds are proudly made in the USA by skilled Arkansas crafts people. We showcase American arts and crafts, Ozark crafts, handmade collectibles and unique gifts created by local artists.

Cleaning up the messes and salvaging treasures

My brother and I tackled a long overdue task of cleaning out the old mobile home on the property. The home was our grandparents which they used to move around for my grandfather's construction jobs which took him to several different locations. Later, we used it for temporary housing while our parents built our home on the farm. Then, it became a storage repository. As mice and rats made it their home, everyone chose to avoid it rather than face the mess. But, if anything was to be salvaged, we had to get to it now before the floors completely rotted through and all was lost to the hazard.

We didn't find a very much salvageable, unfortunately the damage was too great on almost anything but glass or ceramic. But, we did find a few of those hidden treasures among the rubble. Some glass and ceramic pieces survived and are now listed on our Etsy site for purchase.

Lefton's Salt Box

While the task was rather nasty, it was made easier by working together. My brother and I recalled several memories of our grandparents and the time we spent in the trailer. I'm the baby of the family and was quite young when my grandparents passed away so my memories are sparse and vague. As we tackled this project, Eric filled in some of the details for me. It's amazing what you recall.

My brother tossed a little ceramic lamb to me and said, "here ya go, here's your lamb that got away." Instantly I recalled carrying around the little ceramic piece in my tiny hands and telling folks that it was the lamb that got away. I think I must have liked the parable from Sunday school and snagged it from my grandmother's home. I couldn't have been much older than three at them time. What an odd memory to come rushing back with the tactile and visual cues. I don't think I would have remembered it on my own, but Eric's words were just enough to unleash the faded memory.

We also grumbled about having to face the mess and clean it up. Sad and angry that it had been neglected, we vented over what a shame it was. But, we are resolved to move forward and clean up the farm, leaving our children an even greater legacy than the land we are entrusted with overseeing. The only way things will improve, is if we make them and while the work is hard and unpleasant... it must be done.

Getting started with the daunting task of getting started

As far as farms and forests go, we are tiny fish in a gigantic pond. We know this. Yes, 222 acres seems like a lot. Especially to urban dwellers who would love to get their hands on one acre of land to call their own, this seems like a big farm. Frankly, it is really overwhelming for an individual to take on with minimal resources. It is expensive and most solutions are geared towards the big guys (tens of thousands of acres kinda guys). For the small landowner, just getting started is a daunting task. It's much easier to just ignore the forest and think of it as completely self-sustaining. But, that lack of thought creates hazardous private land forests.

While we understand fully that it is healthy for forests to burn on occasion and to allow nature to take it's course to some extent, the fact remains that thinning and selective harvesting are important for maintaining a healthy forest. I could digress into an entire explanation of this, but there is a lot of info out there from the US Forest Service or your state agency. They do a really good job of educating folks and making it easy to find programs.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like so much. There are Forest Stewardship programs and Conservation programs. Different agencies have different programs. They seem straight forward and the agencies promise to help. Indeed they are quite enthusiastic to help the small landowner (they prefer well over 10 acres, but will consult on as few as 10 acres) with a land plan and suggestions.

A few years ago my brother invited the USDA foresters out to take a look at what we had going on here. They were happy to do so at no charge for us. They reported the need for pasture/grazing land reclamation with native grasses, selective thinning of the forest and development of fire lanes. At the time, we were not trustees of the land and did not have the authority to proceed with the suggestions on the scale they recommended. We were also quite busy with our careers and raising our families. So, the plans were set aside and the forest ignored for a few more years.

Recently, we were named trustees of the farm and given the authority to proceed with whatever needs to be done to rehabilitate and reclaim it. That means cleaning out the old barns and shacks, clearing the old fields/pasture areas and replanting native grasses, thinning the forest, building ponds and conserving resources. That all sounds great, right? We agree. But, all of these cost money and time. They require special equipment which isn't cheap on any scale.

While the big guys will bring in big harvesters, skidders, loaders, etc. to cut and process 100 logs/day, this equipment is too expensive (think hundreds of thousands of dollars) and too specialized for the small landowner to purchase. As a small landowner, we face our task with chainsaws and two smallish tractors (big to urban landowners, small to big farm owners with harvesting equipment - but big enough to do the work). We work hard to produce 18 - 20 trees-logs/week with a payout of about $20/tree or $400ish for two loads up to the sawmill. That helps cover fuel, equipment repairs, supplies, lunch and not much else for the week. It's important to us that we select our trees carefully for harvest and minimize the damage to the surrounding forest floor. We like all of the delicious chanterelle mushrooms and other goodies that result from preserving the integrity of our forest, but this means a much slower and less profitable enterprise.

Obviously, this task is bigger than we are and we need some financial assistance to make it happen. This brings me back to those agencies mentioned earlier. We're going back to them now that we have the authority to sign contracts and loan agreements. A lot of the information we need is online and very accessible. We've really enjoyed using MyLandPlan, which has helped us to detail our goals, map the plan and communicate with one another and the agencies more effectively. While there is a lot to do and some big ideas which concern us greatly (what are we going to do with all of the waste woody biomass?) we've been able to prioritize and begin a phase plan for our operations. Now, it's time to take that plan to the foresters.

When the agencies came out a few years ago, they provided an excellent consultancy service and gave us detailed reports with suggestions to proceed. All of them indicated the next step was to work with a land or forest manager to develop a plan. That's a great idea, but...there are few such folks around in our neck of the woods. The few qualified individuals in the state either work for the large timber companies (Weyerhauser, Georgia Pacific) or are busy with the bigger small farms. None were willing or able to assist us with our land plan. None. But, that's really okay. While I can't legally hire myself out to assist others, I can use my business knowledge and acumen to sift through the information, forms and steps to serve as our land/forest manager and share our story along the way. Our hope is to make it easier for the small forest/land owner to navigate the process and improve the overall forest health.

There is a lot to learn in short order. Fortunately, our father constantly taught us about the woods, the importance of being good stewards of the forest and what that means. That saved me a lot on my learning curve and research. I was able to dive right in to working out the steps to implement the land plan and complete the applications for grants and loans. The first step was understanding the requirements for the applications from the various agencies and finding all the places able to assist us.

In order to apply for the stewardship and conservation grants we need to have a DUNS number and a SAM number, which means we had to have an EIN and to do so we formed an LLC. I completed the steps over the course of about three days. The paperwork was straightforward and simple. During that time we also compiled a list of objectives to take with us when we approached the agencies. Feeling prepared, we are going to meet with folks next week to see what we need to do next. We are seeking their guidance and advice. We hope to qualify for grants which will help fund the expense of our conservation efforts.

So, to summarize in order to get started these are the steps we took this week:
    - File for LLC (or incorporate, whatever business structure you see fit) - takes up to 2 weeks to process, depending on state; file and move on. [costs vary on state fees, AR $50]
    - File for EIN (federal tax number) - instantly receive [free]
    - File for DUNS number (Dun & Bradstreet business registry) - takes 24 hours or so [free]
    - File DBA (fictitious business name) - 24 hours [$25]
    - Open Bank Account (must have bank routing numbers for SAM registration, must have LLC completed before opening bank account) [Bank minimum opening deposit requirements - $100]
    - File for SAM number (Federal System for Award Management) - wait 24 - 48 hours after DUNS # is received before you can file, then takes 4 - 6 days to receive the number [free]
(note: we are 50% female owned and 50% veteran owned, we have noted this on all Federal applications)
    - Design land plan, determine immediate and long-term objectives
    - Meet with:
                     USDA - NRCS
                     Small Business Administration
                     Women's Business Center


I'll be back to update folks on the next steps after we learn what they are!

Monday, Monday...

It's definitely a Monday. Things aren't going badly. But, everyone's energy is low and there have been distractions to getting the work rolling today.

This is when it's good to set your own pace; take a moment to re-group.

We were all a bit disappointed with the $150 payout for our trailer full of cedar that represented several hours of work and half a day just getting it delivered and unloaded. We need to re-think how we are going to approach this.

The cedar isn't easy to reach. There isn't a lot of older stuff in the area we are working right now. There isn't much money in selling it. But, it needs to be removed and we hate the idea of just burning it all. Everywhere we look folks (forestry and conservation folks) are saying, "there ought to be a market" for this. They are great about pointing out the many uses for and the benefits of Eastern Red Cedar... but, alas, the markets just aren't there. They haven't been developed or the distance is too great. And while there are some great ideas out there for production/utilization, we don't have a few $million sitting around to start such a venture ourselves. The semi-local sawmills are begging for trees, yet the pay is paltry. My economics class taught something about supply and demand, but I must have gotten it wrong because even though there seems to be high demand and low supply (as far as folks willing to actually log the cedar out), the prices remain low.

So, this Monday we are researching, thinking and re-grouping. Me, I'm working on the antiques and getting them all listed on our Etsy site between "google" searches for outlets for our wood products. Eric, he's at the doctor getting treatment for his back pain. This is our strategy for coping with the stress a Monday brings, just change pace and re-focus, don't let it control you.

Hillbilly Junk = Hipster Treasures

If you've ever driven through rural America, you've noticed junk heaps near homes. Decades of rusted metal and stuff piled about in various areas. We have our requisite piles here at Barren Creek Farm.

Over the years, every barn or shed no longer in use for agriculture production has been filled with junk... or treasure. Depends on how you look at things.

A city friend visiting from Dallas once asked me why it was that she saw this everywhere on her drive to our home. I simply asked her, "what do you do with your lawnmower when it dies?" She thought a moment and replied, "I just set it out by the trash at the curb and it disappears." With a smile, I replied, "well, I don't have a magical curb to make things disappear from my life." And that's mostly the truth of it.

It's complicated by the fact that, in the past, repair parts could prove difficult to locate, took a long time to receive (ordering and shipping) and were costly. So keeping a broken item around to rob parts from was a common approach to overcoming the inconvenience of rural life. The internet, overnight shipping, and rural trash pick up have eliminated most of the reasoning behind the piles.

Decades of saving things which may someday prove to have a purpose led to an accumulation of deteriorating junk and rats' nests. Finally, my brother was willing to dig in to the piles and face the nasty work of cleaning and sorting through the junk and treasure left in the barns and sheds on the farm. I can't emphasize how difficult this work has been. It's a dirty job. But, it was ridiculous to have multiple dry shelter buildings falling further into disrepair, the items in them decaying and piled to a point that you couldn't find anything if you needed.

For his first task, he cleaned out and sorted through the old dairy barn. Which developed my task, to clean, research and list the items we have salvaged from the debris for sale... so we can have some cash to continue our mission to save the family farm and develop a sustainable enterprise.

I have learned a lot about the items we have found. Who knew granny's old hand juicer would be of value to someone today? Or that barn full of decaying, gray wood is really full of highly prized, authentically aged "barn wood" and that antique jar just might complete someone's collection. Well, I did. It just took me well over a decade to convince those around me... who are still scratching their heads at the idea of selling some of this stuff and look bemused at the Pinterest pictures I show them. So far we've kept a good deal of it from the scrap yard. I keep telling them Hillbilly Junk is a Hipster's Treasure. But, really, you don't have to be a hipster to love these old items. Frankly, it can be hard to part with them once we've cleaned them and done a bit of research on their history and value.

For me, it's fun to clean the items and do the research to learn more about their history and value. I hope they will end up in the home of someone who genuinely appreciates them and can give them new purpose. Speaking of which, Granny had a lot of quart sized mason jars. Our families aren't as big and we won't use them for canning... at least not all of them. We have plenty left to sell!