Troy Cook

Hi Glenn,

Thank you for your prompt and thoughtful reply.  I had not given any consideration to cracking.  It certainly gives me a lot more to think about.  

Troy

Hello,

I am super impressed with your RMH.  I do have a couple of questions.  I am concerned about the loss of integrity in the burn chamber by having it in two parts.  I understand why you did it, and I think the result looks fantastic.  Instead of using the foam insulation, couldn't you use a non-toxic material allowing the J-tube to be a single piece and then burn the form out?  I was thinking of using cardboard shipping tubes cut on a 45 degree angle to form the J-tube, and then securing the parts with glue and some paper mache.  I was also intrigued by a RMH design where an inline duct fan was placed near the end of the "chimney".  He would turn the fan on at the start to basically "prime" the system and turn it off once the fire was burning and drafting on its own.  Do you feel that such a fan is worth the expense?  

Hello.  I saw your post and thought I'd share my experiences so far.  First off, if you're interested in sustainability and permaculture, you've come to the right place.  Permies.com is a treasure trove of information and inspiration.  I bought 10 acres 15 months ago in SW Alabama.  I am disabled/retired, and I have a decent income which makes it easier for me than most.  But I still have to save and budget, so I'm not able to do everything as fast as I'd like.  Where I live things are surprisingly expensive.  It would have cost me $7K to get electricity installed from Alabama Power Company.  So instead I invested in a small off-grid solar power system with a backup generator for cloudy days.  I knew absolutely nothing about solar, so I had to educate myself.  The septic tank cost $3400.  The county water meter cost $1700 to get installed.   I can't afford to build a home yet,  so I bought a used Travel Trailer for $4K.  I am slowly clearing the land as I can during the cooler months.  I already pretty much have all the animals I want with sheep, meat goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, Guinea fowl and pigeons.  I spend around $500 a month on just animal feed and hay.  I have a beautiful fall garden in a raised bed.  

I'd recommend that you start small and proceed from there.  If I were in your shoes, I'd consider sharecropping.  Where you farm some land owned by someone else and you pay them with a share of your products or profits.  Obviously the details would have to be worked out.  It will need to be close to your residence because having to drive any distance gets very old in a hurry.  As previously suggested you could maintain the property overall and use a portion for your garden.  Of course the Internet is a terrific source for information on farming.  I love YouTube for videos on every aspect of farming/animal husbandry and homesteading.  Amazon has a program called Kindle Unlimited, and it is only $10 a month which allows you to download over a million titles for free.  Often times these publications are more like booklets than in depth reference manuals, but I have gotten some very good books from them for free.  You are allowed a maximum of ten titles at one time.  If you want to download new titles after ten, you have to delete a title to make room for the new title.  But the good news is that you get to choose which title to delete.  You can get Kindle apps for any cellphone and keep your books with you without actually owning a Kindle.

After you have raised several successful crops and you are certain that this is what you want to do, then it is time to find some land for yourself.  By yourself without help physically or financially, you won't need a big piece of land.  An acre would probably be fine or two at the most.  Especially if you will have to work a regular  job to pay the bills. You'll want land outside of the city limits.  Also check to see what restrictions exist on the property.  I had a hard time finding 10 acres without restrictions.   I was living in NW Florida, but bought property in SW Alabama mostly because Alabama is a very agriculture friendly state where Florida is very UNFRIENDLY to small AG.  For example, a full egg license in Florida costs $1,500 a year.  In Alabama that same full egg license costs $5 per year.

Another critical piece of information you need before you buy land is what is the soil like.  There is only one way to tell if you have good soil or not and that is to have it tested.  Your county extension agent can test your soil for you for free or inexpensively.  They are also a tremendous help to farmers large and small everywhere.  I didn't know it when I bought my property that I have an invasive species of grass called Coggon Grass or Japanese Blood Grass on most of my property.  It is a nightmare to get rid of.  The goats can and will eat it, but too much of it can cause internal bleeding as it has serrated edges and a high silica content.  I also have a lot of Bracken Fern which is DEADLY to all animals if they eat enough of it.  They can eat it with no apparent ill effect until they accumulate toxic levels, and then they get sick and die and nothing will save them.

Another resource once you own land is the USDA's National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).  You apply to NRCS for assistance, and they will evaluate your plan and approve you for certain projects.  For example they will pay a percentage of the costs of a high tunnel greenhouse, loafing sheds for animals, paddock fencing for rotational grazing.  They will pay for the construction of a pond as a water shed and for livestock watering (but won't approve the pond if you plan to stock it with fish, so stock it after it is built and you've gotten your reimbursement).  The list of projects they will assist with is long.  Once your application and plan are approved, you have 2 years usually to complete the project and have it inspected.  Then they will reimburse a percentage of your expenses up to a certain limit.  If you are a veteran or disabled, you'll get a higher priority for project approval or on some projects a higher percentage of reimbursement.  If I remember correctly my percentage for reimbursement being that I'm a disabled veteran is 75%.

You can be successful at farming and make a living, but it is difficult.  You'll need to find a niche market and be prepared to work very hard.  The couple I bought my rabbits from make a living raising and selling goat and rabbit products.  They sell rabbits, rabbit meat, rabbit furs, rabbit manure, goats, goat meat, goat milk, goat manure, goat's milk cheese and goat's milk soap.  They market their products at farmer's markets and on Craig's List.  They have 300 breeding stock of rabbits and about 30 goats.  The goat and rabbit manure is their most consistent cash flow item.  

I spend all my free time in the evenings watching videos and reading about all aspects of farming, animal husbandry, permaculture, aquaponics and sustainability.  I am particularly interested in aquaponics and hope to build a greenhouse this winter to start my aquaponic garden.  I am also trying a couple of specialty crops... Japanese persimmons and Chinese water chestnuts.   I really like non-astringent Fuyu Japanese persimmons and will be planting a good part of my orchard with these trees along with apple and pear trees.  Fresh Chinese water chestnuts are incredible.  They are sweet, crisp and flavorful, unlike canned ones which are only crisp.  The water chestnuts are an ideal crop for aquaponics.

Like everything in life, knowledge is power.  The more you know the better decisions you'll make.  There is more free material out there than you could ever watch or read.  I found some terrific information on aquaculture of freshwater prawns on the United Nations website the other day.  Your county agriculture extension agent will be your new best friend.  They are experts on all things agriculture or can refer you to people who are.  All the information in the world is a poor substitute for hands on experience though.  It is so cool when you encounter something on the farm and you remember reading about it.  It is like a light bulb turns on in your head, and it really cements your knowledge and boosts your confidence.  

On the topic of weight loss I suggest "Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You--And Your Waistline--And Drop the Weight for Good". Dr. Gundry is world renowned Heart Surgeon and Pediatric Heart Surgeon. He revolutionized open heart surgery with his invention of the Gundry Retroprofusion Cannula along with numerous other contributions to the specialty. He struggled with his weight for many years despite exercising faithfully and eating a sensible diet. He spent years researching weight-loss before finally figuring out what was making him overweight. His book has helped me immensely. I suffer from Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder which causes obesity and diabetes along with many other problems. After following his advice, not only have I lost weight, but more importantly, I have stabilized my blood sugar dramatically.

Hi all. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more mainstream medical advice given about Paul's condition. If you consult a dermatomes anatomical chart online, you will see which parts of the body are innervated by each nerve root exiting the spinal column. The pain may be felt anywhere along that specific nerve pathway. The problem is at the spine however. You may have a problem at multiple levels typically adjacent to each other. Because the issue is generally inflammation, ice will be the most effective at reducing the inflammation/symptoms/pain. Over-the-counter(OTC) anti-inflammatory pain medications like Aleve(Naproxen Sodium) will be the most effective OTC treatment. If you are taking any narcotic pain killers like Norco, Lortab, etc., then under no circumstances should you take any other medications containing acetaminophen(Tylenol) as large doses or prolonged doses can be extremely toxic to your liver and can result in death. Many people don't realize that most prescription pain pills have acetaminophen in them. If the problem is not significantly improved in 5-7 days with rest, ice and the pain pills and muscle relaxants your doctor gave you, then you need to return to your physician for diagnostic studies, such as an MRI. Cervical radiculopathy can be caused by several different factors such as a ruptured disc, arthritis, cervical muscle spasms, narrowing of the spinal canal and others. I would also discourage you from using natural remedies as suggested. It is difficult to quantify doses of botanicals, and many of them interact with prescribed medications. If you are taking natural remedies, make certain that you record everything you are taking with the dosage and give this information to your physician. Something as simple as grapefruit can interfere with the intestinal cytochrome P450 3A4 system and cause normal doses of some medications not to be processed by the liver and result in toxic concentrations. Avoid any activity that makes the pain worse. Sleeping on your back with a rolled hand towel under your neck, a folded bath towel under your lower back and a pillow or two under your knees so that you maintain the three natural curves of your spine, may reduce the pain. If the origin of the radiculopathy is muscle spams secondary to muscular strain or injury then moist heat and massage may be helpful. If the radiculopathy is from other causes, heat may be counterproductive because it will dilate blood vessels in the area and can increase swelling and make the inflammation worse. Should you have an injury or condition that requires surgery, the sooner the surgery is performed the greater the likelihood of a full recovery. Paul, I hope it is just a simple muscle strain and that you bounce right back. Get well soon!!!