Aaron Rushing

Thanks.  I'm going to try some and see how the animals like it once it's dried.  Looking forward to cutting feed costs!

I'll post an update this winter or spring on how they liked it.

Does anyone know if Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) can be used to make tree hay for cows and chickens?

I am looking into more ways to collect and store feed for my chickens and cows for the winter. We make some tree hay with the willows we have on our property, so are familiar with the process.  I've been researching other species to see if they can also be used this way, but find the online resources to be somewhat sparse.

We have a virtually unlimited amount of Siberian elm and if it can be stored as tree hay, it would be amazing.  I have not been able to find anything that mentions it used this way, but know that goats will eat the leaves fresh.  

Thanks for your help!

The long side faces south.  Great alignment, which factored into my vision for its future.

I've got an old shed that was used as a granary.  It's unisnulated, about 30'x20' with wooden walls, has great sun exposure, has water and electricity, and is fairly close to the house.  Since we moved into our property 2 years ago, I've been eyeing it with the thought that it would make a great greenhouse.  We live in southern Minnesota with harsh winters.

I live in Minnesota and am wondering what materials would be best for the southern wall and south facing roof if we are to transition it to a greenhouse-type building.  How much insulation should we put on the north-facing walls?

I'm in southern Minnesota, zone 4b.  Does anyone know a good source of paw paw trees that would be hardy enough to live here.  From my research, we're at the edge of their range, but I have heard of people growing them nearby.

Thanks!

I'm relatively new to composting and live in Minnesota where our winters are extremely cold.  Any thoughts on what to do in the cool season?  Should we just accumulate the materials and put the pile together in the spring when things warm up?  Is there a best way to sort the material to be composted?

I'm looking to more efficiently heat our 100 year old 3-story, 2100 square foot farmhouse that we bought about a year and a half ago.  I was wondering if a rocket mass heater would be a reasonable addition to our house.  Currently we have electric baseboard heating on the third floor.  On the first and second floor we have hot water baseboard heating using propane.  Additionally we have a very small wood stove, but it's on an addition to the house where a previous owner turned a deck into a sunroom, so it's not centrally located at all.  It seems that a rocket mass heater might be a very cost effective addition.

Questions:
Would a rocket mass heater be an appropriate way to heat the house?
What are the best ways to move the hot air to the second and third floors of the house?