Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Or
Aging on the Homestead
Bob and I moved to our homestead 16 years ago. At the time we had teenage and adult children at home. We were still doing football and softball practices, packing school lunches, balancing kids/work/farm, and raising our family. A few grandkids had appeared, but we were cool grandparents who took them on hikes and ATV rides, taught them to swim in the lake and fish in the creek.
I was in my 40’s and Bob was in his 50’s. We were creating this farm from scratch, clearing land, digging wells, building the house and outbuildings.
There was one reality which we focused on during all our planning:
We are not getting any younger.
We will be slowly losing physical strength, agility, sense of balance, energy, speed, and hardiness. There may be times when only one of us is available to do the chores because the other is sick or out of commission. Our farm needed to accommodate these changes and challenges. We also want to homestead for a long time and pass the skills and experiences on to the grandkids. In order to make this happen we need to be proactive and plan for aging.
Here are some adjustments we found helpful:
Gates, Fences, Feeders – I can’t pick up heavy metal or wooden gates anymore. They are big, bulky, awkward to move and weigh a ton. To deal with this, we installed metal gates that swing freely a few inches off the ground (but not so high that calves or lambs could get under them) and began using fiberglass gates and pens. I can easily pick up and move the plastic gates, creating a holding pen for new sheep and lambs in just a few minutes with baling twine or bungee cords. They also work to create barriers and aisleways. My grandsons and I made a quick, temporary pen in the field for a new mama cow when she needed special care after calving. The plastic gates come in different lengths and heights and work great for us.
These gates/panels are light enough that even I can move them. The diagonal reinforcement make them stronger than you think they would be. They don't twist or bend.
This is the entrance to the sheep feeding area. The gate swings freely, about 10" off the ground. No more climbing over panels - not so easy to do anymore.
Bob recently bought new round-bale feeders. They have a unique design that makes them easy to move and the animals waste very little hay. (Traditional round bale feeders get stuck in mud and muck.)
This round bale feeder has sled-like runners on the bottom so it is easy to move and doesn't get stuck in the muck and mud. The cows and sheep don't waste as much hay, either. This bale feeder is made by a local Amish company.
We use bunk feeders that stay along the fence-line. We pour feed into the feeder without getting into the field. This is much safer – cattle who want their grain will push and shove to get at a bucket. Getting stepped on or knocked down is not fun. The feeders are low to the ground and fairly lightweight.
You can see that the bunk feeder is just inside the fence - we pour the feed into the feeder from the safety of the yard. There are a few small holes in the bottom of the feeder to keep water out of them. The feeder is tied to the fence post so the cows don't push it all over the pasture.
For the sheep barn, we found fiberglass hay and grain feeders are best. They are heavy enough that they aren’t knocked over by the sheep but I can move one without help. I use them as dividers in the sheep barn, too.
The plastic feeder weighs about 50 pounds, it doesn't fall over easily but I can drag it where I need it. 2 people can easily pick it up to move it.
Equipment – About 12 years ago, I broke my right forearm in a fall. After a plate and 8 screws to stabilize the bones, I discovered I couldn’t drive my ATV/4-wheeler anymore, using the clutch and right brake was unbelievably painful. About the same time, Bob had a knee replacement and had difficulty lifting that leg over the center seat of his ATV. We decided to buy a UTV or Utility Vehicle. Driven like a car or golf cart, our Kubota UTV is a workhorse on our farm. (We have 500 acres and many miles of roads and trails.) It has a diesel engine and a 4WD option when pulling hills or navigating through Ohio mud. It also has a dump bed AND a second seat for passengers.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Kubota UTV. This model has a convertible back seat - it folds up and the dump bed opens up. It is roomy enough for 4 or 5 adults or a whole bunch of kids. Our daughter and son-in-law have a John Deere Gator and are very happy with it.
Our tractors each have an open platform feature so we don’t have to climb over gears and levers to sit at the steering wheel. Bob’s Mahindra has steps close to the ground (many tractors have a huge first step to climb onto it) and a convenient handle to help when climbing on or off. The tractor also has a set of forks which are used to lift things around the farm. Bob uses them to move equipment and hay feeders, pry loose stuck gates, lift anything heavy.
Both of our tractors have an open platform design. No more climbing over gears, levers and handles. You might also notice the larger step that the Mahindra has, making it much easier to mount the tractor.
The Kubota 26 HP tractor has a front-end loader/bucket that we use for many things including firewood, garden manure, composting materials, gravel, etc. Bob can drive it right up to the porch where I can easily unload firewood for the house – no bending. The Kubota is small enough for me to use, too.
The front end loader comes in handy all over the farm. Bob uses it to move protein tubs and salt blocks, scrape manure out of the barn, haul weeds from vegetable beds, and firewood. We use it instead of a wheelbarrow, which is tough to manage now.
When you are buying equipment be sure to drive it around and use all the features. My mother had problems with her shoulder and had weakness on that side after a joint replacement. When she bought a new John Deere riding mower, the lever that engaged the mower blades took so much force, she wasn’t able to use it. Her previous JD was easy to use with a button PTO switch and she never thought to ask if there were any design changes.
Animals – Over the years, we have raised various breeds of cattle and sheep. One particularly horrible experience was with a Beefalo cross. Part buffalo and part Hereford, these animals were possessed by evil spirits. One bull actually jumped over a 12 - foot enclosure and ran off into the sunset. He was eventually put down because he became so dangerous.
Farm animal breeds have different characteristics, including temperament. We now raise British White beef cattle, New Zealand Jersey dairy cattle, and Cheviot sheep. The cattle are calm and friendly. The sheep are flighty but small enough to handle. There are few birthing problems with any of these breeds and they don’t push the fences. (Did I mention that I hate chasing cows?)
Cheviots are flighty, but small enough to manage. This picture is from last Spring - notice the step stool to help me climb over the gate? We installed the new swinging gate this past Summer.
We use a heavy plastic crate when we are hauling sheep, goats, or calves. It fits in the back of the pickup-truck, Bob and I can load it easily and the animals are secure during the trip. It is much easier than hitching up a trailer for small livestock.
Though this crate weighs nearly 200 pounds, Bob and I can lift one end into the back of the pickup and slide it right in.
Miscellaneous Accommodations – Sometimes it is the small things that make the difference.
If you live on a farm/homestead, you own a pair of Muck boots. We use the Chore boot, which is a little bit shorter than the traditional ‘Wellington’ style. After his knee replacement, Bob found he had a hard time pushing his foot into the taller Muck boot. A shorter Chore boot design fixed the problem. I like the shorter boot because they don’t rub behind my knees but hit me at mid-calf.
The shorter 'Chore Boot' is much easier to get on and off.
Our home is one floor with a first-floor laundry room, a walk-in shower, wide doorways and hallway. There is a walk-out basement door that we can drive up to if needed.
The walk-out door provides access to our basement if going up and down the stairs becomes a problem. We can drive the Kubota UTV right up to it to load or unload. Unloading 800 pounds of beef is sure easier than hauling it down the stairs.
We have frost-free spigots conveniently located near animal barns and gardens. The only time we had them freeze was during a sub-zero Nor’Easter a few years ago. Carrying 5 gallon buckets of water to livestock when it is muddy or icy is dangerous. To reduce the amount of mud outside the sheep barn, Bob installed Geo-Tech cloth and then put a sand/gravel mix over it. We are having a muddy spell right now with rain and temperatures slightly above freezing. The driveway is muddy, but the front of the sheep barn is dry and mud-free. The Geo-Tech cloth prevents the sand/gravel from disappearing into the mud.
Something as simple as a frost-free spigot near the animal pens and gardens means I am not hauling buckets of water to the sheep in the Winter.
Bob has been slowly replacing his electric tools with heavy-duty battery-operated ones. Battery technology has advanced tremendously in the past 5 years. He did lots of research and decided to buy Milwaukee brand tools - sticking with one brand so the batteries are interchangeable. He got a battery-operated chainsaw for Christmas. He said that he is able to cut enough wood for a pickup load on one charge. After that he will need a break!
We also have the battery-operated air compressor. Boy, has that been a life-saver! It’s so much easier than hauling compressed air in a tank.
This Fall we bought 2 new rams for breeding the ewes. The gentleman selling the sheep had a smallholding of about 20 acres. He is on disability due to heart problems and damage to his hip. His barn is 50 yards from his house and during lambing season he found himself hiking up to the barn several times during the day and night. He is now using technology to monitor his animals. He installed a WiFi booster on a pole outside his house and networked several 360° cameras in his barns and pasture. They link to his cell phone and his laptop. He also feels safer when he is out and about on the farm - he will be able to send a text or make a call for help using WiFi.
We loved this idea and are investigating how we can do this on our very hilly farm.
A friend from high school now lives in Colorado and trail rides regularly. She was not able to ride her larger, spirited horse anymore and decided to sell that horse and keep a smaller, more sedate animal. She continues to enjoy her daily rides but made accommodations for her comfort and safety.
Your accommodations will be different than ours. Bob and I climbed on many different pieces of equipment at county fairs, attended agriculture days and talked to salesmen. We lifted gates, talked to older farmers at auctions, read reviews and even made some bad decisions before finally deciding what worked for us. The equipment we use might not work for you. Bob and I are tall and like a lot of leg room. Maybe you are shorter or have other issues you deal with... you need to get what works for YOU.
Homesteading and farming is possible for older folks. I am now in my early 60's and Bob is in his early 70's. We are healthy and active and we intend to keep farming for many years to come. The decisions we make when building, buying, or designing additions to our farm will allow us to do that.
Live Long and Prosper,
Polly
PS: We are not recommending one brand or manufacturer over another - you need to try equipment and tools yourself.
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