For the hobby or small farmer, grains and cotton can be very nice little crops grown on as small a patch of ground as a quarter of an acre. Nonetheless, the basic practices of harvesting still apply if you want to make the most of your crops.

Maintain a healthy flock of chickens by providing a balanced diet, clean and appropriately sized housing and sanitary living conditions. Optimal growth and performance depend on balanced nutrition.

Fall and winter are traditionally the toughest seasons for animals that spend the majority of their time outside. For farmers there are choices to be made as to just how many and which beef or dairy cattle that they want to carry through the winter. For the small or hobby farmer this choice may not be as commercially driven as a larger operation. Small farm cattle may be special breeds and sometimes even old fashioned sentiment may be a factor. However, there are challenges to be met both practical and financial if your cattle are going to emerge healthy and happy into spring pastures.

There is nothing nicer than harvesting your own produce. Healthy fresh vegetables picked straight from your plot retain considerably more of the nutrients that are often lost in transport and storage. Furthermore, a comparatively small investment in seeds and fertilizer added to a little diligent elbow grease can save you hundreds perhaps even thousands of dollars off your grocery bill.