Hi from Eastern Shore Virginia

WillowDale · Oct 21, 2013

Hi folks. I've been reading the forum for a while, now about to buy my first real tractor and it's time to join and hopefully contribute. I'm starting a sheep dairy on my 10 acres, with a chance to lease up to 80 more acres later on, and I also grow fruit trees and herbs for a skin care business.

My primary jobs are pasture related. I need to maintain the pastures at 8", overseed, and sometimes disk up the soil to plant an acre or two of an annual fodder. I also need to dig 4' post holes for fence, and I need to regularly chip fallen branches from the woods to mulch the trees and herbs. I need to be able move gravel and mulch, pull posts, and do some landscape construction.

I'm waiting on a final quote for a Kubota MX5001, and they're also looking at other dealer inventories in case there's a deal out there from last year. I really like the dealership I'm working with. The nearest Kubota service is two hours away, but the local John Deere guy didn't have much of a deal for me, and the New Holland guys kept asking me to bring my husband in because obviously women don't know about machines. Weird! This is 2013! Well their loss. With the discount I'm getting on the Kubota I can more than pay for a few service calls. And besides, I've always wanted a Kubota. I'm ticked to death!

Anyway, this forum has already been incredibly helpful and I'm sure glad you all are here!

- Catherine

mguitas · Oct 21, 2013

:welcome:to the forum.

bandaidmd · Oct 21, 2013

Welcome from the midshore

Wagtail · Oct 21, 2013

G'day Catherine and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site!

WillowDale · Oct 22, 2013

Thank you

Already getting much needed advice, and I love how helpful and encouraging everyone is!

jinman · Oct 22, 2013

My, you really are out there on the Eastern Shore. I'm fascinated that you run a Sheep Diary. We don't often hear of ewe's milk products. It's surely a niche market, isn't it? Is raw milk your main/only product?

BTW: Your list of jobs and the tractor you've selected seem perfectly matched. You've done your homework well. I think you'll love that Kubota.

jonathco · Oct 22, 2013

Welcome to TBN Catherine!

WillowDale · Oct 22, 2013

Thank you Jim. I really appreciate the validation on choosing this tractor. Yep, I've done a lot of homework but there's no substitute for the opinion of someone who knows what they're talking about.

There's another sheep dairy, maybe 2, in Virginia right now. A lot of cheeses are traditionally from sheep milk, like feta, and it's higher in fat and protein than goats and cows. We'll only be selling cheese and yogurt, because the raw mik is like cream. But yeah, very niche!

We also are starting to grow unusual fruits like Japanese persimmon, elderberry and sea buckthorn. Finally I have a line of upscale facial lotions, and I'm growing the herbs for the extracts I use: witch hazel, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, rosemary, etc. our soil's great for that. But we're just starting out, really. Last few years have all been experimenting wi what grows well and developing and test marketing the added alive products. It will be nice when I can earn enough from the farm to quit my day job (or at least have a chance of retiring one day

That's some pretty fancy earth moving you're doing in that pic!

hunterridgefarm · Oct 22, 2013

WillowDale said:
We also are starting to grow unusual fruits like Japanese persimmon, elderberry and sea buckthorn. Finally I have a line of upscale facial lotions, and I'm growing the herbs for the extracts I use: witch hazel, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, rosemary, etc. our soil's great for that. But we're just starting out, really. Last few years have all been experimenting wi what grows well and developing and test marketing the added alive products. It will be nice when I can earn enough from the farm to quit my day job (or at least have a chance of retiring one day

I will second the choice of tractor. I think it will fit your needs and give you many years of great service.

I have relatives in Newport News and close to Williamsburg, looks like you are just across the river

I am interested in your herbs. We grow vegetables and herbs on our hobby farm that we sale at farmers markets. We grow the rosemary, lavender (just set out another 18-20 plants) lemon balm, chocolate mint ( smells like a york peppermint patty), and several others that my wife would have to name

. Most of the herbs are the culinary type but she is starting more for fragrance and medicinal for use in soaps. She is a school teacher so she has summers off to focus on the herbs.

We are also starting fruit trees, blackberries, blueberries, muscadine grapes, figs, raspberries, and planning on the Japanese Persimmon.

You need to start a thread in Rural Living about your operation and herbs. I think it would be very interesting.

David