What does it take ?

[Arkansas]

What does it take to be self-sufficent or sustainable sorry if I cant spell..lol But I am wondering what exactly would it take to grow your own food and feed your cattle to butcher and keep a couple for making more so to speak for future butchering for meat in the freezer. The economy or factorys are getting worse with the things that go into food. And I never realized how bad it was till I watched -Food INC- it was a real eye opeaner. Made me realize how much stuff has changed and I am just wondering what it would actually take to be Self realiable like make my own veggies and meat and eggs etc.. And how much land I would need to support a large family or in case crap hits the fan and support me and some more ? I know there isnt periods where they need to be and spelling how it needs to be. Please forgive me.. I am asking because I am looking at becomming an electrician the Cop thing is not paying the kind of money I thought it would..lol And to be honest I was told that b4 I ever became a cop. But you know how Son is when he is following in fathers foot steps is.. Right now I am going to be going back to school for Apprenticship in Electrcian then hopefully about 4 yrs later become a jounreyman and Be able to WWire my own buildings. As I can already build and do alot of carpenter skills. So just wondering what it will take is all. Thanks for any futture replays all

 

[Isomade]

A few years ago I found a web site on this very subject, just don't remember what it is, but it had a lot of detailed information. If I remember correctly it said that 60 useable acres in MY area could support a family of 4 if you HAD to just live off the land for food. Of course there are a million variables that go into that.

 

[mlazyj]

I'am sure you've thought this through a bit . The cop job is 52 weeks a year . Working construction is no sure thing , it's chicken's or feathers . It may pay more hourly , but when a job gets completed there is no guarentee that you will go to the next one . That's just life working construction . Before I dove off the deep end and said I was going to live strickly off my land I would take a good look at who made that movie . Remember one bad hail storm , raccoons in the chicken coop , coyotes in the sheep and goats , and you mite be hungry . I worked construction for a long time and lived through the booms and busts , saying you want to raise a big garden and raise a few pigs or fatten a calf or 2 is a lot different then going off the grid.

 

[1982vett]

What does it take to be self-sufficent or sustainable

A keen understanding of what is an absolute necessity and the ability to distinguishing a necessity from a luxury.....then their is the thing called work...most of it backbreaking and not so glamorous.

 

[slick4591]

The cop job gave me insurance for the family, paid vacation/holidays and a retirement check every month which I'm now enjoying. Don't forget about those benefits.

 

[JSCATTLE]

Take it from me .. its nice to have a steady pay check ..I work construction and always have .. its feast or famine .. you can work 7 12s for 6 months get laid off and not work again for 6 months ..

 

[Caustic Burno]

I think a lot of this depends on how high you want to eat off the hog.
Wife and I don't buy a lot, freezer is full of beef, venision, squirrel, and I have no problem eating gator, armadillo, coon, frog and not just the back leg's. The list goes on. It is actually easier to eat them, than it is to keep the chicken's from turning into every kind of turd you can think of. People I know with goat's are alway's about to pull their hair out keeping them from getting ate by dang near everything in the woods.
You can put up a lot of food canned or frozen out of an acre garden. Have two freezer's full.
Now all that said a garden or you are eating out of the pasture or the woods is a lot of work.

 

[Arkansas]

I'am sure you've thought this through a bit . The cop job is 52 weeks a year . Working construction is no sure thing , it's chicken's or feathers . It may pay more hourly , but when a job gets completed there is no guarentee that you will go to the next one . That's just life working construction . Before I dove off the deep end and said I was going to live strickly off my land I would take a good look at who made that movie . Remember one bad hail storm , raccoons in the chicken coop , coyotes in the sheep and goats , and you mite be hungry . I worked construction for a long time and lived through the booms and busts , saying you want to raise a big garden and raise a few pigs or fatten a calf or 2 is a lot different then going off the grid.

Well I am doing the electric thing throught the Brotherhood Union so I will always have a Job in my area. Well thats what they guarentee. You may not be wireing a house. they may have to put you into a factory for maintence but you will always make a minumium of 23.00 an hour here. Its what they guarentee in the Union so I guess we will find out. And if it doesnt work I can always go back to being a cop. I could always try doing the cop thing and doing the Land and cattle on the side. But the money isnt as good being a cop. You only make 16 an hour in this area as a cop. and thats considered high pay in the state of arkansas

 

[Arkansas]

I think a lot of this depends on how high you want to eat off the hog.
Wife and I don't buy a lot, freezer is full of beef, venision, squirrel, and I have no problem eating gator, armadillo, coon, frog and not just the back leg's. The list goes on. It is actually easier to eat them, than it is to keep the chicken's from turning into every kind of turd you can think of. People I know with goat's are alway's about to pull their hair out keeping them from getting ate by dang near everything in the woods.
You can put up a lot of food canned or frozen out of an acre garden. Have two freezer's full.
Now all that said a garden or you are eating out of the pasture or the woods is a lot of work.

I am not talking about giving up my Job I will work. So I have Insurance and all that. I am just saying I wanna invest my money into a life my kids can appreciate when they get older. So that if the world goes to crud they can live off our own land. And I know I can cut alot of exspenses by Growing my own food and canning and jaring foods. And Butchering a Steer once a year or so would save me tons of money because the price for a lb of meat is so dang high now days. That almost grass feeding and supplement feeding your steer in your own yard is almost just as cheap as you buying meat. We spend at least 100 dollars on meat alone every month. And I would like to eat something that doesnt have so many meds pumped into it that I become a walking health hazzard myself because of all the things put into a chicken to make them grow so fast or a steer to get its weight in a hurry..etc Does anyone know what I mean ? I just wanna feed my family something healthy and not shot up with steriods and others medicines

 

[Arkansas]

A few years ago I found a web site on this very subject, just don't remember what it is, but it had a lot of detailed information. If I remember correctly it said that 60 useable acres in MY area could support a family of 4 if you HAD to just live off the land for food. Of course there are a million variables that go into that.

I seen a thing on youtube where a family in California grow like 45,000 lbs of vegetables and live off there own piece of property thats only a 1/4 of an acre... If I Can get say 10 or 20 acres would it not be possiable to feed a big family on that ? I mean theres alot you can do with potatoes..lol and tomatoes can be grown all year round with a small greenhouse. I am doing the whole electrician thing because it just makes more sense, Seeing how I done construction work for alot of my youth and early 20's I figure become an electrician and I can pretty much build and add onto my property myself. which cuts out all the extra pay for someone else doing things for me. I can do alot with electrician especially get some solor panels and let it run my greenhouse. or Put it up in the barn etc.. It just seemed more plausable doing electrician then being a cop

 

[HomePlaceAngus]

It sounds to me like you are on the right track. As long as you keep a good job with a retirement and benifits, It is smart to farm on the side. It helps keep food in the freezer and you can accually maybe make a buck or two on top of that. I too, was in construction all my life and it was very good to me, except for giving me some health problems. I never wanted for a job. I also raised cattle at the same time. Nothing wrong with keeping busy and getting ahead.

 

[Caustic Burno]

It sounds to me like you are on the right track. As long as you keep a good job with a retirement and benifits, It is smart to farm on the side. It helps keep food in the freezer and you can accually maybe make a buck or two on top of that. I too, was in construction all my life and it was very good to me, except for giving me some health problems. I never wanted for a job. I also raised cattle at the same time. Nothing wrong with keeping busy and getting ahead.

Life is easier when you plow around the stump.

 

[ohiosteve]

Sounds like you think like me Arkansas. I'll give you my list of must haves in no particular order if/when things hit the fan: A good piece of property with a water well and some pasture and some woods. A hand pump for the water well. At least one rifle. Plenty of bullets. A good chicken coop. at least 12 dual purpose chickens and a rooster. A good wood burning stove. A good supply of mason jars. A good hand saw. A bow with plenty of arrows, and a moonshine still. You should be fine then.

 

[JSCATTLE]

Sounds like you think like me Arkansas. I'll give you my list of must haves in no particular order if/when things hit the fan: A good piece of property with a water well and some pasture and some woods. A hand pump for the water well. At least one rifle. Plenty of bullets. A good chicken coop. at least 12 dual purpose chickens and a rooster. A good wood burning stove. A good supply of mason jars. A good hand saw. A bow with plenty of arrows, and a moonshine still. You should be fine then.

Down here we call that a deer camp..

 

[VanC]

I don't see why a person couldn't grow all their own food if they had the land, the knowledge, and the time, but they'd have to go back to a very limited diet. It would be impossible to grow everything we've become used to eating and drinking without anything from the outside world.

As for being completely self sustainable, I suppose that's possible, too, but it would take a major catastrophe to force it on us, and even then very few people would be able to do it for more than a few weeks. Imagine living in a world where every moment of every day for your entire life was dedicated to nothing but surviving till tomorrow. Few, if any, people living in modern countries today would be able to survive that. We've become too dependent on others and we've had it too easy for too long.

As far as food safety goes, our food supply is safer today than at any point in history. As a percentage of the population, fewer people die from food borne illnesses now than before the days of refridgeration, pasteurization, preservatives, and, yes, even government oversight. That said, nothing will ever be 100% safe no matter how hard we try to get there. The anti-factory farm movement has more to do with politics than safety no matter how anyone tries to spin it.

 

[ohiosteve]

I know I could survive quite well in a catastrophe but I would be worried about keeping it to myself once people got desperate and were looking for a meal ticket.I already have a pact with a few close friends/neighbors.

 

[JSCATTLE]

It will take more bullets to keep people out of your food than it would to kill something to eat ..

 

[Anonymous]

I get a kick out of people that say they will just hunt or fish if the shtf. How many days before the wiods just shut down from sheer pressure and the fish just get sore mouthed.

 

[Caustic Burno]

It will take more bullets to keep people out of your food than it would to kill something to eat ..

Amen to that seen that after Rita. If the real shtf happens better have an armory and know how to reload.
As bad as it was after Rita I can't imagine if people thought there was no end in sight.
Couldn't even fathom how bad it would get in the cities real quick.
Read about the economic collapse of Argentina some time that is an eye opener.

 

[mlazyj]

No Arkansas I'am not here to start any wars , so just kind of hold your pants on . I was a union cement mason ,it provided me a good living with good benifits and I have a small retirement if I live to 63 . I worked with and around the other trades and have a pretty good idea of how most of the other trade unions work . The one thing you can take to the bank , is with a full dispatch hall , that they will keep you buisy day in and day out . The best money you will make is doing large commercial or factory maintence . Union contractors don't do shack work , you'll learn how to do it ,but that's not going to be your bread and butter . I don't know your area or what you have for work , with the way things are now , plan to travel to stay working , electricians are right up there with pipe fitters for booming out . Cop pay might be 16 bucks a hour , but what is your apprentice pay less dues and vacation fund ? How much is your sparky retirement worth per year of service , compare to cop retirement . Best of luck at what ever you do , I just know if a business manager or a business agents mouth is moving their lieing