EP: 427 Save Big on Animal Feed: Historical Fodder for Today w/ Deanne Converse

I know last week I said I’d be taking a break from podcasting, and while that’s still true, I just couldn’t leave you all hanging for three whole weeks. So this week and next week I have a couple of special podcast episodes that originally aired as video interviews over on YouTube with Dr. Patrick Jones from Homegrown Herbalist. In this podcast, he’s sharing his wisdom of herbal medicine and veterinary care. Sharing what herbs are safe for animals (and which should be avoided or used with caution). If you’d like to learn more from Doc Jones, he’ll be at this year’s Modern Homesteading Conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho June 28-29, 2024. You can hear him teach and shop his herbal remedies at his booth. We can’t wait to see you there and we hope you enjoy this episode of the Pioneering Today Podcast. To learn more, visit the blog post here: https://melissaknorris.com/428

Join me with my guest Deanne Converse as we discuss ways to become more self-sustainable with our livestock feed costs. Deanne is sharing her years of experience in feeding livestock without the feed store. With the rise in feed costs over the past few years, this is one podcast you won’t want to miss. We’re not only talking about how to feed cattle, but chickens, pigs, sheep, goats and more. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/427. This post is sponsored by The Modern Homesteading Conference. If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, don’t wait!

Join me as I continue on in this Homesteading 101 Series (Back to the Basics). Today’s episode is all about the basics of raising livestock, and I’ll heavily focus on cattle. If you’ve ever wanted to raise your own grass-fed, grass-finished beef then this is the podcast for you. I’m giving you all the basics you need in today’s episode, plus many links for additional resources. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/426. This post is sponsored by Azure Standard. If you’re not yet raising your own beef cattle and are looking for good quality beef, look no further than Azure Standard. They offer sustainably sourced beef products from frozen cuts of beef to, my favorite, beef jerky! We've purchased their beef jerky for my son and husband to take as snacks on their long days of work and it’s delicious. They also carry many A2/A2 dairy products that you'll want to check out. For first-time Azure customers, you can use code “Melissa10” to get 10% off your first order of $50 or more. Be sure to sign up for my Homestead Skills Summit, April 22-26, 2024. Each day of the week we’ll focus on a different homesteading topic, with live Q&A and prizes and a final live Q&A session on Friday to wrap up the week. Join here: https://melissaknorris.com/pta-summit/

Join me and my guest, Don Tipping from Siskiyou Seeds as we discuss the history of seeds and seed saving and how it’s changed over the past 100 years. Our conversation takes a deep dive into how seed companies source their seed (this may surprise you!) and how to know you’re getting quality seeds with the exact characteristics you want. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/425.  This post is sponsored by Azure Standard. If you’re in need of garden starts, be sure to check out Ellie’s Eden plants. They have a large selection of vegetable, herb and flower starts and they’re fantastic quality. For first time Azure customers, you can use code “Melissa10” to get 10% off your first order of $50 or more. Be sure to sign up for my Homestead Skills Summit, April 22-26, 2024. Each day of the week we’ll focus on a different homesteading topic, with live Q&A and prizes and a final live Q&A session on Friday to wrap up the week. Join here: https://melissaknorris.com/pta-summit/

Join me and my guest, Susan Poizner, as we discuss the basics of growing fruit trees. With a few tips under your belt, you’ll know what fruit tree varieties will work best for your climate, when to plant your trees, and the nine tips for getting your fruit trees to grow fast! Susan also covers some mistakes to avoid when planting new fruit trees and we briefly cover how to protect your trees from disease (or rehabilitate neglected trees). For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/424   

Join me as I continue on in this Homesteading 101 Series (Back to the Basics). Today’s episode is all about the basics of gardening. Which ultimately means understanding the basics of soil. You don’t have to be a soil expert, or a biochemist to understand how to know if your soil is good (or how to amend it, if needed). However, if you don’t pay attention to your soil quality, it doesn’t matter how many other gardening skills you acquire, you’ll continue to struggle if your soil quality is poor. I’m giving you all the basics you need in today’s episode, plus many links for additional resources. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/423. Azure Standard: I want to thank Azure Standard for sponsoring this podcast. One of my favorite things about Azure is every spring they offer incredible garden starts! So, if you find yourself behind the curve of starting seeds indoors, you can order starts from Ellie’s Eden. They have vegetable starts, flower starts, herb starts… so many options! For first-time customers, you can get 10% off your first Azure Standard purchase of $50 or more using coupon code “Melissa10” at checkout.

Join me for this podcast interview with Dr. Christopher Hobbs as we discuss the health benefits of mushrooms. The benefits are vast, and when you consider that you can easily grow mushrooms at home (or forage for them nearly everywhere), it gets even more exciting. Ever since I found healing from stomach acid and ulcers by changing the food I ate, I've continued down the rabbit hole of using our food and herbs as medicine. Join me with Dr. Hobbs as we discuss the best mushrooms for their medicinal purposes, the benefits of consuming mushrooms, and how mushrooms may be a great way to get some extra prebiotic fiber into our diets. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/422. Check out my live class on 3/20/24 all about growing and foraging for mushrooms here: https://my.demio.com/ref/EIhRpGOdPqVWiDqE American Blossom Linens: I want to thank American Blossom Linens for sponsoring this podcast. You may think of linens and bedsheets as a basic item, but they're a staple in most homes. If you want heirloom quality sheets that will last a lifetime, American Blossom Linens is for you. I've found in many areas of the homestead, by investing in higher quality items (yes, they generally cost more up front), I inevitably save money in the long run. This is definitely true for my sheet set from American Blossom Linens. I’ve had my sheets for two and a half years and they’re only getting softer and softer. Use coupon code "PioneeringToday20" to get 20% off your first set of sheets at: https://melissaknorris.com/ABL

One of the crops that’s easily overlooked for growing a sustainable food source on the homestead is the nut tree. As with fruit trees, once a nut tree is established, it can produce food for your family for decades (and even generations) to come. Learn which nut trees are best for your homestead needs with David Hughes from Rock Bridge Trees. He’s sharing his best tips on nut tree care and maintenance, harvesting and even pest control. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/421. Azure Standard: I want to thank Azure Standard for sponsoring this podcast. If you don’t yet have nut trees of your own, Azure is a fantastic source for buying nuts in bulk. It’s the only place I’ll buy my nuts because I trust their sourcing and quality control practices. Not only does Azure Standard carry whole nuts, they also carry a wide variety of nut butters and other such products. For first-time customers, you can get 10% off your first Azure Standard purchase of $50 or more using coupon code “Melissa10” at checkout.

Join me for this podcast series on Homesteading 101: Back to the Basics. We know countless people are joining this homesteading movement, and I would like to hold the door open and welcome you in. In this series we’ll be discussing the five pillars of homesteading: gardening, livestock, homestead cooking, preserving and herbal medicine. Though this series won't be a comprehensive step-by-step on how to start a homestead, it should help answer some of those basic questions many people have when venturing into a new aspect of homesteading. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/420. American Blossom Linens: I want to thank American Blossom Linens for sponsoring this podcast. You may think of linens and bedsheets as a basic item, but they're a staple in most homes. If you want heirloom quality sheets that will last a lifetime, American Blossom Linens is for you. I've found in many areas of the homestead, by investing in higher quality items (yes, they generally cost more up front), I inevitably save money in the long run. This is definitely true for my sheet set from American Blossom Linens. I’ve had my sheets for two and a half years and they’re only getting softer and softer. Use coupon code "PioneeringToday20" to get 20% off your first set of sheets at: https://melissaknorris.com/ABL  

For the first time ever, genetically modified seeds have been made available to the common gardener for home use. I’ve been hearing from many home gardeners how excited they are to grow this new variety of tomato in their home garden, which to be honest, surprises me. Which makes me wonder if everyone knows exactly what GMO seeds are, and if we ought to be concerned? In today’s podcast, I’m diving into the nitty gritty of what classifies a seed as GMO, or Hybrid, or F1 Hybrid. I’m also explaining self-pollination, open-pollination and what you need to know as a home-gardener to successfully seed save. But more importantly, I want to discuss the place of GMO seeds in the home-garden. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/419. Azure Standard is the sponsor for this podcast. For first-time Azure customers, get 10% off your first order of $50 or more with coupon code "Melissa10" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard