2012 Goals

Last year was a busy year. I almost feel that I didn't accomplish anything that helped further my homesteading goals. But as I think about it, maybe it is because I didn't have any goals established in the first place! Even so, it wasn't such a loss after all. We accomplished several things last year:

•  I finally got my orchard planted! I have been wanting to do that for the last five years.

• We began raising bottle calves for our own grass-fed beef for the first time. They will be ready to take to the butcher soon.

•  As I mentioned in my last post, I found a great deal on a greenhouse for starting seeds.

Goals for 2012

I hope that this year will be even more productive. I think it helps to have specific goals, instead of generalities. So, here are my goals for 2012:

• Have a successful garden this year and put up salsa, tomato sauce, pickles, and green beans. When I first started canning, I went overboard canning pickles. We don't eat a lot of pickles and it always resulted in excess that went uneaten.  I'm going to learn from that and only can what we will eat this year.

• Order Buff Orpington chicks to replace the hens we lost last year.

•  Raise and butcher the cockerels. I have had chickens since I was around ten years old, yet we have never butchered any. I hope this year will be the first that we get to fill our freezer with fresh home raised chicken! The butchering part of homesteading is an area I have always felt that I lack in. I have the "book knowledge" on how to do it, I want to have the experience though!

• Build a goat-proof fence for dairy goats. I don't plan on getting any this year, but I am hoping for 2013.

• Find another horse safe hay ring. Having another one of these would save so much hay.

 

• Add another bottle calf to the herd. 

 

• Plant more fruit trees in the orchard. We still have enough room for about four more trees!

I hope that having my goals written out where I can see them will help me reach them this year. I already have a timeline worked out for when I am going to complete most of my goals.


Does anyone else have any goals for 2012?