Description

Stories in this issue: 

• Corn Husking: Bethany Caskey takes a look back at the glory days of Corn Husking competitons and at the 2013 Iowa State Cornhusking Competition.
• Restroring a Slip Scraper: Pete Cecil akes a rusty slip scraper and renovates it for more work digging foundations, excavating basements and more.
• Cultimulching: Stephen Leslie discusses the use of the culti-mulchers and has three seasoned market gardeners discuss their experiences with the horsedrawn implement.
• Living the Dream: Bethany Caskey looks at the Abuncance Eco-Village’s off-the-grid development outside Fairfield, Iowa.
• Saving Garden Seeds: Gail Damerow provides a how-to on saving your own seeds, a chart on the average viability of stored seeds and a discussion of books that address the topic.
• Chuck Wagon Cook Off: Tony Bowers’ experience juding the chuck wagon cook-ff at Taking the Reins, an equine event held in Madison, Wis.
• Logging Logistics: Taylor Johnson gives an in-depth look at ways a horse logger can efficiently set up and execute a job. Setting up the job site, clearing trails and more.
• Horsedrawn Geometry: Jenifer Morrissey describes maximizing the transfer of power from the horse to movement of the load. Looking at point of draft, angle of draft and line of draft.
• Harnessing the Power of Pork: How Ralph Rice uses the rooting power of his hogs to loosen winter bedding, root compost, glean corn fields and prepare a field for plowing.
• Government Shutdown Soup: Waiting for the government to end its shutdown leads Jenifer Morrissey to develop a yummy tomato soup.
• Reflections: Thanksgiving: Ralph Rice takes look back at 2013 and gathering to cut wood for the sugarhouse elicit gratitude.
• Chinese Chestnuts: The Chinese chestnut tree may help revive species that were nearly wiped by a blight in the early 1900s. Bethany Caskey describes how to grow them.
• Second Shifter: Vicki Schmidt tells the story of a wandering dog that finds a home with a search and rescue team.