As someone who has spent the last 5 or so years resurrecting an old Alaskan homestead, I am constantly amazed at all the items and materials I use to make and keep the place safe and productive. The place I bought was fairly well equipped when I purchased it, and I’ve spent a good chunk of change since then acquiring all sorts of items and it’s never enough.
What items do you find most used or useful on your homestead/farm/ranch?
For me, in no particular order, are the five most used or useful items on my little spread. My place is more of a hobby farm or homestead where the products are consumed primarily by my family or traded/bartered with other homesteaders in the area.
ATV/side by sides. I have 3 of them equipped for various functions and they are all constantly being used from everything from subsistence activities, collecting firewood, plowing, pulling up stumps, hauling stuff, etc. Fortunately my only neighbor in my isolated valley has a bulldozer and an excavator, so I am able to borrow his big toys several times a year for projects.
Cellar. If you are going to raise crops you need a place to store the produce. I hired a contractor in the summer of 2019 to do some foundation work on my main structure and one of the byproducts of this work was a tripling of my cellar space. What a huge difference this makes in being able to store my potatoes, carrots, items we have canned, freezer space for moose, caribou, and all the various berries harvested during the summer.
Well stocked shed. Nuts, bolts, screws, nails, wire, springs, shear pins, washers, fasteners, pullies, etc. And tools to use them.
Strong back. Everything takes effort and muscles you never knew you had.
Buckets. Yes, buckets. You can never have enough. I use buckets to store all sorts of items, to haul dirt or water, to collect rain, collect produce, and dozens of other projects. I probably have 4 dozen 5 gallon buckets and i don’t have nearly enough.
So, what are your most used or useful items on your homestead/farm/ranch and why?
What items do you find most used or useful on your homestead/farm/ranch?
For me, in no particular order, are the five most used or useful items on my little spread. My place is more of a hobby farm or homestead where the products are consumed primarily by my family or traded/bartered with other homesteaders in the area.
ATV/side by sides. I have 3 of them equipped for various functions and they are all constantly being used from everything from subsistence activities, collecting firewood, plowing, pulling up stumps, hauling stuff, etc. Fortunately my only neighbor in my isolated valley has a bulldozer and an excavator, so I am able to borrow his big toys several times a year for projects.
Cellar. If you are going to raise crops you need a place to store the produce. I hired a contractor in the summer of 2019 to do some foundation work on my main structure and one of the byproducts of this work was a tripling of my cellar space. What a huge difference this makes in being able to store my potatoes, carrots, items we have canned, freezer space for moose, caribou, and all the various berries harvested during the summer.
Well stocked shed. Nuts, bolts, screws, nails, wire, springs, shear pins, washers, fasteners, pullies, etc. And tools to use them.
Strong back. Everything takes effort and muscles you never knew you had.
Buckets. Yes, buckets. You can never have enough. I use buckets to store all sorts of items, to haul dirt or water, to collect rain, collect produce, and dozens of other projects. I probably have 4 dozen 5 gallon buckets and i don’t have nearly enough.
So, what are your most used or useful items on your homestead/farm/ranch and why?