Category: Livestock, Feed, & Fencing

A Preliminary Analysis of the USDA’s NAIS User Guide of November 2006 by Mary Zanoni, Ph.D., J.D.

The following are preliminary points meant to contribute to the early and continuing discussion of this newly released (as of November 22, 2006) USDA document concerning the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). I plan to write further on some of the key issues related to the User Guide in the near future. At the close of the discussion is a list of suggestions for further action. The only real “difference” from this year’s prior Implementation Plan documents is the absence of stated dates for certain target levels of participation. The document still envisions making everyone comply with NAIS eventually. (See, …


What Happens After: Observations on Hurricane Katrina

Jim; Just a few notes about my experiences with Hurricane Katrina a year later. On the evening that Katrina passed our retreat, my partner and I began to make our way back to our homes (less than 30 miles) and businesses to secure them – (both firearms related). We chose to take different routes, him on foot, and me in my truck with my dogs & supplies. The routes required pushing and/or cutting trees, poles, fences and all manner of lines and debris from the road ways. The few roads that could be made passable with chain saws and simple …


Letter Re: Do It Yourself Meat Preservation Methods

Jim, Have there been any writings different methods of preserving meats, such as canning, drying, smoking or any other methods? I was going to try canning. Is that what you’d recommend? Any other instructions on safe methods? Thanks, – Greg in Michigan JWR Replies: The topic has been briefly discussed in SurvivalBlog, but we ought to encourage more extensive discussion. The Memsahib and I have made lots of jerky over the years, but have never tried canning meats. Canning meat makes sense for a fixed location retreat. But for “Get out of Dodge” use, jerky is preferable. (Less weight and …


Note From #1 Son:

Great news! The Vermont NAIS equivalent program has been stopped. Premises registration is no longer mandatory in Vermont. Keep in mind, however, that the National Animal Identification System is still scheduled to become mandatory. Write your congressmen now! There are frequent updates on NAIS at NoNAIS.org. For general background, see our NAIS page.


Letter Re: Chain Link Fences for Incremental Retreat Security

Mr. Rawles, Recently the I had the occasion to put in a new chain link fence on my property and while I would have preferred something in the 8-to-10 foot range negotiations with my wife led me to use a more standard fence size of waist high. After calling to get quotes for an install to compare what it would cost me doing it vs. professionals I made my trip to the local Non super store hardware store. While purchasing the components the fine elderly gentleman gave me some pointers and repeatedly pressed upon me the importance of installing the …


Letter Re: The Importance of Storing Salt for Preparedness

Jim: I asked about this a long time ago and no one knew what I was talking about they thought I was talking about those salt blocks you buy for cattle and stuff: so I tried to find myself where the old “salt licks” were in those old westerns we always read. Here was what I found after three hours of research. There is an Internet resource that says there are over 1,400 [“Lick” or “Saline” locales] all over the USA. But they don’t list individual ones just how many per state. For those places I can’t find [listed licks], …


Letter Re: Shocking Facts About Wolves, by Steven UP

Dear Mr. Rawles, I would like to point out an error in Bonehead’s letter posted on SurvivalBlog on 6/30/06. He states that one ton of red meat is equivalent to two elk, which is false. Let us assume that the average bull elk weighs 1000 pounds (an optimistic assumption, but let’s run with Bonehead’s numbers), the average cow weighs 600 pounds, and the average calf weighs 300 pounds. Roughly 40.1 percent of an elk consists of edible muscle so that the average bull would provide 401 pounds of meat, the average cow 241, and the average calf 120. Thus one …


Two Letters Re: Shocking Facts About Wolves, by Steven UP

Jim- Unlike anyone else that has written, including Steven UP, I have lived in Western Montana my entire life, save a few travels around to world. I also grew up hunting and fishing here (we were, well, poor when I was a kid. I think I was eleven before I ever ate a beef steak. I thought red meat came form the woods in Fall!) As to the primary concern of wolves over-running farm in a SHTF scenario, that will be the least of your worries. As to the idea that elk and deer populations are being decimated by wolf …


Three Letters Re: Shocking Facts About Wolves, by Steven UP

Jim, It seems the wolf article has stirred up the animal lovers.The article really does describe the northwest Montana area between Trego and Eureka. Every hunter I talk with tells me how the wolves have destroyed the resident elk herd. And, despite hunter pressure of shoot + shovel + shut up the packs are growing. The second point I want to make is if you take one down do not approach and DO not take the cape. Most are [biochip] tagged and the chips are traceable. So if you pop one, just walk away. Lastly I would not worry about …


Two Letters Re: Shocking Facts About Wolves, by Steven UP

James: Steven UP’s article is self serving. He writes to stir up hysteria and emotions. Much of his “thesis” is pure bunk, conjecture, speculation. I am a former resident of the Upper Peninsula. I was born and raised there and lived in the U.P. for the first 40+ years of my life. While I live in nearby Wisconsin currently, I still regularly visit family and am currently looking for property in the U.P. for my retirement place. I resent this article by someone who has only been in the U.P. less than 15 years. He is writing to try to …


Shocking Facts About Wolves, by Steven UP

It all started when I first moved to the Upper Peninsula [“U.P.”] of Michigan back in the early 1990s. When I first came up here it was paradise. Beaver, ducks, grouse, bears, and lots of deer. What happened over the years to change this paradise is truly remarkable. It is now now almost a wasteland, barren of wild game. What happened? Wolves were planted–200 of them from Minnesota. Okay, all of us that live up here “know” that wolves were planted because the population of wolves skyrocket from 20 to 220 in a single year. One noted wolf biologist even …


Letter Re: Request for Advice on Dog Breeds

Hi, Jim. I wanted to reply to the thread about Advice on Dog Breeds. Here is my main point:  Dogs are are like guns, in that there is no one true “all purpose” dog breed.   The very qualities that make a dog a good herding dog will make for a poor protection dog.  Sometimes even, the qualities that make for a good watch dog will make for a poor guard dog.  (A watch dog’s purpose is to alert you to a potential intruder.  A guard dog’s purpose is to hold, bite and stop and intruder.)   As the former owner of …


Letter Re: Request for Advice on Dog Breeds

James: I’m writing in response to a subject that is very of interest to me. And I do understand some of your recommendations (I.e. Poodles are great family dogs and the standard size could be used for bird hunting, if field breed (but very hard to find), and  I was especially impressed by your recommendation of the Airedale Terrier, Which one of the best all around breeds a century ago but sadly is used mostly for show these days. They are very intelligent and can be head strong when this circumstance may require bid ability. My suggestion to L.P. in …


Letter Re: Feeding Your Dog in Hard Times

Jim: Try these sites for raw diets for pets, or you can Google “raw foods diet”: Barf World Why Feed Raw Raw Learning I have several friends who have pets (dogs) who swear by this diet. This is a good regime for trappers and farm folk who can not purchase ready made foods. Less expensive and healthier equals a “win-win” for your pet. Keep up the good work. Sincerely,- C.D.


Letter Re: Request for Advice on Dog Breeds

James: We want to buy a puppy, partly for our daughter, and partly for the whole family. Is it possible for a single breed of dog to be in charge of watching the house and herding our sheep (we’ve had 4H sheep in the past, and I plan to build up a flock of about 20 on our 17 acres), and perhaps even doing some pointing/retrieving? (I hunt pheasants, quail, and sometimes grouse.) Or am I expecting too much from just one dog? Am I dreaming? – L.P. in Utah JWR Replies: There are a few breeds that are quite …