Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

Staying Home For TEOTWAWKI, by Jason H.

Opening caveat: A lot of what I describe below is highly illegal in normal times. It might even be frowned upon during semi-normal times. Only you, as a logical and thinking adult, can make a decision to take actions that could result in potential prison time. But this article is for those bad times, a true WWOTROL (World Without The Rule Of Law) scenario. Like many here, I’m an older gentleman, having retired almost 20 years ago after a 25 year law enforcement career. I’ve also been a faithful Survival Blog reader from almost the beginning. And like many here, …


Using Commercial Ammunition in Military Rifles, by Tunnel Rabbit

Author’s Introductory Disclaimer:  While I am a long-time reloading enthusiast, my advice and  insights are not substitutes for the information found in reloading manuals. So do confirm any information herein and draw your own conclusions. Introduction I have discovered over the years that many shooters are planning to use incorrect ammunition in their military rifles that with repeated use over time would ruin the rifle’s mechanism, or if the rifle should be used in battlefield conditions, the rifle for many reasons could fail them just when they needed to defend themselves. Few are acquainted with using their rifles in actual …


Small Farm Dairy Cattle – Part 5, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article.) Medical needs I don’t often have to call a vet, but establishing a relationship with a large animal vet is crucial.  If you don’t have a relationship, you will have a terrible time getting help when you need it.  It’s worth it to spend money with the Veterinarian.  I use them for my cats and dogs, as well as my cows.  We are on a first name basis now.  I needed them when my first cow went down hard with milk fever.  I know how to prevent that now.  I needed them …


Small Farm Dairy Cattle – Part 4, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 3.) Calving I have been very fortunate that all my cows have calved without assistance until this last one.  I’m praying that disaster does not happen again.  I could not have saved that calf by myself, and there was only one available Veterinarian on call at the time.  She also could not have done it by herself.  I am thankful for good friends who would drop everything to come over and assist.  While we saved the heifer, we lost the calf.  The heifer has recovered beautifully due to our intervention, and she’s doing well.  I have three …


Small Farm Dairy Cattle – Part 3, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 2.) Winter housing When I bought this farm, there was an existing small barn and a two car garage sized shed that the door had broken off of.  The property was completely fenced, and cross fenced, and there were even a couple of water troughs, which had to be replaced because they leaked.  But, all in all, there was some structure to start with.  Back then, I had no plans to obtain dairy cows, but I probably would not have gone with large livestock without adequate fencing and buildings.  There is no water or electricity to the …


Small Farm Dairy Cattle – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1.) Feeding and Condition This year started out in drought, so I will feed hay until such time as the fields are abundant in grass.  Last year, I did not have to feed hay year round, but the year before I did.  I don’t know how this year will go, but so far the cows have plentiful hay available to them.  When I first started with dairy cows, I fed the cows square bales, but soon found that to be a lot of work and not cost efficient with more than one cow to feed.  I purchased …


Small Farm Dairy Cattle – Part 1, by SaraSue

I believe I’m going into my sixth year raising dairy cattle on a very small scale.  Every time I think I’ve got this figured out, something surprises me.  I thought I would share an update, a general overview, of things I’ve learned so far.  Remember that I have a very small farm, and knew absolutely nothing when I started.  This is not a “How To”, as there are far more experienced folks than I am. My dad was an engineer and my mom was a school teacher, so I grew up in suburbia.  In my grandparents’ generation, the fathers were …


A Change of Pace for SurvivalBlog

After more than 20 years of making daily SurvivalBlog posts, I am nearing the point of exhaustion. I realize that I have been spending far too much time online. My editing pace simply has to change. So, after some prayer and deliberation, I have decided to switch SurvivalBlog to a weekly posting schedule. Henceforth, you can expect to see: Starting on or about June 2, 2026 SurvivalBlog will be posted on Tuesdays, and perhaps the occasional Thursday, if the Tuesday posts get too crowded. So you can expect to see SurvivalBlog “Fresh Every Tuesday.” (Echoing the late, great Ol’ Remus.) …


Our Fall From Modern Medicine, by Jennifer Rader

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following is an excerpt from the book Armageddon Pharmacy: Herbal Medicine When the Drugstore Is Closed. Jennifer Rader is a SurvivalBlog reader and one of our writing contest prize donors. – JWR John D. Rockefeller, America’s first billionaire, is credited with saying “a pill for every ill.” Prior to his pervasive influence on medicine—prior to closing schools that taught natural medicine, herbs occupied a respected position in American medical practice. However, herbs can’t be patented, and Rockefeller was all about making money. Thus began our transition from herbal medicine to pills, from solving many of our …


Learning From Our Fire Drill, by A.F.

On a January evening earlier this year, I walked around the corner from our kitchen towards the bathroom and smelled smoke. My wife had just returned home from a meeting and I had spent most of the afternoon juicing frozen plums saved from last fall. I ask my wife if there was a wood smoke smell outside when she came in expecting her to confirm that a neighbor either had a fire pit going or that there was a brush pile burning nearby. When she said that she had not noticed smoke while walking into the house, I stepped out …


Living With WVO, by P.G.

Editor’s Introductory Note: The recent spike in fuel prices prompted me to re-post this very practical 2018 article from the SurvivalBlog archives. – JWR It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Needing fuel for their war machine lead Germany to invent and perfect the diesel engine. It was designed to run efficiently on vegetable oil, and they do to this day. Circumstances forced me to make a move from my East Texas home to the deep Southwest. It was a slow, long process of gradually moving my stuff and my wife to a new homestead. I …


My Car Repair Adventures, by M.J.

Several months ago, I drove out to a place to hike and bike here in New Mexico. The last four miles of the trip were on a dirt road. Some parts of the road were in such bad shape that it seemed like I was driving over an old-time washboard. I slowed down for those portions of the road, but evidently I didn’t slow down enough, for my car started leaking oil and transmission fluid shortly afterwards. I didn’t hit anything in the dirt road; it was the vibrations from driving over those portions that caused the leaks. These definitely …


Gardening and the Struggles – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) I decided to try raised garden beds, and I’m three years into it!  When people purchase and store seeds for their apocalypse garden should they need it one day, I laugh.  You could starve before you ever get a good garden going.  Unless, you happen to be sitting on perfect and fertile soil. Raised garden beds    In my case, I had to hire the help to build all the beds, transport barn compost from another area of the farm to the beds, and pay for composted “top soil” to be delivered.  …


Gardening and the Struggles – Part 1, by SaraSue

I am going into my fifth year trying to garden here on my farm.  I have ranching and farming neighbors who have been at it for generations, and their gardens are amazing.  Mine?  Not so much.  There also exists a large Amish and Mennonite presence here in this area.  They have large and productive gardens.  I could just buy from all the neighbors!  But, I wanted to have my own garden, which gives one a sense of security and food system control.  It has been a several year struggle. The 2025 gardening season was a positive change from previous years, …


Simple and Proven Ham Radio Antenna Construction, by Hoofer

As a public service, I’d like to share my ham radio antenna designs with SurvivalBlog readers. We handed out these antenna-building diagrams, free of charge, at Hamfests.  We sell laminated copies of wall charts and pocket band charts. Below, I am including drawings for Fan Dipoles and OMTA Verticals. (The original idea was Robert Wilson, a nice guy, we shared several ideas, but, after improving on his “math-inspired idea”, we designed and built many iterations of a more practical design.)  For the Fan Dipoles we sell a kit without wire, or a complete build.  Please note that the Fan Dipole …