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The largest debate regarding holiday trees breaks down into two camps: real versus artificial Christmas trees. The National Christmas Tree Association (yes, there is one!) reports some interesting figures on sales of these trees. In 2010, consumers purchased roughly 27 million real Christmas trees; outpacing artificial trees three times over (only 8.2 million artificial trees were sold). However, the average price paid by shoppers was nearly double for artificial trees ($64.61) than it was for real ($36.12). However, artificial trees can last around five to six years, so this cost is reduced when spread over time. A final tidbit is...

Pigs can be a fun and profitable addition to your farm, whether you are raising a pig for meat or to breed more pigs to sell. It can be a challenge to care for piglets, however, and you need to be ready to meet their particular needs in order to raise thriving, healthy pigs. Before You Get Piglets Before you set up room for your new piglets, check with local officials about any restrictions on raising pigs. While many communities are becoming more open to urban and hobby farming that may include chickens and other poultry as well as the...

To most individuals passing through rural areas, hay seems simple. Its dry, tough, and it feeds livestock. However there’s more to hay than meets the eye. Hay is one of those grasses where it is particularly hard to see the quality and composition. The best way to truly know the quality of hay you are using is to test it. Essentially, hay quality is affected by five major factors; stages of maturity, leafiness, color, foreign matter, and odor and condition. Out of all of these factors, the stages of maturity are the most important. The growth stage of the hay...