Websites for country living/ hobby farming?

[xenomama]

Help! We are just getting started, and I need some online resources. What we want to know:

-What animals can/ can't be together
-The costs & labor associated w/ horse boarding
-Resources for organic farming - what, when, where, how, etc
-Raising chickens
-Goats or cows?
-How to take a vacation with a farm
-Online forums or Yahoo groups

Thanks!

[farmer mama]

I like www.motherearthnews.com/, lots of good articles and a great message board. www.carlaemery.com/ is also good and her bok Encyclopedia of Country Living is good. The magazines Mother Earth News, Back Home and Countryside have lots of good info. There are a lot of websites out there but I don't have a favorite. The books Barnyard in Your Backyard (great for info about how much space is needed) and Storey's Guide to Country Living are good. Also Storey's guides to individual animals are good. Also the mamas here are pretty knowledgable so you may want to try posting some questions here. Good luck.

[Gunter]

I have family friends in PA who run a dairy farm. I have helped milk the cows, feed animals, load hay, etc on my last visit. They welcome people who want to learn more about farming. It's a very laid-back family.

http://www.afarmstay.com/iron/

[townmouse]

http://homesteadingtoday.com/vb/ is my favorite.

[crissei]

You can ask questions at countrylife.net and get lots of good responses!