Page 17 - Home & Garden

    When we sat down with Nutrena this year, we know we wanted to do something different. But there was a problem. In today's society, if you want to learn about chicken farming, there are a million resources available at your finger tips, a million "how-tos" and "best-practices you get with one simple search... "Chicken farming" on Google returns 23,500,000 entries. How could we maintain our position as a cutting -edge farm and ranch store and stay ahead of our competitors and the at glutted market... when chickens have been around and written about since 5,000 B.C. Easy. We bring you content you cant' get from Google. N40 Coops delves into chicken life beyond Google, into the stuff you can't get from a Google search. Human creativity is the only thing that can keep pace with human information, so we went out to find the most...

Alter Ego - Ginger The main character in this movie from Dreamworks is Ginger. A strong female lead, Ginger is an intelligent, Rhode Island Red hen who is effectively the chicken's shot caller and leader ala resitance de poulet (the Chicken Resistance). Rhode Island Reds are one of the most famous breeds of truly American chickens. They are bred in Rhode Island and lay 5-7 eggs a week... with the right feed. Alter Ego - Cornelius Rooster Kellogg's Corn Flakes, one of the most iconic American breakfast cereals, originally developed in 1894 as a food for patients in a sanitarium, was first graced by Cornelius Rooster in the late '50s. This is a Welsummer rooster, a breed developed in the Netherlands in Welsum. While the Welsummer may be a primarily European breed, Cornelius Rooster is purely American. These chickens are good layers (if th...

Pet and animal shelters are always looking for help. Whether that be volunteering or donating, the goal of these shelters is to have those homeless animals adopted into a loving home. To help with this cause, Hill's Science Diet has implemented their program "Hill's Food, Shelter & Love" to nearly 1,000 shelters. This program helps shelters by encouraging others to volunteer, donate, inform pet parents on proper nutrition for your pet and ultimately adopt from the shelter. Furthermore, they have been providing food to these shelter to help these animals become and remain healthy with a complete and balanced diet. We, too, at North 40 try to help out as we can. One of the ways we help out is our Pet Adoption Program. The Pet Adoption Program at North 40 started with our Lewiston store. The members of the Lewiston store worked with th...

For episode 15 of #AskNorth40, we were asked about the durability of West Paw Products. To answer, we facetimed Mary from West Paw Design who give us a run down on their products. In a nutshell, West Paw toys are made to withstand plenty of action and abuse as you and your pet enjoy playing, tailored to both indoor and outdoor play. West Paw Toys for Indoor Play There are times when you can't go outside and let your dog play in the yard or the park. Whether it be a rainy day or simply not feeling like going outside, there are still ways to play with your buddy indoors. Games of tug-o-war on the couch, small fetch games in the hallway or open areas of your homes with a Hurley bone, or giving them a treat dispensing toy like the Tux are great ways to engage your pet without going outside. These games work well with smaller, indoor dogs, bu...

In Episode 13 of AskNorth40, we were asked a question about where Simms clothing came from as some shirts say Bozeman, MT while others say Buy Local. To answer this question, we facetimed Michael White from Simms Fishing about where their products are manufactured. The answer to this question became twofold as Michael addressed Simms manufacturing production as well as their ideology behind the Buy Local shirts.   Simms Factory Tour in Bozeman, Montana As a manufacturer, Simms Fishing has been located in Bozeman, MT, since 1993 when the current owner, K.C. Walsh, acquired the company and relocated it from Jackson, Wyoming. Since then, the company has had a partnership with W.L. Gore & Associates (makers of GORE-TEX® fabric) to develop the breathable, GORE-TEX® Waders that Simms is known for. In 2012, Bozeman became the permane...

Prepping Soil for an Annual Bed The best time to begin amending your soil for an annual bed is the fall BEFORE planting that bed. During this time you add compost, mulch, fertilizer and other vitamins and nutrients that may have been depleted during the growing season... and you make sure you have all the necessary tools to be successful. This will allow all of your soil amendments to "cook," or breakdown over the winter and become more bio-available during the next growing season.   If you are prepping your bed the spring before planting, you will need to add organic material, compost especially in order to replace the nutrients the plants drew up in the year previous. There are many forms of soil amendments from fertilizers to bone meal available at the store, however these won't do you any good unless you are aware of your soil's ...

When considering electric fencing you need to buy for your smaller acreage area, you will need to examine a couple of things. How many strands of electric wire are you running? Are you fencing animals in an area where they will be prone to putting pressure on the fence? Are you running any traditional fencing along with your electric wire? These questions will dictate the type of energizer you will need for each set up. Jesse breaks the down the ratio of Joules needed to charge per single strand of wire in this AskNorth40 question.   What Type of Charger for your Electric Fence? When looking for the best type of charger for an electric fence on smaller acres we are going to need to look at stored energy, or Joules, and how that relates to your fencing area. When selecting a solar electric charger, you will have options from .1 J, .1...

For episode 12 of #AskNorth40, we were asked, what is the best grass seed for the region? While there is a general answer, depending on the situation or your lawn, you may need to adjust to a different seed for your situation. Lawn Grass: Kentucky Bluegrass This is what is considered the best lawn grass seed for the northwest region. It is a cool season grass, meaning it does its best growing during the fall, winter and spring months when there are cooler temperatures. While it does well during the cooler months, it does not have a great tolerance to hot temperatures, which is why it requires more upkeep during the summer months. When properly maintained, Kentucky Bluegrass will give you an excellent lawn that's soft, a nice dark green and will last longer. However, this seed requires a bit more maintenance than others and while it is ...

There is a pilgrimage through Europe named the El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of Saint James. There are several routes through France, Portugal, and Spain that conclude at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where it is said that the remains of the Apostle James are buried. Thousands of people walk this journey every year. It can take up to a month's time to travel, unless apparently, if you are a speed walker, the shorter routes only take a couple of weeks. Regardless of the path taken, it's said that the journey begins once you step outside your front door. I'm not making a pilgrimage through Spain or France. I am walking out in my own backyard along the River's Edge Trail, which follows the Missouri. The mayflies swarm like some kind of spring snowflake storm, getting stuck to my sunglasses. Th...

Spring has come early in Montana and everyone is rearing to bring in their horses and get back on the trails. Unfortunately, with the warmer weather, ticks have also come early! I've had several people ask me what they can do about their tick problems. Some are full-fledged, head to toe covered in the icky little things, while others are more moderate infestations. Most equine fly sprays do treat ticks in addition to flying insects, fleas etc., but sometimes, we need a more aggressive treatment to get rid of them. Ticks can cause anemia in large infestations if left untreated and they can cause other serious illnesses even in smaller numbers. It's very important to keep you and your animals clear of ticks to protect your health as well as your animals. We've got an article dedicated to keeping ticks off the dogs in your family as well. Ou...