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To be an efficient homesteader, it's important to pay attention to what's going on around you...and then prepare accordingly. But what exactly should you be paying attention to? What should you ignore? And how do you use that information to prepare accordingly? That's what I'm talking about in today's episode.  (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) A few thoughts from today’s episode:   There are people in society—both homesteaders and non-homesteaders alike—that don't pay attention to what's going on. Some people do pay attention, but don't think far enough ahead to see how one thing affects the other. (This conversation originally started with people being concerned that farmers wouldn't be able to—or didn't—get their corn in at the begining of this last growing season, and how that would—or will?—affect future supply and prices.)   We have to be careful what we're paying attention to and who we are getting our info from. When you get information from any kind of media, one side is often blaming the other for what is happening—even when they're talking about the same thing. Do not get sucked into this. You cannot effectively prepare for the future when you're caught up in who is to blame.   Take the info you hear with a grain of salt, read between the lines, figure out how it actually affects you -- and then prepare accordingly.   "Prepping" is a thing now, but understand, so much of what is done as "preppers" didn't used to be called prepping.   Prepping doesn't always mean ammo, water, and bug out bags. It can be as simple as knowing Christmas is coming and you should really get started on knitting that blanket so you don't get behind.   Things we should always be working on, not just because we're afraid it was a bad year of gardening or we've heard drama in the news -- Grow food, raise food, store food. Plan for next year's garden and next year's barn Greenhouse, cold frames, bring your planters inside Consider what animals you have on the farm and be realistic about what you need/can afford to raise/feed Ferment animal feed, grow fodder Be careful that your foray into self-sufficiceny and self-reliance in certain areas isn't actually costing you way more than it needs to Learn to barter and use it as much as you can. You will stretch your resources! Learn a skill. The more you know how to do, the more prepared you will be for whatever is coming your way. Learn about food and how it works in your body -- understand fat, protein, and carbs Eat what is actually available and makes sense to eat. Most of us are eating more than we need simply because it's available. Links referenced in today’s show: Holler Roast Coffee My (brand new!) Patreon page Episode 55: Smart Homesteaders Fix the Problem Learn Homesteading Skills: my favorite blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.