Awhile back a friend told me about a post on CS that talked about buying oats from the feed store and using them yourself. Now I could never find that thread, but things are getting very tight financially around here and I was wondering if any of you knew anything about this? Also, if you can make flour from these oats. I don't know why you couldn't, but I'm just looking for some ideas or experience with it. Thanks!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), August 05, 2001

Answers

A friend of mine did just that years ago when he was a dairy farmer raising six kids. Look for rolled oats at the mill. Don't be surprised if you get an occassional oat hull here or there. That's just one of the little goodies you put up with when buying that close to Mother Nature. It would be nice if you knew if the oats came from an organic source, but if times are too tight, you sometimes can't be fussy. To make flour, just dry process a cup or so at a time in the blender. God bless.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), August 05, 2001.

Doreen, some of my friends have bought oats and corn at the feed store. I have bought some corn like that (during Y2K) preps and went through it before I packed it in buckets but I haven't used it yet. My friends have used theirs and it's been fine. Another source could be farmers in the area. There is one within driving distance here who sells oats, soft white wheat and corn really, really cheap. He just has it sitting in a barn with something there for you to put your money in! It's nice to know there are still people that trusting!

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), August 05, 2001.

Thanks! We don't have any organic anything close to me. This county is really funny in sad way. The grocery is funny, the ag section of the newspaper is always telling you which poison to put out that week. it's kinda funny. There is one organic peanut grower, which is very cool, and to be fair the meat cattle are very well taken care of, and I guess the meat is really good. I wish there were a grain grower, but I think it is just too hot here most of the time. Someone probably grows oats in the very early spring. I'll need to get in touch with the ag extension to see if I can find out who grows that.

Thanks for the help!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), August 06, 2001.

Doreen, I know a guy about 50 miles west of St. Louis who grows organic grains, corn and soybeans I know but I'm not sure about oats. I can find out about oats if you are close enough to buy from him. I don't have a way to haul/store much at a time so I can't justify the 100 mile round trip.

On the subject of feed store grains, do be careful to sort any you use carefully. We had several bags that had a coating of dried mud on the individual kernels of corn. When I mentioned it to the store owner, he said he didn't know what had happened but later he admitted that the farmer from whom he'd bought it said the field had been flooded about a month before harvest. Ticked me off because he never once offered to replace the corn. It hadn't sprouted or molded because it's common practice to dry grains in the bins, but I ended up throwing it out because the goats wouldn't touch it. I didn't have chickens at the time or I'd have tried giving it to them.

-- mailyn (rainbow@ktis.net), August 12, 2001.