We're not through with our look at the candidates and their views on U.S. agriculture, but that shouldn't keep you from getting registered to vote if you haven't already done so. It's easy! Just click on the button, complete the form, print it and mail it to your county registration office.

How to afford to move to the country is a hot topic on homesteading forums. Actually, the conversation has been popular for decades among potential back-to-the-landers. And housing is the most discussed subset by modern homesteaders.

The question is, what is the most efficient way to live on the land while you are developing it? Do you move into the old farm house with no water or insulation and poor wiring and hope that you can make the time to remodel? Do you buy a used mobile home just as temporary quarters until the house remodel is done? Do you start from scratch and build the perfect farm house before moving to the new property? All are valid approaches and have their own merits.

But here is another option — build in stages. Start with a small structure that is large enough to set up shop in while you are beginning the transition to the homestead. As time and money become available, construct the next addition. You might start with a kitchen, bathroom and big all purpose room that also can be used for sleeping. The next stage might be a bedroom wing, then front and back porches and some storage space. You could consider having a cellar dug under the first stage and have later additions set on a simple foundation.

Here is another option — build a 'cozy cabin' to live in and work from while you build or remodel the house, then use the cabin as guest quarters once you move into the new house.

The important thing to remember is that you have choices; there is not just one right way to become a 'modern homesteader.' Consider your finances, your family and your ultimate self-sufficiency goals and choose the option that works best in your situation.

To continue our review of where the 2008 presidential candidates stand on our country's agricultural landscape, I'm going to turn the spotlight on Mitt Romney, who is basking in the glow of his recent primary success. It's not an easy task, however, because unlike the candidates who double as senators, he hasn't had the responsibility of going public with his convictions in the form of a vote for or against the 2007 farm bill. (I'm sure he's disappointed.) A search for information on his position produced a few statements, mostly in opposition to subsidy reform. He has stated that reducing subsidy payments to U.S. farmers would put us at a competitive disadvantage to the countries that have yet to do so.

The problem is, our massive subsidy system is putting the rest of the world at a competitive disadvantage, an offense that will not be (and has not been) overlooked by the World Trade Organization (WTO), who in turn promise to put us at a disadvantage anyway, by authorizing affected countries to impose trade sanctions. In a nutshell: The billions (more than $12 billion in 2002 alone) of dollars in tax money paid to our farmers makes it possible for them to produce a lot of cheap food, a luxury not enjoyed by the vast majority of countries worldwide. This translates into what the WTO has termed 'trade distortion,' and last month, they sided with Brazil in their suit against the United States and our cotton subsidies. Read more about the proposed sanctions here.

Owning a home frequently entails learning some skills, such as changing a faucet washer, cleaning a drain trap, replacing a light switch or pouring a cement slab. One skill that has the potential to be very useful but requires a fairly rigid set of fundamental techniques is welding. You can learn welding on your own, but a better way might be to learn from a friend or take a course at a local vocational school.

Why would you want to learn to weld, you may ask. You can repair metal objects or build new ones by welding. And if you enjoy fixing things yourself, are on a limited budget or just want to branch out into a new hobby, then learning the basics of welding could be beneficial.

Auto repair may come to mind when you think of welding, but it has many more uses — fixing or building fences, mailboxes, trailers and garden tools. And for the those with a whimsical bent — you can create your own unique metal yard art.

Welding is best done on a metal surface, not on a wooden workbench. This welding bench is a great beginning welding project that will provide you with an appropriate surface for your other welding projects.

You can read more articles on welding by searching 'welding' at www.MotherEarthNews.com

Now that the presidential primaries are finally underway, let's take a look at the Republican and Democratic frontrunners and their plans for strengthening rural America. Hilary Clinton has dominated headlines this week, so let's start with her:

Where does Hillary Clinton stand on the issue? Her promises to require 36 billion gallons of biofuels per year by 2022, including 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol, prompted high-fives among members of the National Corn Growers Association (read Clinton's responses to the association's questions here). The 36 billion gallons will be upped to 60 billion by the year 2030. Although Clinton's plan to address the energy and climate crisis states that advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass and other non-corn sources, should make up the lion's share of that amount as the technology becomes available, my concern is that by then the entire nation will already be plowed under.

But what about the big picture? What is her overall plan to encourage the health and success of small U.S. farms? Here's a press release that outlines her ideas (which confusingly and simultaneously expresses her support for the 2002 farm bill and takes aim at excessive subsidy payments to large agricultural corporations). Strong points are her pledges to implement mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on fruit, vegetables and meat; increase access to more nutritious food by improving assistance programs; and create more opportunities for beginning, minority and women farmers. Then again, she did appoint the former president of the National Pork Producers Council (a supporter of confined animal feeding operations) to her campaign staff.

Are you as confused as I am? Perhaps our friend Tom Philpott at Grist can help clear things up with his look at who's financing her campaign.

The cold, damp days of January frequently remind us of the comfort of wood-fired stoves and fireplaces. The world just seems to be a more secure place while snuggled close to the heat of a wood burner.

If you do not currently have a fireplace or wood stove, you can warm your house with the sun by constructing and installing a window heat grabber. This handy device, hung outside of a south-facing window, collects heat from the sun, which is then distributed to the room. It's a great, low-tech way to use the power of the sun for heating.

For more adventurous rural-living folks who have plenty of firewood at their disposal, you might want to consider constructing an outdoor wood burning boiler. This freestanding building holds the wood-fired heat and pushes it into your house through underground piping. If you like the heat from wood, but want to avoid the mess of a woodstove in your house, this project is for you.

So, take a hint from your pets and curl up in front of the fire or find a sunny window to warm you during these blustery winter days.

According to a new study from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 25,814 farm women were tested for a link between their exposure to agricultural chemicals and adult onset of allergy-related asthma. The results showed that farm women who directly handled the chemicals had a 50 percent higher chance of developing this type of asthma.

Of the approximately 30 insecticides, herbicides and fungicides tested, at least 10 were found to significantly increase the risk. Read more here and here.