I agree with all the tips from Diana and Denise, especially about the needle size and having it at it's highest point. You can't depend on the needle...
After living in the suburbs my whole life, I am finally living my dream "farm" life. LOL I raise Katahdin sheep for meat and breeding. I *LOVE* sitting outside surrounded by my sheep on a warm Summer day!
I also raise Kangal dogs. They are the BEST livestock guardian dogs by far! I've sold a few Kangals to folks who want to use them as personal guardians since these dogs take their job very seriously. And they're gorgeous dogs. :-)
I have chickens for eggs and meat (and pets) as well as a pig that I raise out on pasture each year for meat. Her name is Gipsi ("is pig" spelled backwards). She spends all day out with the sheep (she thinks she's a sheep), and I feed her AM/PM in the barn where I get to spend a little quality time with her.
I am learning to grow foods that I like to eat. We also grow and sell blueberries (and eat a whole lot of 'em).
My future desires are to learn to grow pretty flower gardens and to have fun sewing quilts. I will be finishing my very first quilt January 2015. (Wish me luck!)