Planning and Pasturing

[Anonymous]

Lisa or anyone else for that matter, in August I turn 50 and retire after 25 years in law enforcement. When I was growing up on a farm I couldn’t wait to get away from there. I remember listening to professors in college during the 70’s and thinking they were alarmist nutcases with their talk of alternative energy, genetically engineered foods, and food chain instability. Nowadays that is mainstream media stuff.

Funny thing, now all I can think about is starting my own farm and living a quiet, simple, and peaceful life as close to self-sufficiency as it is within my power to achieve.

Carl says that you are a pasture specialist. I was hoping you might refer me to some reading material to educate myself about what is possible using those methods.

Let me outline what I have in mind for our farm. Starting this spring we are going to begin keeping a backyard flock of chickens. My plan is to raise 24 of them in a tractor. In the fall I’ll put 16-18 of them in the freezer and keep the rest for winter eggs. Each year I will add fresh stock, and maybe raise two crops of freezer birds per year.

We hope to buy our land within two years. When we move onto the land we will of course bring our chickens, who will then go free range. Once on the farm we will also add 2 or 3 dairy goats for our own milk and making cheeses. Each year will see the herd increase through breeding and wethers will be added to the freezer. The goal for the goats is a herd of 10-12 milking does with the intent of selling cheese and soap at local farmer’s markets.

I would also like to start using a horse or team early in the development of the farm. After reading comments from Carl and others I may hold off on the breeding idea, at least until I see if my daughter or grandson have any inclination to keep the farm running after me. So for now, I’m just planning on two horses. Possibly Fjords. Possibly some big drafts. I really don’t know yet.

After a year or two on the farm we’re going to add some pigs to supply freezer pork and maybe have some excess “pasture fed” animals for sale. I am not going to get into processing the meat. Too much bother for me.

And that probably means a cow or two for milk to feed the pigs. My intent is to use something like Devons, Dexters, or Highlands as dual purpose breeds. I’ll raise one a year for my freezer and maybe some more for sale.

And as if that were not enough, my dear wife of 26 years has decided she might like to keep a dozen sheep for her budding interest in fiber arts.

From what little I have been able to read on the net I gather it is possible to raise nearly all of those animals on little more than pasture and some occasional, supplemental grain. Not feed lotting like the factory farms. But I would like to expand my education by reading sources that are worthy of purchase and staying on my bookshelf, as opposed to borrowing from the library.

I am not a “gloom-n-doom, end-of-the-world” type. But I do believe our current society is not sustainable. It may collapse within my lifetime. I believe it will probably collapse within my daughter’s lifetime. And I know my grandson will have to survive in a world drastically different from the one I know. I would like to afford them the opportunity to be prepared for that eventuality.

[goodcompanion]

Sounds like you are on the right track to me.

For the self-supporter, if you have a stout building to contain them, there’s a lot to be said for having at least one pig at all times. Composting is fine, but pigposting is better. Anything incompletely broken down, nearly, can be given to the pig, who turns your pile constantly. What he doesn’t eat he will turn into compost. And with food scraps from the average table you can usually feed one pretty well for almost no cost.

[earthwise]

Dear Iron Mike –

This is Lisa McCrory (aka Earthwise). Funny, I answered your questions about 5 days ago complete with what books I would start out with, etc. I sent it to you as a private email, but cannot find it in my sent box….frustrating….so now I am going to pull this together for you again.

Based on your farm vision – a beautiful diversified, mulitispecies operation, I would recommend that you start with a couple books: the first one is ‘Greener Pastures on Your Side of the Fence’ by Bill Murphy. This book is excellent; it discusses pasture ecology, nutrition, pasture plants (species that favor grazing), animal grazing effects on pasture (behavior, forage intake, treading/trampling, seed dispersal, etc), the ins and outs of Management Intensive Grazing (a la Andre Voisin), fencing layout and design (including water systems and laneways), and the various needs and suggested management of various livestock (beef, dairy cows, sheep, goats, poultry, horses, etc). This book can be ordered from the Publisher: Arriba Publishing, 212 Middle Rd, Colchester, VT 05446, 800-639-4178, or through ACRES USA (http://www.acresusa.com).

Another author who is an inspiration and a great example of how you can raise multiple species of livestock in such a way that it complements the needs of each species and builds organicmatter and biological activity in your soils. That author is Joel Salatin and you can visit his website: http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

Joel has written a number of books covering his many livestock enterprises (pastured poultry, hogs, beef, rabbits, laying hens) and also has a dvd out that shows all the enterprises and how they complement and interface with each other over the course of a calendar year (and all the seasons). A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say.

Based upon your description of what you want to do, I would start with these two resources, but there are so many more… maybe we should create a Thread called grazing managemet for this list?

I also think that another facet to good grazing management and ecological farming entails a (w)holistic approach, looking at your farm (and those farming it) as a living, breathing organism and developing a Holistic Goal. This process has been developed by Allan Savory who founded Holistic Management International (http://www.holisticmanagement.com). I cannot speak enough about this method… could do this once we have a grazing management thread perhaps.

A magazine that I subscribe to is called ACRES USA Magazine. It is a monthly publication promoting ecological farming practices and is always filled with wonderful articles on livestock management, land management and more. (http://www.acresusa.com) This outfit also has an incredible supply of books for sale and I encourage you to visit their ‘book store’. They carry all of Joel Salatin’s books and sell Bill Murphy’s book as well.

I also think it is VERY important to get off the farm during the growing season and participate in on farm workshops. In Vermont there are always lots of grazing workshops (or pasture walks) happening, hosted by either NOFA-VT or the Vermont Pasture Network. I realize that you are in PA, and know that there is a GREAT conference happening next week in your state – the PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture)conference. This organization also hosts a lot of events during the growing season… I will post that event in the calender section. If you manage to make it to even a day at this event, I guarantee you will come home inspired plus blessed with a lot of good contacts and new friends you can learn from and with.

I hope that this helps and I am sorry that my original message got lost in the ether….

Best to you,

Lisa McCrory (Carl’s other half)
Earthwise Farm and Forest
Bethel, VT

[Anonymous]

Oh WOW!!!

Lisa, that’s exactly what I had hoped for. Don’t sweat the lost reply. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit the little X instead of the SEND button. I ususally snip the petinent parts of the quote for reference in my reply, but in this case that would be nearly the entire post. Talk about filled with info!

Funny coincidence, the name Cindy and I had settled on for our farm was “Greener Pastures”. Murphy’s book will be on order before the end of the night.

I have come across Salatin’s name before (probably in Backwoods Home, Back Home, GRIT, or something similar). I will be heading to his website right after this reply.

The grazing management thread isn’t exactly in keeping with the idea of draft animal power, but I think it fits quite nicely with the sustainable farming section. Maybe it could become it’s own section just like Sustainable Farming? I’m sure there’d be enough interest to justify that.

I didn’t know there was a name for it, a Holistic Approach. Maybe because of my emphasis on Biogeography (BS major) and Environmental sciences (minor) I have always believed strongly in the interaction of all facets of any farm operation, except CFO’s. It has always angered me that people running CFO’s can not see and accept the environmental impact of their operations on not only their own farms but the surrounding areas as well.

ACRES magazine will be getting a subscription tonight as well. What is your opinion of that Rural Heritage magazine?

I have to see if I can swing a day or two at PASA.

Thanks for taking the time to provide such a full and helpful response.

[Carl Russell]

Hey everyone, this forum has got to be about more than hooves and harnesses, so discussion about all aspects of a full rural land-based life are accepted and expected.

As far as creating another Category, I will suggest that you just start a Thread with an appropriate title, and keep it active. Categories are just loose general folders to keep the Threads organized in.

Sustainable Farming should be able to encompass animal power, pasture management, hand milking, and on-farm slaughter (or whatever).

Keep up the great effort. Carl

[earthwise]

Iron Mike –

I have only seen a couple issues of Rural Heritage, so cannot speak to its content. I do get Small Farmers Journal (smallfarmersjournal.com) and Farming Magazine (PO Box 85, Mt Hope, OH 44660, http://www.farmingmagazine.net). Both magazines are wonderful and tremendous resources. Farming Magazine is a relatively new magazine (about 7 years old) featuring articles by Gene Logsdon, Maurice Telleen, David Kline, Jim Van Der Pol, Wendel Berry and many more.

visit their websites and see if you want some more regular reading!

best to you,

Lisa McCrory
Earthwise Farm
Bethel, VT

[Anonymous]

I got my copy of Muphy’s Greener Patures yesterday. I didn’t realize there was so much to a pasture. Finished the intro and Chapter 1 so far. Reads more like some of my college textbooks than it does a “how-to” manual. But I’m counting on him to help me understand how to make a smaller parcel than I had hoped for work for what I want.

Also stumbled across Acres and Rural Heritage yesterday. TSC had a whole bunch of Draft Horse Journal sitting on the shelf, but I didn’t grab that one for now.

Found 40 acres for $89k; 20 cleared and 20 wooded. Off grid, no well, no perk, and no electricity. Fella must hink he’s sitting on gold. Just for the heck of it I asked if he’d hold a 10 year mortgage. Won’t hear back until sometime next week.

Off grid won’t be a deal breaker for me, but it was the last time he tried to sell this piece. I might just use that to drive his price down.

[Author]

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