Location: Vermont, USA Land: Many acres, mostly ledge & brambles, forested (maples, beach, ash, a few oaks) Nice east-facing slop. Mostly open to the South. Big pond near house, creek through pasture. Not much pasture. Zone 4-5 (US zones) Animals: 5 Cows (mini Belted Galloways) 7 Sheep (Black Welsh Mountain) 4 Turkeys (Royal Palm) 2 Pigs seasonally (Tamworth) Chickens (Chantecler) Tilapia (overwintering inside) Catfish (hiding in the pond) Bees (I’m just the landlord) 3 Livestock Guard Dogs (Great Pyrenees, Maremma, Pyr x Kuvatz) 1 Australian Shepherd Flora/mushroom: Garden Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries A few fruit trees Shiitake Morels (wild only) Goals for 2012: Reduce feed costs by 10%. More storage to take advantage of hay buying opportunities Plant productive trees (Honey locust, nuts apples) Start a few different living fences (Honey locust, Hawthorn). Open more land. Further divide pasture Broaden varieties of berries. More swales Hugelkulture/terrace in sheep paddock Solve cow muck problem
Well, the upload appears to have worked so here are a few more: The best shot of the pond: My 1st, very small attempt at a swale: Very successful so I widened it up:
CJ: Looks idyllic, especially the pond. How much land do you have? If I were $100,000 richer, I would have been attending UVM for their sustainable ag program. Have you been to Ben Falk's place? wholesystemsdesign.com
I went to a workshop at Ben's this summer. It was a real eye opener. Particularly the use of swales on hillsides, though I think he would've bust out laughing if he saw that first swale attempt. I don't have a tractor so I thought I was better off spending the money on mulch hay and getting some exercise with a pick ax. I have 125 acres but really just use the 2 or 3 around the house. I've been reading Tree Crops which I highly recommend. It's giving me all sorts of ideas.
Taking on student loans is a horrible idea, esp now. You can not discharge them in bankruptcy. But... having looked at your blog I have a suggestion. See if you can get an AmeriCorps position in Vermont. You'd learn an awful lot about NGOs and maybe become a resident of Vermont which would get you something like half off tuition at UVM. Also, 5K educational grant. I did a year with AmeriCorps (already lived in VT) and felt it was worthwhile. Perhaps the peacecorps for you???
Well, it would have been an option for me if I were single. I'm moving to Finland this summer, for good. I couldn't keep pushing back when I'd go study agroecology anymore, so now I'm just trying to find work here in the States before moving. Once there, I'll work and save to take a PDC, volunteer in urban ag in Helsinki, and maybe even intern somewhere. I'm sure you'll be able to turn your family farm into something great!
