FARMING Katja/tractors/hay/nature/soil

[Guest guest]

@@@@@@@@ Katja:

> the part that you're missing in that equation is where you're

getting the

> hay.

@@@@@@@@@@@

okay, let's roll up our sleeves here. WHY do you need a tractor

(machine or animal)? if it's just for hay, WHY do you need hay? why

do all that work when the animals can just eat it off the ground?

maybe this sounds naive, but i'm thinking of the millenia before

agriculture and how well animals survived without hay. maybe

choosing winter-hardy breeds is part of the equation?

Katja, since your farming venture is a product of idealism, not

circumstance, why compromise with these modern farming methods

instead of going all the way with biodynamic, natural farming?

this whole tractor thing sounds icky.

also, as far as the comments about pigs and chickens tilling the

land, is this good? being fresh from that wonderful article Allan

posted yesterday, why perpetuate " catastrophic agriculture " ? why

kill the soil? why not use a no-tillage, no-cultivating, direct-

seeding methods with ground cover, etc? i'm very new to these ideas,

but I get the impression the no-till method is very well established.

I believe there's a whole thriving movement based around this stuff,

with " permaculture " as an umbrella term of sorts, so I'm wondering if

these trains make any stops near your station?

i like Heidi's idea--just make sure the fences ain't broke, and kick

back and sing songs, write poetry, post to email groups, slaughter an

animal once in a while, harvest veggies and eggs fresh everyday, milk

the cows/goats/sheep/elephants/whatever everyday, do kimjang every

fall...

sounds like good farming to me...

by the way, the first time i ever saw a cow in person was one year

ago, so don't get the impression i'm a farming expert (i bet a lot of

people got that impression, eh?)

Mike

SE Pennsylvania