There are a number of inexpensive hotels in Blakely, around 10 minutes from White Oak. Seeing this operation from end-to-end and understanding Will‘s philosophy on resilience would be amazing if done in the cooler months!
Some people are moving away from Mono culture for pastures. They are planting a mix of grasses and legumes. I am not sure these can be cut and stored as hay, but they apparently improve soil and raise the protien levels for the animals eating them.
I own a small acreage that is leased to an organic polyface farmer. I get a few pounds of meat per acre, because the lease arrangement makes it so I dont have to mow etc. In the meantime the pasture quality is improving even though the cows are only there for a couple weeks a few time a year as part of a rotational grazing plan among some adjoining proerties.
Dolamite Lime is a very important soil addition here. For fast organic inprovement, people have a chicken manure spread. It only stinks for a few hours if the weather is right.
I mention these as keywords, there are likely articles contrasting the pros and cons of these ideas with other ideas and methods.
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@cmartenson I’m 100% dying to join you for a visit at White Oak Pastures! Ive been wanting to go for a few years (source most of my meat from there) to learn and apply to my homestead. Please let me know how I can get in on that awesome opportunity!
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Trying to make this transition is not going so well in France.
They are not helped by government red tape, nor by the industrial food supply chain that distorts supermarket choices.
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I swear, Chris, we must be twin brothers from different mothers! We are the same age, have similar scientific backgrounds (I’m a surgeon) and we moved to a 35 acre farm 3 yrs ago that had no organic matter due to hay being exported off the property for at least 15 yrs prior.
Over the last 18 months we added horses (3 mini, 1 full size) and 9 months ago we added 8 calves. Concurrently, I started sowing cover crops that the animals can graze and regraze and that also provide additional soil health. That might be a good option for you if you don’t want to risk importing treated hay to try to improve the soil.
The calves are owned by a guy who likes to do rotational grazing, so we move them from one pasture to another when conditions warrant. I like the fact that he set up the temporary electric fence, can identify problems early that I might not recognize, and fix them in a timely manner. (Even when we are out of town!) Our payment for leasing him the land is one cow.
If cattle aren’t an option for you, sheep might fit the bill. I’m considering getting some hair sheep (that don’t require shearing) in the near future.
Great guest, as always. Keep up the good work!
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The 4 acres where I live had its organic matter exported. We moved upyears after buying and were having a home built on the property. While shopping at the local gas station-hardware-feed store-giftshop-diner, the locals who sit in rockers outside engaged in conversation wherein I learned "oh, so you live or’ yonder where they sold the top soil after they sold the trees and burned the stumps. I still see bits of charcoal when I mow all these years later.
I decided it was cheaper to buy more land than to remedy the situation. I bought another 4.5 acres on a creek and a river that was previously a communal garden. There is a well, its flat, and has nice brown soil rich in organic matter unlike the hard red clay around my house. Its mostly in a flood zone and not inviting as a homesite so the price was low, for gardens ite supreme.
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Dang…that’s was a pretty good sized lamb. Or a small plate and knife
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Wow! If we ever compare notes, it sounds like it won’t matter if we accidentally go home with the wrong set!
CM
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I’m sure this place is great and I would like to order something, but they are sold out of a lot of things. You might have better luck with Wild Fork Foods. We just got a rabbit from there and a pheasant. We had the pheasant tonight, very good! They also have a wide variety of exotics, including kangaroo. Quick delivery, too. I think everything is frozen quickly, so it very fresh. This presents a good opportunity to try different meats before you invest in hunting them or raising them.
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