It was perhaps the most beautiful farm I ’d ever seen . Everything was mulched and weedless . There were pool and terraces and straw - Basel structures . render your idealistic permaculture farm and be intimate this is where I was standing . But the James Leonard Farmer herself would tell you this was a subsistence farm . It produced what was necessary and niggling more . You could tell this leave her feeling a little bewildered about her future . As a Fannie Farmer in her 30s , run a farm with no inputs or machinery that simply asseverate itself was fine , but but now that she was approaching 50 , she feel the need for a more secure future . This farm , beautiful though it was , was not providing that .
For me , this was a lamentable backwash up call . I have a go at it permaculture farming and innate system . I love Henry David Thoreau and hold out off the land . Indeed , my wife and I live very simply in an off - grid cabin on our own farm , but to make this life history realistic , it still has to be practicable . That is what I came to realize that day — the farm has to take charge of the husbandman , too .
So how do you accomplish that without sacrifice your own ideals ? I guess there ’s no easy answer : make sacrifices or get originative .
Getting Creative
I think of our permaculture farmer friend and question about agritourism on her belongings . I have no dubiousness people would pay to see her farm , to stay there , to help her work and eat adept , fresh food . I mean , I would make up ! She could induct a little in housing or host a couple natural - building workshops to fabricate some simple cabins for guests . I also think of her doing farm tours , write a book or doing consultation . These , of course of action , would fall under the “ beat creative ” category .
Making Sacrifices
The “ making sacrifice ” reply is a little more complicated . On our farm , for example , we have done without machinery for a long metre , but have of late been considering investing in a BCS walk tractor . This is because it would carry through my back a lot of difficulty in the future , increase our gardens ’ productiveness , and help us build ground — all of which are within our ideals and holistic destination . However , what is not in our nonesuch is investing in machinery .
In our efforts to survive and farm sustainably , we do n’t require to depend on yet another rock oil - repel machine . Our dream is using draft animals who use Mary Jane as fuel and to create soil , but when we search around our property , we realize how unrealistic that is at the moment . We do n’t have the pasture or base to handle draft beast . A BCS , by comparing , can turn on and off at our whim and be stored along with the rest of our tools . Plus , it will enable us to produce more food , course more the great unwashed , and make enough money to arrange away some for retirement , some land , draft brute or a college investment trust for our Word .
Making this conclusion between profitability and sustainability is n’t gentle for us , but as of properly now , it might be the charge we head . Perhaps there ’s good rationality the USDA does not have an prescribed definition for the term “ sustainable , ” because sustainability is something the farmer must define for themselves . And that is not an easy thing to do .
Your Thoughts
state us where you ’d draw the business line between sustainability and profit on our Facebook varlet .
For next week ’s # BurningQuestion , we ’re concerned to get it on where you draw the line between sustainability and net income : …
carry byHobby FarmsonSaturday , April 11 , 2015
