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Post by oliverman on Sept 9, 2019 23:15:20 GMT -5
Some of you might enjoy some current photos. My sheep and goats have just started grazing a cover crop mixture planted 5 1/2 weeks ago after wheat was harvested. It is a mixture of Sudangrass, buckwheat, soybeans, sunflowers, and turnip greens. In the first picture, there are 51 adult ewes, 68 lambs 4-5 months old and 18 goats within 30 yards of the camera. Second picture is 28 hours later. They're eating 1/3 of an acre per day. If the warm weather holds out, there should be regrowth enough to graze again in a month. This is a prime example of how ruminant animals can increase the total food production per acre without taking land from grain production.   |
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Post by gianna on Sept 9, 2019 23:54:02 GMT -5
Cool! I've been watching a great number of videos and learning how ruminant animals can be very effective when rotated within a cover crop/cash crop setting. 'They' were saying that grazing animals can double the rate of increasing the organic matter in the soil, ...and basically was how the natural grasslands were sustained pre-tillage. I can't have animals in my garden, but the whole subject of regenerative agriculture is exciting. oliverman , do you have any idea if there are increasing numbers of farmers switching over to this method of farming coupled with animals? I watch videos and panels and workshops, and there seem to be many more of them on YouTube than just a couple years ago. Is this technique spreading? it seems so hopeful. |
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Post by oliverman on Sept 10, 2019 0:37:43 GMT -5
gianna, increasing, yes. Is it becoming common? Not yet. Double of a very small number is still very small.
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Post by Mumsey on Sept 10, 2019 3:53:19 GMT -5
oliverman, They are well hidden! Great job on your farming practices. ( 
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Post by lilolpeapicker on Sept 13, 2019 4:37:09 GMT -5
In the first picture, there are 51 adult ewes, 68 lambs 4-5 months old and 18 goats within 30 yards of the camera. There are? Amazing! |
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