Oh my gosh, I just found a new favorite video on regen ag -- the why, the how, the stunning rewards of getting it right, and the dire consequences if we don't. In my opinion, Charles Massey is the most grounded and powerful spokesperson going for regen ag!
Take 25 minutes to watch this...
I didn't know where best to post this powerful documentary about how the reindeer herding culture of the Sami people, and the lands which they have stewarded for eons, are being threatened by development and climate change. Watch the video and maybe you'll agree that this nomadic herding culture...
I'm working on turning ag "waste" into fertility through creating Johnson-Su compost and by bale grazing with my sheep. (FYI, ewes are skillful workers in this fertility project, but lambs consider bales a combination playground and restaurant!)
Great question, John Steitz! Not enough water here now for beavers to survive -- but maybe the Field of Dreams approach will eventually change that: if you build it (beaver dam analogs), they (first water, then beavers) will come! ;)
I'm going to build beaver dam analogs to help restore a healthy water cycle in riparian zones, and small rock structures to help reverse erosion in dry coulees on my property. I love these techniques that can be done by hand, with materials on hand, a little bit at a time -- and that will pay...
Is anyone using waffle gardening techniques? In my Montana garden, soil biology and organic matter improve every year, but it seems like each year there's less rainfall for gardening. Groundwater isn't suitable for irrigation here. I have a rainwater capture system and some permaculture...
For the non-fiction competition:
The drought is so bad in my part of Montana that more than a few cattlemen are selling cows and buying goats and hair sheep. Some perennial grasses are droughting out, so here comes the weeds. When weeds are the main crop, it only makes sense to eat 'em rather...
When I listened to Dale's webinar yesterday, I decided to commit publicly (gulp!) to working on holding more water through building some beaver dam analogs, similar to what Dale called leaky weirs. Our drought in Montana is killing some big cottonwoods and they are right beside the creeks that...
The summer of 2021 set records in Montana for heat as well as drought. Many days over 90, and temps up to 113F. I raise natural colored wool sheep and noticed several things.
The amount of wool a sheep was packing didn't matter much -- longer woolled sheep didn't act noticeably different from...
I found the link to this at the Understanding Ag newsletter -- which is well worth signing up for! Here's how the Understanding Ag crew summarizes the video:
https://mailchi.mp/2a3521579f4f/understanding-ag-newsletter-march-4-16406642?e=479889336b
Hey, all you non-shepherds -- check out this article by the Noble Foundation about what sheep might do for your regenerative ranch. Of the seven reasons listed, I must admit that #6 is what keeps me knee deep in sheep, though #7 is why this makes good business sense too: