I second the importance of community. I've stumbled onto some survivalist and emergency prep blogs and message boards because I am mildly interested in the area- ever since the atrocities that accompanies hurricane Katrina, which happened right before my first was born, I've realized the importance of being able to provide for and protect my children in the case of an extreme emergency- and the attitude on most of them is absolutely astonishing. I've read of several "survivalists" who do nothing but stockpile guns and ammo because their plan is, in an emergency, to simply take what they need from others who had the foresight to stockpile. I think that kind of attitude is appalling. Too many people, especially those concerned with preparing or with being self sufficient, are still infected with this individualist mentality. The people with the stockpiles of guns will probably survive the short term, but if there is ever a long term situation (and I don't really believe there will be, but I also know there could be- I've studied history
enough to know that) it will be those who form interdependent communities who survive and thrive.
I'm not saying I'm doing a great job of this myself- I'm kind of a hermit. I have a close neighbor who pretty much shares my views of things, but many other neighbors I don't talk to much. But I do agree that if you want to be self sufficient (as in eliminating corporate inputs) you don't have to learn everything- focus on a few things first, and see which of your neighbors can fill in the blanks. I am nowhere near self sufficient (maybe 50/50... although it might not even be that as I don't raise any of my own grain) and I feel like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything I need to do- simply preparing and preserving food probably takes up 30% of my waking time. I only have
chickens, so caring for them on a daily basis only takes me about an hour total (except for when I need to clean the coop or something). So far as food production I strongly recommend you check out
Gaia's Garden as said above- it's a really simple intro to
permaculture. Among other things, I love the idea of nearly no-maintainence food production. A traditional vegetable garden can be pretty work intensive, but the
permaculture model, other than the initial work of planting and caring for the young seedlings and plants, provides food with very little work. I just got into permaculture myself and still have a traditional (well, it's
raised bed no till at least- a little easier) vegetable garden which I have worked for 3 years now- it's about 50'x60' and from pretty much now until August I spend 90% of my day working on it either directly or indirectly- planting, weeding, mulching, digging pathways, moving
compost, starting seedlings, planting cover crops, preserving food (which is an animal unto itsself- I love doing it, but preserving food takes a LOT of time), prepping cold storage, harvesting, sorting... There is always something.
I second the chickens as being higher on the list than sheep- they are super simple to keep, the only real complication being keeping them safe from whatever predators are in your area, which can differ widely. But depending on the quality of your pasture, if you get the right breed (I recommend a heritage breed specifically suited to your climate- don't go for the traditional bird, not even the more common ones like barred rocks. Go with something more suited to the Southwest, like cubalaya, jungle fowl, or something similar- look for a slim bird with a very large comb, as the comb is the main way a chicken cools itself) you can raise them with little to no outside input of
feed. You may need to buy some at first, especially when they are chicks, but it is also relatively easy to grow feeds for chickens- they like pretty much any of the small grains, and if you feel the need to add protein (which you may need to depending on your housing situation- they need less if they're pastured/free range, more if they're in a permanent run) you can raise worms or soldier flies for them. In fact, in Harvey Ussery's "The Small Scale Poultry Flock" he even recommends maggot feeding- he puts a freshly killed animal (has to be fresh, old carcasses can carry botulism) in a 5 gallon
bucket with large holes drilled in the bottom, and stuffs the area around the carcass with leaves (mostly to cut down on the smell). He then hangs the bucket where his chickens can have access to the falling
maggots. I know most people would react to this by saying "gross," but I think it's pretty ingenius, and an essentially free way to increase your chickens' protein.
Sorry, I got a bit off topic:)
Also, so far as grain production goes, make sure you plan and budget for equipment as needed per your site. If I were to be in your shoes I would get a horse and horse drawn equipment and use a hand scythe, but I'm a bit of a masochist:) But grain would also be the last thing I attempted. Granted, I live in MN not TX, so our climate and soil is very different, but I would grow potatoes instead of grain (along with a flock of guineas to keep the potato beetle population manageable), at least for the first few years while I got my other systems established.
Just food for thought- I strongly encourage what you are doing. It can be very gratifying. Just remember that we can all give you advice until we're blue in the face, and you should even heed some of it, but you will know what is best for your site and situation much better than we do. Good luck!
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