Jonathan Brandt

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since Aug 01, 2012
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Recent posts by Jonathan Brandt

Nice idea. For me, a lot would be riding on what you mean by "timber sale." Typical logging practices are usually quite damaging to the watershed health. You need to be thinking 7 generations of community (if you're not already). Show me a plan for sustainable operation of a wood lot and I would tend to invest in the wood product. I'm not as interested in the recreation so much as the ecosystem services a healthy forest will provide. For more information check out:
http://www.nature.org/magazine/archives/beyond-the-timber-wars.xml
and
http://hylawoods.com/?page_id=73

good luck!
9 years ago
Have you looked into sunflower oil? It's produced domestically whereas macademia and coconut have long supply chains. I would love to support a product that's 100% produced in the same climate where it's sold.
11 years ago
Good responses and I'd just add: consider root zones and water needs of woody perennials when siting the annuals. On our urban lot space limitations mean that planting buffers are small, nonexistent or overlapping. Choose annuals that do not require major root zone disturbance. Proper cover-cropping should reduce the need to dig/till.
12 years ago
My question is: Are there examples of Amish farmers adopting or already using your techniques? What lessons, if any, have your drawn from indigenous cultures that once stewarded your land.
12 years ago
Interesting idea and I think it would work for a place like Marne, Iowa. I think it's also equally viable for like-minded permies to reach out to the others in their existing communities and work together to bring more awareness to the wonderful ways of food sovereignty and resilience. It happened in Willits CA before a large influx of people. The momentum generated attracted more permies.
I think it's more worthwhile to make changes in communities all over the country that to try to isolate and insulate in a remote corner of land. That is what groundswell is all about. When enough people all over the country become aware of and connected to each other, we will have lots of power. This starts by making connections and reaching OUT to transform neighbors and make small lasting changes in the community where you are. There are plenty of folks on this forum that are too isolationist. What's the result of that? You will be isolated from bad AND from good.
12 years ago
So how is keyline accomplished without a tractor? What are the draft animal options and human options (aside from digging swales by hand mentioned above)? In general, at what size acreage does the tractor and plow rental make economic sense? With a small holding and cheap labor what's a recommended technique for keyline?
12 years ago