Ben Brownlow

Benjamin,
Thanks for the feedback, particularly on American / English style blades, which I admittedly have far less experience with. Looks like I know who to talk to for more context on them. Let me know if there's any sources on them that you recommend. I'll likely incorporate some of your feedback eventually, when harvest season eases up here.

Hey y'all,
I couple months back I wrote a document introducing folks to some of the basics of using a scythe: applications, use, history and lore, and a bit of encouragement. My goal was to make the basics feel more accessible to beginners, and prompt potential mowers to consider if this is the right tool for them. I just thought I'd share it here as a way to get it out there... my hope is that it becomes easy for folks to find. While I love a lot of the information, like Peter Vido's Big Book of the Scythe, I do find it a bit intimidating/esoteric for people just starting, so my goal with this guide was to be a bit more... democratic in how we welcome folks to the world of traditional skills. Take a look and let me know what you think! Revitalizing the Scythe

Hey y'all.
I'm located in Northeast Missouri, (5b) clay rich sidehill. I have been gradually establishing an integrated, livestock based "fruit and forage" land project for a 8 or so years now. There are many cedars on our land, too many to reasonably control. The nearest ones to my apple plantings pose a serious threat in terms of cedar apple rust. Still, I value the trees and have allowed many to prosper, because they provide awesome micro-climates and cover from aerial predators for our 100-150 bird mobile poultry flocks. Our cows, pigs, goats and working dogs all appreciate them for their shade, rain cover, etc...
Anyhow, I would like to find an analog to plant that would serve a similar function. I'd like trees that are evergreen, densely foliated, quick to establish, and appropriate for our location, soil, climate. Obviously, functions than that are always appreciated. We don't see very much pine or arbor vitae around, telling me that they're not well adapted.
Would probably make a goal of doing a few dozen mystery trees a year.
Your thoughts?
Thanks.

Hey y'all, I'm looking to begin measuring my soil carbon over time and am curious if anyone out there knows of any labs in the US that offer that service to individuals... our state extension does not. Thanks!

Howdy y'all- Ben here at Dancing Rabbit. Exciting to see us on Permies! Ya might be interested in knowing that DR is hosting our first PDC this summer, through Midwest Permaculture. Though as a community we've been slow to start into agricultural projects, we do have a couple of food forest projects, a silvipasture in development, many gardens across the community, a vineyard, hoophouse, and rotational grazing in effect. As a member of an agriculturally based subcommunity, we are always interested in having folks come through who share our interest in permaculture design. Here's a link to the PDC: http://midwestpermaculture.com/pdc-dancing-rabbit-ecovillage/ and another for my subcommunity at DR: Clawing our way to sustainable There are many, many opportunities to learn natural building here as well. I'm pretty sure we're the folks that Joseph sold grain to...

Howdy. We've been on the bucket humanure system for three years now and I'm thinking about switching to a moldering toilet design. My reasons are 1) transporting buckets of poop across our land to the composting site feels like a disease vector 2) I'd really rather be doing something other than hauling poop 3) our outhouse is outside, so when all our buckets are maxed out in freezing weather, I have to bring them inside for a day or so to be able to empty them. Of all the simple, low input-type composting crappers out there, the moldering design appeals most to me. I envision an open, ventilated pile that could be sealed off with glass or poly-carb in the cold months to encourage composting to continue. Anybody out there have experience or feedback on this type of simple, passive solar design? Ideally I could stack BSFL harvesting into this system as well. I also want to choose a design/location that nullifies any threat of ground water contamination. Holler at me, or better yet, post some images or plans you may have.

There's a pretty good book from the '50's called Weeds and What They Tell Us that I read at some point last year, or maybe the year before. The internet says that ACRES USA sells the book. Its probably cheaper than a soil test...

Been using chickens as my go-to rat composters. We just lay 'em out on a log and chop 'em a little with a hatchet before tossing the little bits in our barnyard with the table scraps.

We just drill holes in some chunks of oak and mounted the blocks under the southern eaves of our toolshed. After one season, mason bees began to move in. We get the chunks from a local pallet mill for free.

Forestfarm has one too, I believe. I'd love to get one of these for our chicken yard.