Leora Laforge

Thank you Keith . This is why I like permies. There is always someone who has found an unusual solution to a common problem. As soon as I can get field pea and buckwheat seed I will be trying this.

Thanks Douglas, I have been working at harasing it to death. I am not usually averse to using chemical either. But the thistle problem has been caused by chemical use, when sprayed the thistles just take a nap, but all the competition is killed off. I know I will never totally win, because there are fields 50 meters away.

Thanks Joylynn, that link is exactly what I was hoping for. Something to do with the plants as I endlessly dig them up

I have a ton of it. Can anyone suggest good uses for it? Or techniques to get rid of it?

I have no personal experience, but I do know that before scientists invented the industrial process of producing nitrogen fertilizer, there was a whole industry built around mining guano to apply to crops.
I would put up the bat houses over the garden. I would not be planting anything underneath that you would eat without cooking. I would also periodically take a rake and spread the guano out a little more so it doesn't burn anything too much.

Hi, I live nowhere near you, but we seem to have a lot in common.
I am a 26 yr old woman on my family farm in Sk Canada. I am also into holistic management, I did an internship a few years ago on a ranch that uses that system. Since then I enjoy working with cattle, horses and dogs.
Politically I am center-left, but since I am in Canada, not the states, you would probably just call me leftist. Everything you have listed as being of interest to you I also find interesting. I enjoy listening to folk music, but you never want to hear me singing. I am very into hiking and canoeing, I used to have a summer job where I took kids on multiday hiking and canoeing trips, the only reason I gave up on that is because it took up the whole growing season.
If you want to know more about me, pm me and I will give you my email.
Also I love the puppies and I happen to like the beard.

I deal with most waste on farm.
I feed a lot of food stuff to my chickens.
I compost what can be composted.
I have a burn barrel where a lot of stuff gets burnt.
What doesn't go that way will be a truckbox full to the municipal landfill once per year. They charge to take stuff, and it is a hassle, so taking something to the landfill is a last resort.
A big thing is too think before buying anything, will it wear out and have to go soon? Is there a bunch of obnoxious packaging? If so maybe don't buy it.

My experience is with horses not donkeys, but I would get those halters off as quick as they will let you. A horse can get a halter snagged and panic, ripping the skin off of most of it's face. I think donkeys are maybe a little smarter, so hopefully they won't do that.

I once got an untouched colt to accept a halter within 2 days by bribing it with a bucket of oats. Abused animals would take longer but the process would be the same. Try holding a bucket of oats, or other treats, in one hand. With the other hand you pet the neck and ears while it eats. It will probably pull away a lot at first, but eventually realize that the petting doesn't hurt. At that point you should be able to get the halter off. Keep doing the treats every day until they actually like you, and you can put on and take off the halter without problems.

Also try not to look directly at them, that is what predators do.

The standard treat would be oats in a bucket. That  would get them to come when they see you with a bucket. If you want to avoid grain, alfalfa or other legumes are good, not as exciting but definitely more interesting than grass. Root vegetables like carrots and beets are appealing as they are high sugar, easy to grow and store, and convenient to feed from your hand. Apples would be worth trying, especially if you have an apple tree or acess to one, horses usually love them cows probably would too.
Would this be dairy cows or beef cows? Beef cows should be fine on grass and hay. Dairy cows, especially if they are high producing might need grain to maintain their weight through lactation.

Yes it is possible. You will need something around your perimeter. There will be a bit of wandering. This will probably only work if you can have one large tract of land with multiple watering points.
You will then need either an extremely well trained herding dog, or horse, or both, salt would also help. You would plan out ahead of time where you want your herd\flock on each day. Then use your horse and or dog to move the stock where you want them. Once they are in the right place you reach the hard part, you need to settle them in that spot so they stay. You need to take the motion out of the herd, which means going to the front of the herd and turning some around, once they are all facing different directions and grazing they are settled. Having some salt in the middle of the area you want them in will attract them to that spot.
This idea is about replacing fences with extraordinary stockmanship, this is extremely difficult to find. With this system at no point should a cow, sheep or goat move faster than a walk. Herding dogs tend to create too much excitement for this to work. What is best for this is one person on an old horse.
If the stock do get excited and run the herds momentum will probably take them right past where you want them to stop.

Hello neighbour. I am about an hour east of Regina so that is probably pretty close to you. I have an old family farm that I am sort of trying to do something with. At the moment there is a lot of garden, a small flock of chickens, and a nice big coulee that only gets used for hiking in.
This winter I have a job taking care of other peoples horses at a boarding facility. So besides being neighbours we have some common interests too.