Andrew McDonald

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since Feb 01, 2017
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Recent posts by Andrew McDonald

I rotationally graze sheep and goats and cows and donkey all together as a "flerd", my paddocks are about an acre each.  I do not separate males from females, and they all seem to breed once a year and lamb / kid all within a week or two in the Spring.

Recommend get your fence and watering set up before you get livestock. Consider "triangular jump gates" for your LGDs so they can access all parts of your farm. But move their food in a live-stock proof feeding sled with an automatic dog kibble feeder (weather-proofed of course)

Also recommend getting experiencedLGDs before the livestock or very soon after getting livestock. Do no be tempted raising LGD puppies yourself with at least one adult experienced LGD to teach them and discipline them.  Believe me, we learned the hard way, when I tell you to happily pay $1000 to $1500 per dog  for a mature farm experienced/ trained LGD. It might be a year and a half before puppies are reliable and mature / brave enough to fully take on an LGD role. And you are MUCH better off having at least 2 mature dogs, more if you can afford it. We have Great Pyrennes.  We have been through 2 adopted fully grown pyrennes with sub-optimal backgrounds... again dont waste your time and try the "cheap" route of adopting from the dog pound or Pyrennes (or other LGD Bbreeds) rescue places. Im sure there be some who disagree with me, but these are MY experiences. In the future we will bite the bullet and shell out the $1500 for a good proven LGD from a trusted source.
5 months ago
For perennial food plants I would  start my focus on understory shrubs and trees: Dogwood, Spicebush, Chinquapin, Appalachian PawPaw, Blueberry, etc.. Then Id shift my focus to canes and vines: Wild Grapevines, Blackberries, wild Raspberries etc.. Then Id look at starchy tubers and yams.
6 months ago
Find and tap into Foundations for Farming in Zimbabwe. Make a real difference. https://youtu.be/jEtkjv3B8SU?feature=shared
10 months ago
Enzymes in wood render most of the bacteria accumulation concerns, mute.
10 months ago
How would one separate the seeds from the fruit?  I have access to muscadines with huge seeds, but extracting them one grape at a time is tedious and not a seriously viable way of extracting then from the clingy fruit meat. So how is it done? Fermentation of the fruit meat  maybe?
11 months ago
PawPaws are growing in one of my orchards. I WANT to love them… but I don’t.  On the surface they taste delicious, but deep down there is something about the taste / smell that warns my body to be careful. Listen to your body’s signals.
1 year ago
To Mark, Hi!
Would really like to get stuck into coppicing Alder and Willow around my pond this coming Spring. Throw us a bone and float me a book on how to do it?
Red.
1 year ago
Ginko… preferred anti viral, anti bacterial, anti any bug  spray using the Korean Natural Farming / JADAM system. Make a tea using Ginko berries and leaves. Spray the tea on farmed plants. Tea lasts in barrels for years.
1 year ago
Use a cement mixer, much more efficient than by hand which takes forever. This nut has already been cracked folks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4-bwW8PWI0
1 year ago