Stephan Quintavalli

Well, no one else responded in over six years....

I do know that soay sheep actually shed their wool and there are some US breeders here.  You seem to have more info on the French sheep, which is good.  Another little sheep, the Cameroon sheep, has been imported to Europe and used to mow lawns and become pets.  They are hair sheep so don't really have a fleece to sheer....but they are little and have similiar markings as the Barbados blackbelly and American blackbelly.  Having an ADHD moment now.....Nigerian dwarf goats can have the same markings which to me is neat.  I would like to have Cameroon sheep and Nigerian dwarf goats so they can be together, with the same or similar markings and size.  ADHD moment over.

Mike Haasl wrote:I think your temperature, humidity and precipitation needs have to be figured out first.  If you like a good hard winter, or hate it when the temp is over 90, the answer lies somewhere above the 40th parallel or at elevation.  If you love a hot muggy summer and a gentle winter, head to the South East and South.  If you like it dry, aim for the west but away from the ocean.  You can homestead in all of these conditions but only if you like it there.

Gail's post about Oklahoma sounds wonderful.  If you like those conditions.  I hate the heat (Wisconsin is bad enough) so I would never live there.

I agree with you a million percent.  You have to pick the climate you like.  I am currently in Miami, FL and i despise it to the very essence of my being but some people love to take bath's, daily, in their own sweat...I don't.  We like drier air or at least where the temperature is low enough that the humidity is not that much of a factor.  My initial weather desires lead us to eastern Washington and northern Idaho but the social situation is changing as I type and that has put us back to searching again.  

There is more than climate.  Laws, the laws are important.  Maine is one of the few state you can raise Red deer and fallow deer and even elk.  I was surprised as I figured it would be very liberal but that isn't the case (as someone stated earlier concerning their gun laws). Both northern Idaho and Maine have trout and salmon, that was important.  I do like to see some deciduous trees for the foliage and Maine has a lot...plus lobsters (with claws...we have spinney lobster here but no claws).  The decor and general views in Idaho are more alpine and western while Maine seems more colonial and Victorian.

Oh utilities...Maine has the cheapest electricity in the nation, so I read.  Also, taxes...Maine uses tax money for roads, no surprise, but you are more likely to have a hardball road to your property than out west.....that is a plus to us.

Galen Young wrote:My last duty station where I retired was Naples Italy.

Returning stateside we decided to settle in Maine.

Most of the nation suffers from repeated droughts or 'water-stress', Maine has no such issues.

Most of Maine is rural and it is over 92% forest. I bought two forested parcels, one of which was marketed for $350/acre.

There is a sub-culture here pushing for 'Food Sovereignty' [which gives all land-owners the right to sell whatever you grow on your land]. It keeps USDA inspectors out of the process, if you grow carrots you have the right to sell your carrots, and I as a customer I have the right to buy your carrots.

Most townships here lack building inspectors. I was able to build our house myself. Our building permit came with a certificate of 'self-inspection and completion' for me to sign when I was done building it.

Maine has always been among the top 5 states for gun rights. We have a constitutional right to Open Carry and to Conceal Carry.

The 'snow-belt' region downwind from the Great Lakes is known for snow storms that can dump many feet of snow in a single storm. This region is basically "Grand Rapids-Detroit-Cleveland-Toronto-Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse-Ithaca-Scranton-Albany-NYC-New Haven-Hartford-Springfield-Worcester-Providence-Manchester-Boston".  Not very much of Maine dips down South into that region. Here in Maine we may get that quantity of snow spread out over the course of the entire winter, a couple inches one week, a couple inches the next week, and so on. Maine gets a lot of summer tourists from the snow belt. They think we are heroic for living here since we are North of them, they think we must get 10X more snow than they get. But they forget that we are not in the snow belt.

Wow, when i opened this page it was because i was wondering if we are looking at the right place, which was Maine.  Then i see the second post and it is about Maine!  I am in Miami, FL now at USSOUTHCOM HQ and our command Sergeant Major just retired and is heading to.....Maine.  We had initially bought land in northern Idaho but the price of everything is going out of control due to all the Californians moving in.  So, we sold it and are looking elsewhere and I stumbled upon Maine.  We watch the Maine Cabin show on TV and i always wondered about codes, etc.  Anyway, I think Maine is a good place....you will have a short growing season but that is ok.

Josh Garbo wrote:In my situation, the deer can't really get a running start, so I'm not worried about them clearing the slash.  In your case, maybe the slash would stop the deer from seeing into the property?

I'm hoping it would block line of sight and possible provide enough browse on the outside to keep them satisfied as well.

Josh Garbo wrote:I use slash to make a brush pile "fence" (about 4' wide, 4' high) along 400 feet of property boundary for animal habitat, combined with four foot mesh wire fence and some shrubbery.  Then I will also have an instant trellis for berries.  If deer make it over that, I will just put up a 6-7' high wire between trees.

I'm hoping that strong fishing line strung at 2' and 6' heights between trees and T-bar posts will deter deer along other more open borders.  So far I've done well nailing large staples into (deciduous) trees.

In my climate, most deciduous trees (like hawthorne, mulberry, hazel, hazelnut, or apple) can be coppiced and used for traditional English-style hedge-laying.  That is my future project.

Hmm, interesting.  I could put up an initial exterior fence and then push the slash up on it and box it in with a second, interior fence.  But I am assuming it needs to be 4' wide to keep deer from jumping across.  

Mike Jay wrote:This year I tried out a cheap-ish fencing option and it's worked to keep the deer out of my food forest.  I'm not sure if it would work for elk.  Here's a link to my remesh fence without posts.  They say deer won't jump two 4' fences that are 4' apart.  Maybe elk won't jump two 5' fences that are 5' apart?  With this design, the two "fences" can be as far apart as you want.  The fence can weave around trees (and even be attached to them if you want).  If the perimeter doesn't have corners I don't think it needs any posts.

Just a thought.  Maybe it would last long enough to get your living fence plants established...

Thanks for the update....theft is a big concern for me as well as we experience all to often here in Miami....

I thought of using a lower cattle panel type fence for the outside fence and putting about a 3 gap before installing the second fence that would be even higher.  I figured I would grow willows, osage orange and a variety of thorny berry bushes to fill it out.  This would make a great barrier for predators and provide forage for the deer on the outside and goats on the inside.....but it looks like i need to space it further out to 4'.  I hope the root system of all those plants would make it more challenging to coyotes as well...plus the dogs should be alerted to their digging.  I am so greatful for everyone sharing their ideas and experience, this is what the interwebz is for!

Todd Parr wrote:It's very odd to me that this doesn't kill the trees.  I guess since the cambium is intact on one side it stays alive?  I think I'll give this a try on some willows I have in that same area and see how well they do.  In my experience, if you can kill a willow, you're apt to kill any plant you touch

I didn't know willows were so hardy, good to know as I have a brown thumb...and willows are, to me, one of the most beautiful trees out there.  I love quaking aspen as well.  Even better that you can make them into a living hedgerow!

This is so incredible! I have 10 acres in kootenai county, Idaho, very close to you but we just bought it two months ago and our first priority is to fence it.  I am very concerned with large predators (bears and cougars) as I know they are there...google Athol, ID to see the grizzly and cougar issue this summer. I struggled with how to put in a fence to keep deer out and sheep/goats in as week.  Nothing I could think of, that I thought was feasible, exsisted until I saw this post! I do plan on planting to provide for the wild life as well since I am taking some of their habitat, which you are doing too.

Like you, I have a few more years before we totally relocate. Our move is not so time based but event driven....but those triggers should be met in about 2-4 years...I prefer the later time estimate but my wife wants to go now, lol.

I am so grateful to you all for sharing your wisdom! I can't explain to you the excitement I experienced when reading the posts, crazy, huh?  To think 10 years ago I would have never looked at this, how things change!

...and that is why they are called a Murder of Crows and not a flock!  Anyway, I am surprised to hear they can take down sheep...I'm assuming it was a new born lamb?