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Homestead Paradise: got barren land, boosted it at a profit

Kirsten Dirksen・48 minutes read

Three families collaborated to purchase a 110-acre property for sustainable agriculture, implementing alley cropping and biomimicry techniques with a focus on perennial crops and diverse ecosystems. The farm operates off-grid, utilizing natural processes, animal contributions, and genetic selection to promote sustainability, profitability, and environmental preservation.

Insights

  • The farm utilizes a diverse ecosystem approach, incorporating animals, plants, and natural processes to enhance sustainability and profitability while promoting biodiversity and environmental preservation.
  • By implementing biomimicry techniques, such as alley cropping and selective breeding for disease resistance and productivity, the farm aims to maximize natural processes, minimize labor costs, and create a resilient agricultural system that operates off-grid, emphasizing self-sufficiency and ecological balance.

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Recent questions

  • What farming techniques were used on the property?

    The families utilized agricultural biomimicry, alley cropping, and transitioned from annual to perennial crops for cash flow.

  • How did the farm manage water distribution?

    Water was managed through channels and pocket ponds for even distribution across the property.

  • What animals were present on the farm?

    Cattle and pigs were present on the farm, contributing to fertility cycling, weed control, and pruning.

  • How did the farm generate electricity?

    The farm operated off-grid, generating electricity through solar panels for sustainable practices.

  • What was the focus of the farm's system?

    The farm focused on profitability through low labor costs, utilizing animals for various tasks and natural processes.

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Summary

00:00

Sustainable Farming: Families Transform Land for Profit

  • Three families pooled resources to afford land for a homestead life.
  • Purchased a 110-acre property with overgrown pasture.
  • Opted for agricultural biomimicry to mimic natural plant communities.
  • Implemented alley cropping technique with hazelnut shrubs and triticale.
  • Transitioned from annual crops to perennial crops for cash flow.
  • Harvested asparagus in alleys between chestnut trees for income.
  • Designed system with backbone species like chestnut, oak, hazelnut, and more.
  • Managed water through channels and pocket ponds for even distribution.
  • Encouraged amphibians on the farm for insect control.
  • Advocated for sustainable farming practices to preserve the environment and promote biodiversity.

16:18

Diverse farm system promotes sustainability and profitability.

  • Mulberry and raspberry plants are grown together, with elderberries in another row, forming a designed system where crops are easily accessible.
  • The property features a perimeter of dual-purpose trees, primarily American black walnut, spaced widely to allow sunlight for grass growth, which serves as animal feed.
  • Animals on the property, such as cattle and pigs, contribute to fertility cycling, weed control, and pruning, benefiting the trees and overall ecosystem.
  • The foliage and nuts of black walnut trees act as a parasiticide, aiding in controlling intestinal parasites in cattle and pigs.
  • The property is managed as an ecosystem, ensuring resilience in case of crop failures, with diverse elements providing natural pest, fertility, and disease control.
  • Grazing animals like cattle and pigs help control diseases like apple scab by browsing low branches, preventing disease spread through rain splashes.
  • Pigs in the apple orchard during the "June drop" eat fallen fruit, reducing pests and aiding in fertility, while cattle contribute to disease control and fertility.
  • Maintaining tall grass around apple trees helps deter sucking insects and diseases, while providing habitat for ground-nesting birds that aid in pest control.
  • The farm's system, though not maximizing fruit yields per tree, focuses on profitability through low labor costs, utilizing animals for various tasks and natural processes.
  • The farm operates off-grid, generating electricity through solar panels and collecting rainwater for household use, emphasizing self-sufficiency and sustainability.

30:54

Enhancing Tree Genetics for Sustainable Forestry

  • The system involves breeding for enhanced natural selection, mimicking nature's process of producing genetically superior trees.
  • Planting higher density seedlings, not grafted or cloned, to allow pests and diseases to naturally affect the trees.
  • Identifying trees with American chestnut genetics and chestnut blight to select for resistance to diseases like chestnut blight.
  • Selecting criteria based on early and heavy nut production, along with resistance to chestnut blight, to concentrate desirable traits in the gene pool.
  • Planting trees at a density of about 4,000 stems per acre, aiming for grass growth underneath and increased photosynthetic productivity.
  • Utilizing woody debris from tree removal for mushroom cultivation, enhancing the ecosystem's productivity.
  • Managing a young chestnut forest with a variety of crops like zucchini, buckwheat, onions, squash, and pumpkins.
  • Implementing alley cropping with chestnut trees to promote genetic selection for productivity and disease resistance.
  • Encouraging the saving and planting of apple seeds to discover new apple varieties naturally adapted to the environment.
  • Employing selective harvesting and coppice forestry techniques to manage the forest, ensuring sustainable timber production and ecosystem health.

44:35

"Sunlight promotes ash growth, hickory emerges"

  • Ash trees favor growth in sunlight, leading to the emergence of hickory trees in shaded areas.
  • The fastest-growing tree in a canopy competition survives, with others removed periodically for years of harvesting.
  • A coppice technique involves selecting the straightest, tallest tree to maximize space and light for growth.
  • Hazelnut cultivation has expanded, with a grower-owned company now processing and marketing hazelnuts.
  • Transforming agricultural land into diverse ecosystems can increase real estate value and attract hunters, showcasing edible plants and mushrooms.
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