Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

There are some tree farms and large logging company owned pieces of land
that "rent" goats and sheep from local ranchers to keep down the chance of
wild fires due to brush and high weeds.  Some resevoirs "rent" goats and
sheep to keep the weeds and grass down, also.

We ran our sheep in a couple of orchards in Sonoma County.  The guy that
owned them was elderly (90) and his family didn't feel it was safe for him
to use the tractor anymore (it was hilly) and the orchards were fenced.  The
orchards were a better bet for lambing than our large pastures because he
had 5' fencing that was dog proof.

Ya never know, if you present it to them right they just might "hire" your
critters.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>
To: Homestead mailing list digest <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 10:11 PM
Subject: [Homestead] Other legal entities' land


> I was going to say other people's land, but the nearby tree farm is
> actually owned by a corporation.
>
> My buddy who keeps goats takes them all along the old railroad tracks.
> It keeps the track free of weeds and takes advantage of the unlimited
> supply of willow that grows in the valley bottomland.
>
> I often fret that this is the biggest piece of land I'll ever own, in
> all likelihood, but I've been thinking along these lines.  Once the beds
> and compost bins are all built, and I'm no longer having to waste time
> and energy every summer day on building infrastructure, I could actually
> entertain something as pointless and relaxing as going for a walk with
> the livestock.  It's pretty easy to cross over into the tree farm that
> borders our property.  There's absolutely no one down there to care.
> The trees are over 12 feet tall, so there's little danger of their being
> harmed, since they're conifers.  The only noticeable effect to the
> owners will be that weeds like poison oak and cascara and berry vine
> might decrease along with the grass that grows among them, and that the
> trees might receive a little fertilizer.  I can't really find much wrong
> with this plan, except for having to play shepherd for a few hours each
> day.  I wonder if anyone else has the same thing going for them just
> over the property line.
>
> Bill
> S. Oregon coast
>
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