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[Rob <becida AT comcast.net>]

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Date:   Thu, 21 May 1998 18:11:49 -0400
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From: tvoivozd <tvoivozd AT roanoke.infi.net>
To: homestead AT listserv.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Re: No Tillage
References: <4726eea7.356466a0 AT aol.com>
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FranksFarm wrote:

>
>
> But the amount of labor required for commercial scale operations is beyond
> most small scale farmers...that's why most such operations seem to have a
> complement of specialized machinery matched to their needs.
> Believe me I'd rather keep machinery use and investment small!
> The problem is I need to find a way for the property/farm to pay for itself,
> and sustain us in a modest, simple lifestyle with our killing us(BG).
>
> I'm trying to work out a plan to plant alternative type plants and crops not
> widely grown, and yet in sufficient quantity for sale to processors,
> wholesalers etc.
> For me the concepts of multi-use , edible landscaping, polyculture, forest
> farming etc. are all systems I hope to employ. Sure it will take 
time, but one
> must be patient, and build one stone at a time.
>
> Seems many of us are trying to do the right thing. But like Lynn 
said we need
> detailed accounts of how people we admire, and want to imitate are actually
> accomplishing these things. Thus we can all benefit by sharing our findings
> and failures.
>
> I know many successful organic growers who have quite a complement of
> machines. And so I feel torn between my aversion to the use of too 
much iron,
> and my limited available labor. Look forward to your comments .  Best wishes
> to all. frank

tvoivozhd>>>the best known large-scale, one-man (and enormously successful)
no-iron operation is Gordon Hazard's 1500 to 2500 head cattle operation in
Mississippi.  He has no employees whatsoever, and his sole piece of iron is a
pickup truck. (I think he must have a portable corral and loading 
chute but maybe
he hires that too)  He uses contractors to haul his cattle and 
install fence.  At
last count he does absolutely nothing in the way of liming or fertilizer.

Until the past couple years he operated exclusively on leased land 
and of course
had to have access to a lot of it, though the long growing season in 
Mississippi
reduces the amount necessary vis-a-vis most other states.

The costs of running grass-fed beef cattle are few, are well-known, are
controllable, easy to project, and you can lock-in a profit by selling futures
contracts (if you have a lot of cattle---otherwise it is an uncertain gamble).

Other products usually depend more heavily upon retail marketing 
skills, marketing
practices and learning less familiar tree-crop/shrub-crop permaculture.

Now that traditional slavery has fallen out of fashion, and where all or most
income must derive from farm agricultural pursuits(not intellectual property
administered from a farm-office, or product-line from a workshop as 
farm-factory),
mechanical slaves are about the only real economic option.

To minimize an unavoidably heavy initial cost and contract the period without
income between planting and first harvest, preparation has to be 
large-scale and
moving very fast.  That means heavy iron.  It is possible to resell 
preparation
iron after its necessity is past.  Except in something like citrus 
groves where it
is common for a prime contractor to perform all necessary operations for the
grove-owner), the crop maintenance and harvesting iron may always be with you.

The sole alternative to too-expensive, sometimes impossible-to-obtain labor, 
or
very-expensive maintenance and harvesting machinery is to eliminate manual and
machine crop maintenance, eliminate manual and machine harvesting, and harvest
with hogs who don't care if there are worms in their lunch.

There are  pro's and con's to that too (more pro's in my opinion, not many
employees will work day and night, no vacations, no stock options and with a
pretty murderous retirement plan)---when the mulberries, chestnuts, 
honey locust
pods and acorns are all eaten and if none have been stored, the hogs 
must be sold
quickly.

Though they are certainly trying hard, so far the giant 
hog-factory/packer cartels
have not made it impossible for small producers to sell hogs at 
wholesale, and of
course even if they succeed there is the option of successfully competing with
them at the supermarket counter in the organic foods section, or in 
route sales to
high rise apartment buildings, retirement homes etc.

There is the Joel Salatin model for small-scale meat production and 
retail sale,
and the larger scale and very successful Laura's Lean Beef found in 
numerous East
Coast supermarket meat counters.
 http://www.laurasleanbeef.com/