Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

Lynda wrote:

> What is your obsession with green?  You don't need green grass 12 months of 
> the year to have viable pasture land that is perfectly capable of raising 
> lifestock!
>  
It's a fascinating notion, that agriculture carries on just as well 
without water as with.  My buddy has a book on Coos County soils.  As I 
recall it has fascinating tables indicating the number of "animal units" 
that can be produced on pasture from each soil type, in both irrigated 
and unirrigated conditions.  I remember a factor of 3 difference between 
the irrigated and unirrigated, in general.  Would you like more specific 
numbers?  I can look it up if you like.

So what you're talking about is just a matter of degrees.  On my very 
tiny place, the same productivity would not be possible if the same 
conditions prevailed as at the neighbors' higher, drier places.

> The rolling hills up and down the coast of California raise thousands of 
> head of sheep and cattle every year and they are NOT green.  The cattle and 
> sheep are NOT fed grain or ground up downers disguised as feed pellets. 
> They are grass fed and go straight to the slaughter yards or to the home 
> freezer.  They don't go to feed lots.
>  
Yes, that land in the photo warehouses steers, but it fascinates me to 
think you know what they're all fed.  And of course, it's all 
meaningless without some number of animal units per acre specified.

The grass on the higher spots simply hasn't grown any since July here.

> IF they seed the pastures, it is a combo of perenial rye, wild oat and 
> orchard grass.  That would be a DRY pasture seed combo.  Grows green with 
> spring rains and continues to grow WITHOUT rain up to haying time in August.
I've never seen grass grow without water.  We could have had that for a 
lawn in S. California?

Bill
S. Oregon coast