Homestead mailing list

["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw AT chilitech.net>]

From: "Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>
> ***You weren't talking about artificial means such as irrigation.  And
it
> isn't soil type, it is a combination of soil (type, quality, quantity)
to
> rainfall (annual, seasonal) to climate (humidity, fog, degree and
intensity
> of heat) with the RIGHT type of pasture mix grasses plus the animal(s)
> (type, age, number) to be grazed.  Any first year aggie student knows
that!

I haven't followed this argument, but Lynda is absolutely right. The
carrying capacity of the land changes with how the land is managed. Read
Allan Savory's work with 'brittle' environments...he transforms almost
barren land into pasture with only animal impact...it's all in the number
of animals and the length of time they are on the land (lots of animals
for a short period). A nice case study of converting desert to grassland
is at this site (with a link to a PDF file):
http://www.holisticmanagement.org/new_site_05/Case_hist/ch5_prosper_sonora.html

Lynn Wigglesworth
Peasant Farmer
Tioga County, PA