Market Farming

["Dori Green" <dorigreen00 AT hotmail.com>]

Check with your county extension agent -- many states offer funding 
assistance to encourage rotational grazing pasture development (it might 
even be a federal program).  A rotational system can include a plan for some 
time spent by each field as a veggie garden!  A friend of mine got 50% paid 
by her county to put up about six miles of goat fence.

I use temporary fiberglass posts with four lines of electric tape powered by 
a $70 charger that runs on 4 rechargeable D batteries (stops most goats 
after I've baited it with peanut butter and foil, they don't bother it after 
a couple of tests).  After a test or two, I can hold horses in place by 
stringing yarn on the same posts.  They're beautiful but not as smart as 
goats.

Permanent woven fencing is going across the back side of my property and 
along both edges this year -- partly to contain the new LGD before I get it, 
mostly to deter those @^(*@^*% snowmobilers.  I'll section those with 
temporary electric to qualify the whole system for the county assistance.

For driving the big white locust posts, I hire the fencing guy.  $65 per 
hour for him and his crew and his $80,000 pneumatic truck.  Drill, place, 
whack and it's done -- about five minutes per post and could put that locust 
through concrete.  Which is a good thing; I've already told y'all about my 
land.  <G>



Dori Green
Ash Grove Community Farm
Corning, NY

http://www.ic.org/agrove

Intentional Community with local and long-distance members
Chemical-free fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers
Dairy and pack and draft goats
Free-range chickens, ducks, and geese (watch where you step)
Affordable housing cooperative
Regional farmer's marketing cooperative
Partnerships
Dried herbs and American-grown Black Tea by mail-order

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