Market Farming

[John Wages <jwages AT earthlink.net>]

Where I live, the biggest threat to small farms is development ---
shopping malls on prime farmland and new "country homes" subdivisions
that lead to higher land prices.  Yes, and don't forget new highways
that take our farmland and sometimes homes under the guise of eminent
domain.  Wildlife is in the same boat as the farmers.

Our farm is less than a mile from the Natchez Trace, a narrow wooded
corridor that runs a good part of the length of our state.  It connects
large undeveloped areas and farmlands.  Proximity to this relative
wilderness and encroaching urban sprawl from Tupelo means we have lots
of coyotes, raccoons, skunks, opossums, hawks, owls, feral cats, and
roaming dogs.  We have a family of coyotes living in a brush pile on the
other side of our pond, no more than a hundred yards from several
hundred laying hens.  We protect our chickens with electric fencing
powered by inexpensive solar chargers.  So far, this simple strategy has
been sufficient without demonizing predators in general or trying to
drive away the coyotes in particular.

Here in Mississippi, we once had black bear and mountain lions.  We no
longer have either bears or panthers in this part of the state.  Someday
Wal-Mart will be gone, and the black bear will return.  Then, I will
upgrade my fence chargers, watch the bears play on the pond bank, and
continue to enjoy living on the land ... if that new highway doesn't
come too close.

John Wages
Calceterra Farm
Tupelo, MS