permaculture

[Rick Valley <bamboogrove@cmug.com>]

>> Just as a footnote to the discussion of large farm Pc, what are the best
>> books anyone would recommend on the subject?

P. A. Yeoman's books, the books & courses from the HRM folks, would top my
list. Hell, there's all sort of personnal development stuff in their
reference lists- talk about zone zero! There's fun insights to be had with
Gene Logsdon's "The Contrary Farmer" even if he's talking alot about being a
small fish among the big. And there's good stuff to find in biodynamics; I
found Steiner talking about the correct ratio of woodland to field and
pasture onetime... 
I haven't kept up on it, but touring the Worsfeld family farm on N. Island
Aotearoa (NZ) was a pretty good look at a big dairy farm permutating under
the guidance of Pc converts.
It's not that large means you can't do it; it's about imagination, and the
skill to carry the vision through. What seems to stop many large farmers
from changing is that they are running so hard to keep up they can't slow
down to change direction at all. I have been a part of large projects that
were attempted by non-farmers, and they couldn't do it because they didn't
have the skills (including physical fitness) to do it. There might not be a
way of making a living that demands more, and more varied, skills than
farming does. I think Sam Bingham's "The Last Ranch" is a fine book about
people trying to make a go of large scale; it's HRM, but plenty Pc, and a
good look at the wild reality of farming these days.
I know; I'm selling my 20 acres this week, which took me 20 years to get.
-Rick