permaculture

[seaseal <seaseal@got.net>]

I'd like to chime in on restoring soil quality with or without  
animals. I've been working on my extremely depleted soils for more  
than ten years. I do not have any sheep, goats, or other four-legged  
ones (the cats don't count), but I have chickens.

I collect food scraps and excess products from orchards and farms. I  
put this through the chicken compound first, and then it goes through  
worm bins. When added to the soil, the worm castings are rich in biota  
that help make the soil fertile with great tilth.

If people are feeding cattle, sheep et al with conventionally grown  
grains, they may be introducing seeds they don't want into their  
system. The biota also may have been exposed to chemicals and might be  
resistant to natural controls, such as soil biota.

Those are my main concerns for using four-legged animals.

Cecile
seaseal@got.net

Unrealistic expectations are planned resentments.