permaculture

[KAKerby@aol.com]

Right now that is the Big Question for us. It would be a huge jump for  us 
in terms of property size to be managed.  Just this year we finally made  
use of the entire rented portion; past years it's gotten away from us over 
the 
 course of the growing season.  But the rented portion is just 1/5 of the  
total farm size.  We've been invited to consider buying the whole  thing.  
WOW!  That's a heady invitation, and a staggering  responsibility.  And we're 
trying to make the first best use of our home  property, which is also a 
challenge.  There are always questions about how  to use/work the land now, 
vs 
how to manage it over time, and whether what we do  now is conducive to 
long-term goals.  Then there's the family we rent from  and all their inner 
political strife (present in any extended family), and the  historical aspect 
of taking over and working on a 100 year old working farm,  which in this 
area is amongst the older properties.  Really, really brings  the concept of 
"humble caretaker" to mind, knowing that we're inheriting someone  else's 
plans, and we'll do whatever we do, but inevitably leave things  unfinished 
for 
someone down the line.  How aquaponics figures into that, in  large part or 
in small part, is just one drop in the bucket of the issue in  general.  
Lots to consider.  We're on the fence between "too big a job  for us, sorry" 
and "if not us, who?"  The land calls to us to not let it be  taken over by 
someone who doesn't care about such things as trace mineral  balancing and 
rotational grazing and water quality and the sight of egrets  flying low and 
slow over the wetlands.  THAT is the context that I try to  fit our 
aquaponics 
plans into.  If it doesn't fit in that bigger picture,  then for us it 
doesn't fit.
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
 
 
In a message dated 10/8/2012 10:50:56 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
venaurafarm@bellsouth.net writes:

Hope  your farming ventures are working out as planned and that you will 
be able  to own and preserve that valuable farmland you  lease.