I don't suppose so, since so many properties seem to have the same
steers on them year after year (well, not the exact same animals of
course). Somehow when you go to buy a ranch property, and you ask the
old fart, "so how many head of cattle you reckon this'll keep," they
have to be able to give you some answer. The details for how it's
calculated are well-defined by the USDA. It assumes that everybody's
land is snowbound for six months, so that properties from radically
different climates can be compared on the same scale. But on my land,
without snow, there's actually a "winter carrying capacity". I imagine
it's about a third of fourth of the summer carrying capacity, so I hope
to keep a ram and three ewes over the winter, also with no feed. I
don't intend to push it to the limit, because they start gnawing tree
bark. At this point I keep animals only seasonally, since I'm a
snowbird, but within 5 years we'll both be able to move here full time.
Just in time, eh? I hope so.
Bill
S. Oregon coast
_______________________________________________
Homestead list and subscription:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
Change your homestead list member options:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/lurine%40softcom.net
View the archives at:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead
--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.408 / Virus Database: 268.13.4/476 - Release Date: 10/14/2006
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.