Table of Contents
110
SELF-RELIANCE 6 Financial Planning
for an Off-Grid Homestead
A young couple from Idaho shares their savings plan and investment decisions for purchasing land and building their dream home.
8 Build a More
Resilient Homestead
A longtime energy and resilience expert offers advice on how to make your home and land disaster-resistant.
8
1-3 TOC.indd 1
15 Self-Reliance
Is a Family Affair
The Atwell family is working together to build a homestead haven in Hawaii, complete with hardy crops and a solar-powered home.
16 Targeting Tractors
A closer look at your farm and acreage is the first step when considering a new – or newto-you – tractor purchase.
20 Small Farm, Real Profit
This inspiring half-acre urban farm in Oregon is proving that size doesn’t matter when it comes to profitability.
24
24 Cob Construction:
Build With Earth and Straw
Hand-sculpt your custom, mortgage-free home from dirt-cheap local materials.
30 How to Choose the
Right Chainsaw for Your Homestead
Find a chainsaw to fit your needs, and then follow these simple maintenance tips so you can put it to work for years to come.
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES / RACHEL DEWIS
How to create permanent garden beds and paths.
Modern Homesteading • Collector Series
30
8/23/18 10:12 AM
40 34 Start a Self-Sufficient,
1-Acre Homestead
Live off the land with these strategies for establishing selfsufficient food production, including advice on crop rotations and raising livestock.
LIVESTOCK 40 Hatch a Flock
Get insider tips on incubating eggs.
43 Feed Your Flock to
Boost Omega-3s
Three poultry management rules will help you provide healthful, omega-3-maximized eggs and meat for your family and your customers.
46 Build Your Own Incubator A poultry farmer offers up the lessons she learned after constructing her own incubation cabinet to hatch rare heritage chicks.
49 Mob Grazing Made Simple A mob of cows in a paddock system can help you cut hay expenses, improve soil and pasture health, and maximize herd performance.
64
49 52 The Multiple Benefits
of Grass-Fed Meat
Grazing ruminants play an important role in maintaining our health and protecting the environment.
57 Turn Food Scraps
Into Poultry Feasts
Give your chickens additional nutrition by balancing their rations with good and garden waste.
60 Backyard Chicken Basics
They’re less work than house pets and more fun than a tire swing.
64 Heritage Breeds: Why
They’re Important
Traditional animal breeds benefit both homesteaders and consumers with their hardiness, adaptability, flavorful meat, and genetic diversity.
DO-IT-YOURSELF 69 DIY Outdoor Cookers
You can build a fire pit or assemble a clay-pot smoker in just one weekend.
69
57 72 Solar-Powered Pumps Pump water with the power of the sun.
77 Cordage: How to Make
Natural Thread
Extract fibers from plants to make your own strong, sustainable string.
80 Homestead Hacks
Our readers share clever projects that will help you live a selfsufficient life in the country, the suburbs, or the city.
83 5 Affordable DIY
Rocket Stoves
These compact cookers are the perfect addition to any campsite, homestead, canning operation, or backyard.
86 Build This Cozy Cabin
Anyone with basic carpentry skills can construct this classic one-room cabin for just about $6,000.
92 Craft Your Own
Coonskin Cap
Turn a raccoon hide into a warm and hardy hat.
77
99 96 Rainwater Harvesting
Think beyond the rain barrel: This simpler, cheaper approach will help you harvest much more free water for your garden!
GARDENING 99 5 Expert-Recommended
Tools for No-Till Plots
These ingenious implements allow you to raise crops organically while preserving the health of your soil.
102 Grow a Community
Giving Garden
With ingenuity, creativity, and a touch of grit, this small North Carolina town cultivated a garden to produce healthy food for neighbors in need.
105 Tips and Techniques for
Water-Wise Gardening
Tap these efficient gardenwatering systems to save on your water bill while still growing food despite drought and heat.
110 How to Make
Cheap Garden Beds
105 114 Eat From Your
Garden All Year
With these expert-recommended techniques and crop varieties, you, too, can break through season barriers in your climate.
119 Prune for Small-
Space Fruit Trees
This revolutionary pruning method will enable you to grow any type and variety of fruit in small spaces.
123 Control Weeds
Without Chemicals
Practice organic weed-control methods and watch your vegetable garden thrive.
FOOD & RECIPES 127 Pawpaw Mead
Foraged fruit + fermentation = funky firewater.
130 Brewing Beer: The Basics Bottle your own beer by using four ingredients and following four steps.
134 Pickle Recipes
for the Picking
Ferment or quick-pickle your harvest with this assortment of ideas from Mother Earth News bloggers.
140 Easy, No-Knead
Artisan Bread
Methods guaranteed to make everyone a baker!
146 Pressure Canning Basics Learn how to use a pressure canner to safely preserve food, and you’ll save money on groceries all year long.
150 Freezing Fruits and
Vegetables From Your Garden
Tap these straightforward freezing tips to turn your garden harvests into sensational, off-season meals.
154 Grab ’n’ Go Homemade
Convenience Foods
Need quick snacks and meals? Opt for these healthful edibles that work well in a pinch.
158 Herbal Heart Tonics
Here’s how – and why – to create permanent garden beds and paths, and why framed or raised beds may be optional.
130
119
Incorporate these five delicious herbs into your daily routine to strengthen and gladded your heart.
146
154
www.MotherEarthNews.com
1-3 TOC.indd 2-3
3
8/23/18 10:13 AM
Financial Planning for
Monthly, Off-Grid Expenses
AN OFF-GRID HOMESTEAD
A young couple from Idaho shares their savings plan and investment decisions for purchasing land and building their dream home. Article and photos by Alyssa Craft
I
n 2013, I was working as a graphic designer in Boulder, Colorado, and making nearly $50,000 a year. Despite my steady job, I was deeply unhappy. I felt like a chronic consumer, and my urban apartment didn’t provide many opportunities for self-sufficient living. My partner, Jesse, and I decided to turn our lives around by saving for a rural piece of property in Idaho where we could build an off-grid home. For the next two years, we worked extremely hard to reduce our overhead living expenses and save money for a down payment on
a piece of land. We spent huge amounts of energy selling Jesse’s brick-and-mortar business, building micro-businesses online, and fixing up an old house in exchange for reduced rent. No words can describe the chaos, stress, and excitement of this two-year time frame. We lived in four different houses, each worked 80 to 90 hours per week, and often plugged away until the wee hours of the morning. We understood that starting our own homestead and building an off-grid home from scratch would help us achieve our financial goals in the long run; we also knew that we’d need a substantial amount of money to get the ball rolling. A loan
would’ve worked against our goal of financial freedom, so we crunched some numbers to understand approximately how much money we’d need to save before getting started. We moved to 5 rural acres in Idaho just five months ago. Since then, we’ve spent more than $30,000 on various aspects of our journey and thought it would be helpful to others to provide a breakdown of our necessary expenses. Keep in mind that while our initial investment was high, our household expenses will taper with time, as will our monthly bills. This is our fast-track plan to financial freedom.
The 11 yards of 3⁄4-inch unwashed gravel for the couple’s driveway cost them $160 with delivery.
Initial Investments Instead of sitting in the bank, our money is wrapped up in physical assets. These assets help us build our home for a fraction of the cost of buying a home and having a mortgage, plus we can resell them if we need to or when we’re done. • Land: $4,500. We negotiated an “owner carry” contract with the seller, which is a great way for people with bad credit or low incomes to afford bare land. Our 5 acres cost $45,000, and we negotiated a down payment of $4,500. We hope to pay off the land in a year or two but can take longer if needed. • RV: $2,500. We’re living in a 19foot travel trailer while we develop our property. This one-time payment has allowed us to own the roof over our heads rather than waste money on an apartment lease. When we’re finished building our home, we hope to resell this trailer for at least twice the price we paid for it, if not more. • Pickup truck: $1,750. Neither one of our vehicles was equipped for towing or construction work, so we sold our brand new car and paid cash for a used truck. • Generator: $2,300. We bought a portable 3,000-watt generator and were OK with splurging for one that was quality, quiet, and lightweight. Our property is off the grid (and will remain that way), so this purchase wasn’t optional for us. • Land development: $7,000. This
has included getting a septic permit, having our septic installed, renting an excavator (twice!), and paving our driveway with gravel (see photo, above). • Assets/tools: $9,050. Although we had a vehicle full of tools upon our arrival, we spent the first three months of our journey investing in additional tools, both large and small, and materials. Some of the items we bought include a fourwheeler, a utility trailer, and a powerful chainsaw for milling lumber. We were able to acquire $20,000 worth of building materials for half that cost by using reclaimed materials, searching Craigslist for deals, and bartering for better prices. • Total: $27,100.
This is what our monthly expenses look like five months into our journey (excluding personal expenses that we’d have either on- or off-grid, such as groceries and insurance). Our goal is to eventually eliminate, or significantly reduce, these expenses as we get closer to living entirely off-grid. • Propane: $30. This is for heating the inside of our RV and cooking. • Generator fuel: $150. If we’re outside, then we’re likely working with power tools. If we’re inside, that probably means the weather is too harsh to work on the property, and we’re working online instead, in which case we need to fire up the generator frequently to charge the RV batteries and our laptops. • Water: $1.25. We don’t have water on our property yet, so we fill up in town. • Laundry: $25. We do laundry in town. • Internet: $65. Internet is a little more expensive off-grid. • Land: $357. We hope to pay off our land in a few years but can take up to 15 years if we need to. • Total: $628.25 per month. If you’re a hopeful homesteader, we hope this gives you a realistic rundown of expenses and support in your venture!
Jesse and Alyssa quit their corporate jobs to create financial freedom and build their own home. SELF-RELIANCE • WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM 7
6-7 Financial Planning.indd All Pages
8/23/18 10:14 AM
SELF-RELIANCE
Is a Family Affair The Atwell family is working together to build a homestead haven in Hawaii, complete with hardy crops and a solar-powered home.
J
By K.C. Compton
ohn and Esther Atwell — along with their children, Benya, 20; Jordan, 18; Nathaniel, 16; and Sophia, 12 — live on 10 acres in Kurtistown, Hawaii, growing fruit and spice trees, multiple permaculture beds, a taro patch, and an experimental garden bed. The Atwells, one of three families designated as our 2016 Homesteaders of the Year, perform an inspiring patchwork of jobs, including freelance writing and consulting; working early mornings at the airport; babysitting; mucking out horse stalls; landscaping; waiting tables; and selling homemade baked goods, heirloom seeds, saplings,
and seedlings at a local market. John and Esther grow some of their own food, run a small nursery operation that focuses on tropical fruit trees, and are local distributors for heirloom and organic seeds. The family is working to secure funding to complete a solar-powered, yurt-centered house complex. In this interview, the Atwells describe their family’s efforts toward self-reliance. What inspired you to homestead? We became familiar with the Slow Food Movement in 2008 while holding down full-time government office jobs in the Bay Area, and began to practice homesteading skills in our suburban neighborhood. In 2011, we moved back to our home state of Virginia, in
the suburbs of Washington D.C., where we purchased a 1⁄2-acre plot complete with mulberry and hickory nut trees; edible wild scallions, strawberries, and dandelions; and a house with a woodstove. Before long, we filled out the yard with an assortment of fruit trees, an allnatural container pond, a large garden and raised beds, beehives, a small flock of pastured Ameraucana chickens, grazed Havana meat rabbits, and a vermicomposting bin. In 2014, after we’d spent several years learning from those aspects of food production, we decided it was time to make the jump. Hawaii’s year-round growing conditions, frequent rains, and strong local expertise for off-grid living convinced us that Hawaii was where we wanted to be. And you sailed off effortlessly into homesteading heaven? We intended to pick up where we left off, but we faced delays as we dealt with crime and unfamiliar construction norms. We’re living in a rental while
JOHN ATWELL (5)
The Atwells are currently working to complete their home, a solar-powered, yurt-centered complex.
14 MOTHER EARTH NEWS XXXX/XXXX XXXX
14-15 Self-Reliance.indd All Pages
we wait for our home to be air will rise and exit, drawing in completed, and trying to tend cooler air from side windows to to our animals and maintain a create airflow and regulate tem10-acre plot of food-producing perature. For backup, our plans trees and plants is a tremendous include a flow-through, tankless, challenge from offsite. Though gas-driven hot water heater and a we’re now on track for comgas-powered generator (it somepleting our house, the process times rains here for weeks, which has been an expensive setback. puts a damper on solar power). We should’ve built slowly and Considering the challenges started in first gear, not fifth, so you’ve faced, are you still glad we wouldn’t have found ouryou chose to homestead? selves hitting walls and having We’re glad we made the difto downscale or scale up projficult decision to break from ects based on pressures that were In seeking a homesteading life, the Atwell family has gained a conventional, white-collar more time to spend together. outside our control. world. The benefits of a sustainDespite the snags, you’ve able lifestyle and home-schoolaccomplished much. ploy a system that makes each of them ing our kids continue to pop up every We’ve planted 100 fruit trees, includa master of certain tasks. One is responday. We know with confidence that our ing 18 banana cultivars, as well as spice sible for all yogurt and basic cheese profood is free of toxic pesticides, herbitrees and plants — nutmeg, mace, cinduction, one does all lacto-fermenting, cides, fertilizer, fungicides, hormones, namon, cloves, vanilla bean, and black one is the compost master, one makes antibiotics, and GMOs. We know that pepper. We also have permaculture beds the shampoo, and one is in charge of the our animals are naturally and humanely in which we use companion planting medicinal herb garden. Plus, our chilraised because we raise them ourselves, and other natural techniques. Through dren are all engaged in moneymaking or we purchase animal products from test plots, we’ve identified a range of efforts to fill out their savings accounts. people who employ similar practices. hardy annual fruits and vegetables that Which energy-efficiency features does We have more freedom and flexibilaren’t attacked by local pests and can tolyour homestead employ? ity — we get to choose who to work for, erate full sun and full rain, such as okra, We’re currently accepting bids for a what work we do, and when and how roselle, and lima and yard-long beans. photovoltaic system that will provide we work. We also have more family We have encouraged and made room 100 percent of our electricity, and a time, more community involvement, for wild producers that were on our solar water heater. The design of our and deeper relationships with neighbors land already, such as thimbleberries, the future home (a dome-vented yurt and a than we’ve ever experienced. Plus, we medicinal plant mamaki, the highly cupola-topped hard structure) will rely have a greater sense of responsible stewuseful and fruit-bearing tree of the wild on the “chimney effect,” in which hot ardship of the land. guava, and bamboo. We’ve learned to butcher sheep, and we dehydrate, lactoferment, freeze, and pickle produce. What are some ways you supplement your farm income? John works a part-time job at the airport that’s finished each day by 10 a.m., which leaves plenty of time for the homestead and gives the family full benefits. Esther does translation work and is exploring consulting opportunities that leverage her past professional backgrounds. Esther also organizes our home-schooling efforts. John and the kids take on the agricultural production of the homestead. The kids are an inteFrom left: Jordan, Sophia, and Nathaniel help with chores, as does their sister Benya (pictured at top). gral part of our endeavor, and we em-
SHARE YOUR STORY!
If you or someone you know is living an impressive homesteading life, send the story and a few related photos to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with the subject line “Firsthand Reports.” SELF-RELIANCE • WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM 15
8/23/18 10:16 AM
Purposeful cutting techniques and proper safety attire, such as a full-face helmet, gloves, and protective pants, will help shield you from harm.
is varied and unpredictable, like mine, consider multiple saws and chains. For example, in an experienced user’s two-saw setup, a short saw, such as a 12- or 14-inch model, is used for limbing, pruning, and felling small trees, while a long saw, with a bar length over 22 inches, is reserved for felling large trees and bucking logs. Many manufacturers and professionals agree on a bar-to-tree ratio of 1-to-2, which means that an 18-inch bar can cut trunks up to 36 inches in diameter without damaging the chain, bar, or motor. However, if you consistently cut trunks at the high end of your bar-to-tree ratio, consider a larger bar and engine — your chainsaw won’t last as long if you constantly use it at its maximum workload. While your target bar length should dictate your minimum engine size, don’t oversize your engine for “reserve power.” (See “Size the Engine and Bar to the Job,” Page 32.) Fatigue from fighting too large a saw is fairly common and quite dangerous for you and those working around you, so choose the right machine for the job at hand, and let it do the work for you. Finally, after you have all the information about what you need to accomplish, talk with a reputable dealer of high-quality chainsaws. Find the right tool size for the task, and make sure it suits your body, your personal fitness, and your strength.
How to Choose the Right
CHAINSAW
Chains Make the Cut
Find a chainsaw to fit your needs, and then follow these simple maintenance tips so you can put it to work for years to come. By Joseph Love
F
or homesteaders and property owners with woodlots, the chainsaw is, without doubt, the most used, coveted, debated, feared, cussed, and crucial piece of power equipment in the shed, barn, or truck. And it’s no surprise why: A well-maintained chainsaw will
keep you warm during winter, allow you to create your own affordable fence posts and lumber, empower you to respond to storm-downed limbs and trees, and enable a woodlot management plan. For the most efficient, economical, and safe chainsaw experience, remember these rules: Always size and style the chainsaw to the job, and inspect, maintain, and document your
30 MOTHER EARTH NEWS COLLECTOR SERIES • MODERN HOMESTEADING
30-33 Chainsaw.indd 30-31
chainsaw’s “essentials” before and after each use.
Assessing Your Needs Knowing what you’ll cut is the first step in determining the best chainsaw for you, and that means knowing the range of trunk diameters and the most common tree species you’re likely to cut. If your use
DAVE BOYT; TOP: LORAIN EBBETT-RIDEOUT; OPPOSITE: FOTOLIA/KADMY
for Your Homestead
A good sawyer knows the ins and outs of cutting chains. In addition to bar length, the pitch and gauge are the fundamental measurements that affect cutting-chain performance. A cutting chain’s pitch represents the space between its drive links, measured either as fractions of an inch, such as a 1⁄4-inch pitch, or in thousandths of an inch, such as a 0.404-inch pitch. Similarly, a cutting chain’s gauge, or the width of its drive links, corresponds to the width of the sprocket’s teeth in a chainsaw’s drive mechanism, with sizing in thousandths of an inch. Compatibility is the primary concern with pitch and gauge. Always record and store every chain’s pitch and every sprocket’s gauge to guarantee compatibility — your drive sprocket and bar will thank you.
Stock your chainsaw kit with (from left to right) a flat file; a round file; a file guide; a scrench (combination screwdriver and socket wrench); a spare spark plug, chain, and bar; and bar oil.
Tooth shape is another variable to consider when determining the best chainsaw for your needs. Consumer saws come with round-toothed chains, which are less prone to kickback and vibration. Professionals, however, make use of the square-tooth, or chisel, chain. The two differ in the way they remove wood fibers after severing the grain. Whereas rounded
teeth scoop wood out of a cut, like a gouge, a square tooth chips the wood away like a chisel, removing the wood fiber faster. People argue about which tooth profile is better, but the point is moot: Each serves a specific purpose, and, when sharp, both do their jobs accordingly. Round-toothed chains are better suited for limbing, brushclearing, stumping, and cutting through
Understanding your saw’s cutting mechanism and key measurements are crucial to SELF-RELIANCE • WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM 31
8/23/18 10:17 AM
A broody hen takes the work out of incubating eggs. She’ll do it for you, plus she’ll play the role of protective mom to the young chicks after they hatch.
by your flock, or if you’ve obtained eggs from a source that didn’t sanitize them, you can avoid potential health and viability problems with a sanitizing rinse. Using 1 capful of bleach per 1 gallon of water that’s warmed to about 110 degrees (substitute liquid dish soap or the recommended dilution of Tek-Trol), immerse each egg for a few seconds, and then air-dry. Fertile chicken eggs can be stored for up to 10 days before beginning incubation with little loss in hatchability, as long as you keep them out of the refrigerator. The ideal storage conditions are 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 to 75 percent relative humidity. Store the eggs in trays, bowls, or clean egg cartons with sufficient space to allow air to circulate. Some experts recommend turning the eggs in storage, too. To do this, tilt the entire egg tray or other containers from side to side.
Preview the Progress Candling is a process that will allow you to determine whether your eggs are developing correctly after 7 to 10 days of incubation. Candling takes a bit of practice to get right, but it’s a great way to monitor the progress of your eggs. Although you can purchase devices designed specifically for candling eggs, all you’ll really need is a bright (preferably LED)
white-light flashlight and a dark place. Ideally, the end of the egg should “seal” against the light. If your flashlight lens prevents this from occurring, you can make an adapter tube out of cardboard, or cut a hole into the lid of a cardboard box that’s small enough to cradle one end of the egg and hold it upright. A lamb nipple with the end cut off and pulled over a good pen light also works well. Illuminate the egg from below, and look for a weblike network of blood vessels surrounding what’s obviously a chicken embryo. By seven days you may notice embryo movement. If you see clear space and a yolk, or a single ring of blood, that may indicate that the egg wasn’t fertilized or that it died during the early stages of development. (Blood vessels are fine, however.) It’s not unusual to lose up to 50 percent of the eggs you initially set, depending on the quality of the eggs, the incubator model you use, and your diligence and skill. Eggs that aren’t developing properly should be discarded because there’s a higher risk they could explode in the incubator — and no one wants to contend with that mess. After the chicks hatch, you can leave them in the incubator or hatcher for a day or so before moving them to the brooder. Newly hatched chicks obtain sufficient energy from residual yolk, so all they really need for the first couple of days of life is a warm environment — so there’s no need to rush.
Clean out incubators and hatchers after every hatch, and sanitize them after every third hatch. Dust or vacuum the interior, and wipe all surfaces and trays with a diluted bleach solution (up to 1⁄4 cup per gallon) or other sanitizer that won’t leave a residue or emit vapors that could poison a future batch of eggs. For additional protection, choose an incubator that incorporates nonleaching antimicrobial technology, such as Biomaster, which adds silver ions to plastics, fabrics, and paints to deter bacterial growth.
ISTOCK/ BORKO CIRIC
Clean Incubators Protect Hatch Yield
42 MOTHER EARTH NEWS COLLECTOR SERIES • MODERN HOMESTEADING
40-42 Hatch a Flock.indd 42
3/6/18 8:46 AM
FEED YOUR FLOCK
to Boost Omega-3s
Three poultry management rules will help you provide healthful, omega-3-maximized eggs and meat for your family and your customers. By Terra Brockman and Josh Brewer
O
mega-6s and omega-3s are out of balance in the standard Western diet — that’s old news. In response, health-minded consumers now purchase pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs. However, as demand increases, many consumers are priced out of healthful food markets. Thankfully, small-scale poultry providers — oftentimes called “flocksters” — offer us a workable model to produce omega-3-maximized meat and eggs on a modest budget.
To maximize omega-3s, budding backyard flocksters should incorporate feed amendments and free-range practices. Additionally, you should source or grow high-quality, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Organic grains and greens to include in an intentional feed regimen. Admittedly, intensively managed sustainable poultry operations can be complicated, but with these three general rules, you’ll fulfill your flock’s forage and feed needs, and produce high-omega-3 meat and eggs for the dinner table.
1 Put Birds on Pasture Many studies report an immediate omega-3 boost in eggs and meat when poultry are pastured because, in general, weeds are higher in omega-3s than seeds. Mike Badger, the executive director and publisher of the American P a s t u r e d Po u l t r y P r o d u c e r s Association (APPPA), says that in addition to higher concentrations of vitamins E and D, the “absolutely flooring result” of his organization’s 2013 study was that, compared with the USDA omega-6 to omega-3
With access to fresh pasture, this mixed flock can strut around the farm to graze fresh forage and insects. WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM
43-45 Feed Your Flock.indd 43
43
3/6/18 8:46 AM
pastures doesn’t equal its perennial prairie counterpart of deep-rooted plants pulling nutrients from deep in the soil. The ratio of omega-6: omega-3 fatty acids is linked to good health. The standard The USDA standard is not good enough. Western diet has a ratio of 15:1 to 16.7:1, but the lower the ratio, the better — 1:1 is The grass-fed movement commits to a sysideal. This chart compares key nutrients and the fatty acid ratios of tem usually labeled “managed intensive grass-fed vs. industrial beef. rotational grazing,” which mimics the effects of the wild ruminants, such as bison, 0.36 IU that dominated the North American praiVitamin E 1.85 IU rie for thousands of years. 0.13 IU Many of the benefits of grass-fed meat in Beta Carotene* 0.74 IU general are greatly amped up under this perennial pasture regime. For instance, rota1.74 g Omega-6 tional grazing causes grass and other plants 1.16 g to slough off and regrow roots. The dead Per 100 grams 0.12 g Omega-3 root matter is largely carbon, so this is the 0.22g USDA Values engine of carbon sequestration in the soil. Pastured Samples Grazing, together with photosynthesis, 5:1 ratio 15:1 ratio stores carbon in the soil, and the soil thus *This value calculated from becomes more fertile. Meanwhile, remaina meta-review of 3 studies ing roots drive deeper, giving the plants done in 2002, 2005 and access to subsoil nutrients. Biodiversity 2007 on crossbred steers. increases, as a range of bugs, crawlers, and microbes digest the dead matter in the soil. Legumes fix nitrogen as they do in a natural prairie — no seedoffers gains, especially in terms of environmental impact and ing, fertilizer, or renewal required. The goal is, in other words, methane production. The amount of methane released decreaspermanence and sustainability through ecosystem restoration. es when cows eat high-quality forage from a managed perenIf rotational grazing on perennial pasture is done right, the ennial pasture that works like a restored ecosystem, compared ergy costs included in that Iowa cropland example cited earlier with cows grazed on annual grass. The Union of Concerned would never accrue, and suddenly the balance sheet looks much Scientists’ report confirms that the better the forage, the less improved. methane. The 2011 report “Raising the Steaks” by the Union of Genetics also play a role in grass-based systems’ success. Concerned Scientists gets at the crucial issue in all of this: The Modern cattle have been bred to function in feedlots, but oldkey is not just grazing, but how the grazing is done. The report, line breeds, some now resurrected, fatten months faster and available at goo.gl/YDfcPQ, concludes that managed grazing yield more usable meat when fed grass than breeds with feedlot genetics. All of this is relevant to calculations of economic and environmental efficiency, but such calculations are almost nowhere considered in published research. Crossing that line from feedlot to even badly managed pasture heads us in the right direction. Beyond that, we can drive the system further toward smart, environmentally sound grazing by insisting on a more demanding standard than the USDA’s current grass-fed label requires, by buying locally, by knowing producers, by education. Advocates of grass-fed systems say there’s another indicator of good pasture rotation. Badly managed pasture makes beef tough and less tasty, milk and cheeses less flavorful. Well-managed, deeprooted pasture creates products with fine flavor and healthful benefits. Simply, we can taste and see quality and nutrition, which is evolution’s way of Grass-fed meat is tender and tasty if pasture is managed correctly. making us take the trouble to find them.
FOTOLIA/EPITAVI; TOP SILHOUETTE: DREAMSTIME/ANASTASIYA JOTOVA
Grass-fed vs. Industrial Beef
56 MOTHER EARTH NEWS COLLECTOR SERIES • MODERN HOMESTEADING
52-56 Grass-Fed Meat.indd 56 silhouette of cow: DREAMSTIME/ANASTASIYA JOTOVA venison dinner: STOCKFOOD/RUA CASTILLO
3/6/18 8:51 AM
POULTRY FEASTS Give your chickens additional nutrition by balancing their rations with food and garden waste. By Joel Salatin
B
ecause they’re omnivores, chickens are perhaps the most salvage-savvy critter on the farmstead. Historically, their cleanerupper role predated compost piles for
getting rid of food and garden waste and for generally ridding a farmscape of ticks and beetles. The chicken’s compatriot, of course, was the pig, especially on dairies and cheese-making outfits. A pig can scarf down copious amounts of whey and
spoiled milk. Chickens like these liquids too, but it takes a lot of chickens to go through 5 gallons of whey. Amazingly, in the days prior to chemical fertilizer and mechanization, skim milk offered a more reliable and cheaper protein feedstock than soybeans did. My, how times change. Pat Foreman, chicken whisperer and guru of keeping urban flocks, says we have enough food scraps in America to feed every egg layer we need to pro-
Omnivorous chickens can be counted on to devour your food and garden scraps.
57-59 Poultry Food Scraps.indd 57
3/6/18 12:04 PM