Tag Archives: sheep

Episode 269. Start Right

This is The ChangeUnderground for the 6th of September 2021.

I’m your host, Jon Moore

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

Bit of a longer episode this week but I hope it’ll be worth the listen. 

So you’re ready to start your journey into the world of regenerative smallholding? Well done. But what next? Well I’ve found an article from the site Grow Journey: 15 tips to start a small farm using regenerative practices. Fifteen seems a fun number so let’s dive in, see what Chris Miller of Horseshoe Farm in South Carolina has to say and tease out some ideas of our own.

Tip #1. Get farming experience on multiple farms BEFORE you start a farm. 

This is a great idea, if you can wangle it. There’s nothing like going to a fon t or indeed, several fonts of knowledge. You will develop your own practices anyway  but having a starting point based on reality is a good start. Continue reading →

Episode 193. Fires, Snow and Sheep Husbandry

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 11th of November 2019.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

Bushfires

Well it’s come to that time of the year again. Each year it arrives earlier. I’m talking about the fire season in Australia. The season starts with fires in Queensland and New South Wales, usually, and heads south and west as the summer rolls on. Astute listens will realise that we are still in Spring. Summer looks horrendous. I’ve included a couple of links. One shows the extent of the fires from satellite images. These are terrifying images. Over 100,000 hectares have burnt but the other article portends doom. While weather conditions have eased as I produce this episode on Sunday the 10th of November, Tuesday the 12th is being described as catastrophic. An actual bushfire level of threat here in Australia. Dry winds, high temperatures and low humidity.  Continue reading →

Episode 192. Notes From The Field

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 4th of November 2019.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

We have hit the turning point of the growing year in Highclere, Tasmania. The first of November is, allegedly, the date when frosts are over. We will see. I had to scrape ice of the windscreen last week. Note a killing frost but a frost nonetheless. 

Fruit

The pears have lost their petals and the fruits are taking shape. The raspberries are about to flower and the apples from early through to late varieties are in the process of blooming. In orchards I’ve managed previously, the buzzing of honey bees has been almost overwhelming. I have spotted no such activity this year. To be fair, we are still a month away from our one year anniversary on the property so this level of bee activity may well be normal. That the pears are developing would suggest I may be worrying about something I shouldn’t. Continue reading →