Has Agriculture Reached Its Peak?

[DFB]

CountryFolks Grower movable-high-tunnel

Movable greenhouse are becoming more popular than ever. I do believe Coleman wrote about this technique in his Winter Harvest Handbook book...usually set up with rollers and tracks.

V-Track Tunnels | Four Season Tools

 

[DFB]

People have built "pit greenhouses." From covered dirt pits to something more refined.

If this design was earth-bermed on the back and the rear half of the end walls, it would be a good start. Figure out the night time insulation of the glazed area, and you would be most of the way home for very low cost heating.
View attachment 362522

Dave, here's a new twist on that idea...CHICKEN POWER!





Permaculture Reflections: Introduction to Permaculture: Urban Areas

 

[dave1949]

Dave, here's a new twist on that idea...CHICKEN POWER!

View attachment 365487



Permaculture Reflections: Introduction to Permaculture: Urban Areas

I like it.

There are also synergistic systems like these methane digesters that produce electricity or heating.
Alternative Energy on the Farm: Methane Digesters - Vermont Land Trust

 

[DFB]

There are also synergistic systems like these methane digesters that produce electricity or heating.Alternative Energy on the Farm: Methane Digesters - Vermont Land Trust

Whew shamefully expensive setup though...I for one still like to see the more traditional cows on the Vermont landscape (and less of the new wind turbine farms)

 

[dave1949]

Whew shamefully expensive setup though...I for one still like to see the more traditional cows on the Vermont landscape (and less of the new wind turbine farms)

$1.5M -$2M is not that large of an expenditure for a 680 cow dairy herd operation.

I noticed the article you posted about permaculture and sustainability uses the terms "sources" and "sinks" similar to other authors speaking about sustainability. The methane digester is providing a sink for a mostly wasted pollution source.

I think there are many opportunities in that direction to explore. It requires thinking on a larger scale though and a willingness/ability to capitalize operations. The capital requirements erode single/family farm ownership ideals.

It would take a cooperative structure, or venture capital support, to build and iron the kinks out of an operation that produced fish, meat, dairy, manure, electricity, vegetable, fruit and green produce and (flowers of course :laughing while being something close to net-zero on energy inputs. That involves many markets, tons of technical know how across multiple disciplines, and money. That's beyond the capability of most farm families I think.

 

[DFB]

Here is a series of successful VT farm energy profiles.


Energy | The Network | Vermont Food System Atlas

 

[dave1949]

Here is a series of successful VT farm energy profiles.


Energy | The Network | Vermont Food System Atlas

Cool stuff, thanks for posting that. Gotta hand it to the folks in Vermont, they are out there trying things--and often succeeding.

 

[DFB]

Maine has it share of successful efforts the MOFGA community is a leader in the sustainable movement too. May be this year will be the year I take in the Common Ground Fair!

 

[dave1949]

Maine has it share of successful efforts the MOFGA community is a leader in the sustainable movement too. May be this year will be the year I take in the Common Ground Fair!

I say that every year, then I read about the tens of thousands of people. This was 2013. That's a lot of people in three days.
"UNITY -- The weekend's Common Ground Country Fair gave people a chance to catch up with their friends and neighbors -- about 59,000 of them."