<\/span><\/h2>\nCommon wisdom has been that if I want to run cows, I need to revamp my existing pasture that hasn’t been used for decades.<\/p>\n
I should kill what is on it, perhaps torch it, prepare a new seed bed, plant seed and let it sit fallow for a couple of years as the roots develop.<\/p>\n
Oh my. And that is just a start.<\/p>\n
Then, I should set up a haymaking operation. Cool.<\/p>\n
Tractor trucks to move the hay. New barn for the hay. Grass cutter and then the whole works to fluff the grass, rake it, and get it ready for the bailer!!<\/p>\n
Then I will need to fertilize the entire acreage each year as I am baling, thus removing the nutrients from the pasture.<\/p>\n
What an investment!<\/p>\n
And then comes the operation.<\/p>\n
Put cows on half of the pasture and make hay on the rest. Cut the grass, rake the grass, put the grass in rows, bale the grass.<\/p>\n
Move the grass to a central location. Store the grass in the barn.<\/p>\n
The pasture I mowed really won’t work for cows now, so I had to move them to a central location.<\/p>\n
Each day, I need to pull down one of the 80# bales of hay, open it, and spread it for the cows to eat.<\/p>\n
Their manure is now a problem, as it is all in one spot. Another issue to consider.<\/p>\n
After hearing about this process by talking to different folks, I almost just gave up.<\/p>\n
I didn’t have the funds or energy, and it seemed so inefficient.<\/p>\n
It really was not sustainable. No money to be made, as the system ate it all up. That is why so many people give up raising cattle this way.<\/p>\nsustainable hay field – rotational grazing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/span>A better way\u2026 a sustainable way<\/span><\/h2>\nBUT THEN I learned about another way: rotational grazing.<\/p>\n
This is a very different process for achieving the results I wanted.<\/p>\n
I won’t go into detail here, but my \u201ctextbook\u201d<\/p>\n
What I found was that the simple, sustainable, and profitable way to raise cattle was to let the cattle do all the work instead of me!<\/p>\n
Now why didn’t I think of that? But does this really work? What do the people who already do this say about it?<\/p>\n
As I continued in my journey, I saw that many have been doing this very successfully–and it IS sustainable, with only minimal input.<\/p>\n
Consider the difference of a sustainable practice compared to one that really isn’t as detailed above.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how it goes:<\/p>\n
My existing pasture is left as it is. The cows are started on it and rotated once a day to a specific paddock.<\/p>\n
They eat most of the forage and after they\u2019re moved they won\u2019t touch it again until they are rotated once more to it.<\/p>\n
The grass grows much better, and the manure stays in place.<\/p>\n
Instead of cutting grass for all my hay, I stockpile hay by letting it grow higher.<\/p>\n
When late fall arrives, the cattle are put there to graze, even if there is an early snow. They will have all that they want or need.<\/p>\n
There is no hay operation. The grass is left for the cattle to eat, in place.<\/p>\n
The cows spread their manure throughout the pasture. They\u2014not I–do all this work.<\/p>\n
I will feed hay to them from the middle of winter till early spring.<\/p>\n
I will buy local hay, and the nutrients in that will replace any chemical fertilizer I would normally have bought.<\/p>\n
My efforts during the summer consist of moving the cattle from one paddock to the next each day–maybe 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
<\/span>The result of living sustainably?<\/span><\/h2>\nUsing this rotational grazing method, there’s a profit at the end of the road. A profit is made without equipment, with no fertilizer.<\/p>\n
Just healthy grass and the cattle doing their thing and improving the pasture each year. Some say that using this method allows you to double the carrying capacity of the pasture.<\/p>\n
Now that is only a quick example, and not intended to be an education on cattle.<\/p>\n
But I wanted to contrast the difference between a sustainable operation and an unsustainable one.<\/p>\n
This type of system could work for any operation you are considering.<\/p>\n
I will bet you will find ways to do things outside of the mainstream box that will make your projects very sustainable.<\/p>\n
So, is sustainability important.? Yes it is.<\/p>\n
It leads us to simplicity. It leads us to common sense. And in the process, our time and our wallets become much more sustainable as well.<\/p>\n
<\/span>The Path to Sustainability: What Does It Mean to You?<\/span><\/h2>\nPath to Sustainability: Have you ever noticed how words in the English language get hijacked and take on new lives with different definitions?<\/p>\n
It’s like the game of Gossip or Telephone where a whispered message goes around a large circle of people and ends up way off from how it originated.<\/p>\n
Passing time has the same effect, gradually altering the use of words and even their meaning.<\/p>\n
Think back to your childhood. Weren’t there a few words that had different meanings then?<\/p>\n
Radical once meant ‘really out there’ rather than ‘amazing.’<\/p>\n
Money used to be green bills and coins; now it can mean something is really awesome.<\/p>\n
And don’t get me started about innocently-used words that draw giggles and looks of shock from the younger crowd.<\/p>\n
Many a plain old word of my youth has now taken on a new connotation.<\/p>\n
I can’t even play a game of Scrabble without using a word that means something entirely different to my kids in their 20s.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Defining sustainability<\/span><\/h2>\nHere in our world of homesteading and self-sufficient living, we’ve seen a few words fall victim to the buzzword syndrome.<\/p>\n
Some examples are organic and natural. Those words can’t be taken at face value anymore.<\/p>\n
Another hijacked word is sustainable. We sometimes see it used very loosely to describe ways of saving money, time, or energy.<\/p>\n
Even using prepackaged ingredients and other items purchased at stores.<\/p>\n
While we do buy manufactured and prepared products, we don’t consider using them to be sustainable.<\/p>\n
A big question is: if shipping, processing, or manufacturing suddenly stopped, would we be able to provide for ourselves?<\/p>\n
Several years ago our family established a goal of becoming more self-sufficient and living a more sustainable lifestyle. Our plans were based on the old standard definition of sustainability.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Sustainability<\/span><\/h2>\nTo us, sustainable living involves developing systems that can be upheld…kept going…maintained…supported…and continued year after year.<\/p>\n
Systems that endure.<\/p>\n
We could add these words to our description:<\/p>\n
\nPerpetual<\/li>\n Cycling<\/li>\n Reproducing<\/li>\n Refreshing<\/li>\n Reinvigorating<\/li>\n Restoring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/span>Key concepts of sustainability<\/span><\/h2>\nSome involve being wise stewards of the earth and its natural resources.<\/p>\n
Others focus on the health, care, and feeding of our human bodies and those of our pets and livestock.<\/p>\n
Raising plants and animals, procuring fresh locally-produced food, preserving it for long-term storage, and cooking with nutrition in mind are all part of the equation.<\/p>\n
Then there are the sensible use of fossil fuels and non-renewable resources–and for many people, the downsizing of dependency or weaning from heavy use.<\/p>\n
<\/span>A gift that keeps on giving<\/span><\/h2>\nAs an extended family, our personal sustainability goal is to create a lifestyle of systems that would allow us to thrive year after year without relying on outside sources that may become unavailable or unreachable due to financial or logistical restraints.<\/p>\n
So now you know what we mean at Rural Living Today when we talk about sustainability.<\/p>\n
A few things we’re working on at our farm:<\/em><\/p>\n\nNot just using purchased products, but replacing some with reusables and homemade.<\/li>\n In addition to growing veggies, we are saving seeds and making compost.<\/li>\n We are raising livestock as well as reproducing some and having sources for others.<\/li>\n We aren’t just owning equipment and machinery, but being able to repair it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nBecause ultimately, we would like to be able to live our life without depending on any source beyond walking distance for:<\/p>\n
\nGroceries, household supplies<\/li>\n Garden seeds, planting supplies, soil amendments<\/li>\n Replacement livestock, livestock feed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThat doesn’t mean we won’t purchase these things when they’re readily available and affordable. Today that may be the best use of our time and money.<\/p>\n
Right now, we’re still building up our sustainability level, and we still do need to rely on outside sources.<\/p>\n
And frankly, there are a few manufactured products — toilet paper comes to mind — that will be the last outside conveniences we give up.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Always a work in progress<\/span><\/h2>\nThe fact is, we’re not yet where we ultimately want to end up on the sustainability scale.<\/p>\n
But if the world came crashing down on us tomorrow–if transportation of goods ceased, or prices became exorbitant, or we were suddenly unable to procure goods and services for any reason–we would be able to move forward.<\/p>\n
We couldn’t have said that five years ago, but since then we’ve been steadily developing and fortifying our lifestyle of sustainability.<\/p>\n
Some time ago we borrowed a mantra from an episode of the TV show “Doomsday Preppers.”<\/p>\n
While most of the households featured on that show do not have full-scope long-term sustainability covered, a few do.<\/p>\n
One man at an operating farm said something like this: “If the world falls apart, I’ll just go out in the morning and feed my chickens like I always do.”<\/p>\n
Come what may, life will go on. Sustainable.<\/p>\n
Need some inspiration as you find your own definition? Check out The Lexicon of Sustainability and see what others have to say!<\/p>\n
It’s a cool interactive resource, and you can add your own definitions for all sorts of terms related to sustainability.<\/p>\n
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