Suburban Apathy

     Has anything really changed in America since "The Feminine Mystique" was written in 1963? Moreover I would put it out there that people that work frequently, if not more often, feel unfulfilled, with the exception of entrepreneurs and small business owners. The apathy of suburbia, which crosses gender barriers nowadays, is a large part of the organic, local food movement, but it is about much more than food. It is about the need for artistic, creative thought and interactions with peers. It is about a need for, well, everything.

Scrub Trees for Survival Fodder

     There has been a growing movement for farmers to seek additional feed sources for drought seasons and winter. Traditionally farmers would set aside dry feed or silage for the winter, but many have found themselves unprepared for warm seasons of extreme drought. This, like everything else, makes pastured meat more expensive.

     The Australians have really been looking into this problem, and they have suggested planting trees for fodder during drought. If done with alley-cropping techniques, this can actually increase pasture production thanks to the windbreaks and shade the trees will produce.

     If your animals are having trouble accepting the survival fodder, or you aren't sure what to feed them, more information is here. Rabbits can eat anything horses can eat, and I think goats and cattle as well. 

     Some of the best agricultural information is coming from the tropics these days.

Once fodder trees began to be planted on-farm, the 

technology spread rapidly throughout the region, as

farmers quickly realized the nutritional benefits of 

feeding fresh leaves to their cows.