I everyone!! My name is Ryan and I live in stockholm, Wi (20 mins south of Red Wing on the WI side, 1 mile from the river up on the bluffs!). A couple years ago after getting in to raw milk and raw animal foods I became involved with a traditional foods list serve (TFMN- yahoo group, any trad foodies here?) and that led me to organic, then grass fed, then finally permaculture. It's been an amazing, life changing experience and that motivated me to move here to my mom's farm in WI where we currently raise grass fed heritage dairy cows and free range chickens, along with various other animals. This year she finally got on board with permaculture principles and we just ordered 10 lbs of heirloom seed, and soon to order 2000 strawberry plants, along with 10-25 lbs of wildflower seed. Our goals for this year are to ....
- Start a strawberry u-pick, but with a permaculture slant (that's where the wildflowers and veggies come in!)
- Permascape our garden area, again veggies and wildflowers
- Create more water catches, rain gardens, aquaculture
- Begin raising beef cows, all grass fed, on land of ours that was previously conventional monoculture
- Permahab our small apple orchard with wildflowers, companion plants.
- Add pigs to our menagerie and incorporate them in to the growing process.
- Add ducks
- Use the farm as a teaching platform and inspiration for others in the area.
Would love to have you all out some time this spring/summer for a potluck or get together. The area is beautiful and the drive down is gorgeous.
I work and stay in the cities, where I'm from, Apple Valley, during the winter, except when work is slow, so if you wanted to catch a ride out with me that would be cool too.
I'd like to get to know other like minded individuals in the area and support one another in our permaculture goals. It's a lot easier, even just to have the moral support, rather than feeling like you're totally alone. Last year I did a test run with a low maintenance garden, basically just planted and let it go. Didn't really do anything to it all season and was pleased with the return. For a couple of hours worth of planting, we got back loads of zucchini, eggplant, some tomatoes, cucumber and beans, beets and lettuce. This year we're going to do greater variety and quantity, and make a better effort with design. This season we basically chopped and dropped everything where it was to feed the soil. Can't wait for this time around!
Also can't wait to get to know ya'lls!
Cheers and happy planning/implementing!