Rob Yost

Hi Sky, I am very interested in installing one of your stoves. A couple of questions, do you foresee any problems burning mostly cedar?  I have access to lots of fallen, dried cedar, I am mostly worried about sparks coming out the feed tube and creosote build up.

Second, have you or anyone else played around with phase change materials (PCM) as an alternative to thermal mass?  My thoughts are to build a large steel pot to put on top of the heat riser with PCM materials inside. See http://www.pcmproducts.net/High_Temperature_Salt_PCMs.htm for details. My goal would be to light it twice a day and keep the house comfortable.

Lastly, have you shipped any systems to Canada, and if so, what are the approximate shipping costs?

Thanks for your dedication to clean and sustainable heating!

Thanks Judith!👍

Hi, like so many, I am having trouble acquiring land. Here is what I am looking for, 20-30 acres for pastured hogs with a house and barn. Long term vision would be to turn it into a silvopasture.

Restrictions: I have 2 kids in school and I am unwilling to move them. We need to find a place within 15 km +/- from New Hamburg (near Kitchener). Our budget to purchase is $650,000 or to rent at $2200/month plus utilities.

Whats available? Farms around 100 - 200 acres from $1,500,000 and up or smaller "hobby farms" with big houses starting in the mid $800,000's.

Solution: I think the ideal solution would be to form a partnership with another farmer(s) to buy one of the 100 acre + farms. I am talking to a farmer friend who is thinking of buying another farm, he doesn't want the house and barn, so we are exploring the idea of buying a 100 acre farm together. He will put in $X to buy his shares which will get him access to ~75 acres of the crop land and our share will get us access to the buildings and ~ 25 acres. However, I am not sure if he is ready to move on the deal.

Question: Is there anybody in the permie world looking for land near me and willing to invest as a partner? What would you be looking for (land, buildings etc) and what is your budget? Does anybody have experience doing this? What are the pitfalls?

Here would be as good as any place to ask about this bee hive, http://www.honeyflow.com/. Any ideas on how/if this will actually work?

Edit, I just saw a post on this forum on the same thing, I will check out that thread.

How about a forum on the business side of permaculture? Without an income, nothing is sustainable, sad as that may sound. There is tons of info on these forums to grow any type of food, but without a way to sell it at a profit, it is all for not. As Mark Sheppard says, we need to scale up and fast.

Hey j wis, did you find some pigs? I am in Ontario as well and have raised a few Berk/Tam crosses on pasture. They are nice pigs and love to be outside (and root!!). I'm in southwest Ontario near Kitchener Waterloo. I can get you the contact info for the farmer I bought my piglets from.

Paul Ewing, good advise:)