The Request:
For those of you on SAN-NET who don't know me, my name is Carol
Ekarius. I farmed with my husband in Central Minnesota for nine years,
and we were very involved with the Sustainable Farming Association, and
the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. This year we
returned home to Colorado, and are setting up a ranch.
I am currently writing a book on Small-Scale Livestock Farming: A
Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability and Profit. The book is
under contract to Storey Communications (Garden Way) and should come out
next year. I am trying to include "Farmer Stories" as side-bars
through-out the book that highlight what other farmers are doing; and to
discuss what other successful folks are doing with paragraphs in the
general text. Since I came from Minnesota, my stories thus far are
heavily weighted to MN. I'd like to be able to highlight farmers from
other areas of the country (or Canada, or Mexico) as well, so I'm hoping
members of SAN-Net can forward me names of potential farmers who you
think would be willing to talk to me and be included in the text.
At this time I'm looking for folks invloved with any of the following
things:
1. Small-scale managed grazing (say someone running sheep or goats on
less than forty acres).
2. A livestock farmer with less than 200 acres, in an non-brittle
climate who is using Holistic Management.
3. A farmer using other forms of Whole Farm Planning, size of operation
is flexible for this one.
4. A farmer experimenting with alternative, and cheaper, feed sources.
5. A farmer who is actively using alternative health practices, like
homeopathics, accupuncture...
6. A farmer who is raising minor breeds as a commercial proposition.
I'd especially like some hog farmers who are doing alt. breeds on
pasture (Tamworths...).
7 Farmers using direct marketing, especially if someone knows of a
farmer successfully doing mail order meats or products.
8. Farmers who have gotten together for joint marketing operations.
9. A farmer who has worked through all the legal hoops for selling
labeled meat.
10. Farmers who are successfully growing and marketing exotic species
(deer, elk or bison.) This needs to be someone or a group that is
actually marketing meat, not simply marketing breeding stock to other
growers.
11. Someone who as done some exceptional financial planning to make
their operation successful.
12. Farmers doing landscape planning and biomonitoring.
13. Anyone else in animal agriculture who is doing particularly
interesting things!
I continue to use the word farm, but ranches are also welcome. As I say
in the beginning of the book, thousands of acres can be small-scale in
the arid west.
Please forward names and phone numbers (or e-mail addresses) to me at
bullspringsranch@worldnet.att.net; or feel free to call me with
suggestions at 719-689-2893.
Thanks for your help,
Carol Ekarius
------------ Forwarded Message ends here ------------
Loni Kemp lkemp@tc.umn.edu
Senior Policy Analyst, The Minnesota Project
RR 1 Box 81B Canton, MN 55922 (507)743-8300 Fax same
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