And so begins the information that one could learn in a PDC.  This is a little late in the series of information, as it deals with animals, but I'll work my way back around to the beginning with the next show.  I wanted to wrap up Tony's question about animals and it was as good a place as any to start the discussion of a PDC. When looking at animals, there are 6 areas I look for how and what is necessary to include them.  They are:

• Need and Requirements
• Yields
• Placment in a System
• Forage and Grazing Systems
• Forage Species
• Fencing Requirements.

The first three are ones that you should be able to find plenty of information on your own about through a variety of sources.  It is the last three that are more tricky if you have not handled animals and livestock before.  Here are some resources to look to for more information, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but something to get you started.

Forage and Grazing Systems:

Grazing System Planning Guid

Multi-Species Grazing

Forage Species: Forage Information System (Oregon State)

Forage Species Identification

Fencing Requirements: Estimated Cost for Livestock Fencing (PDF)

Fencing for Exclusion

Fencing Materials for Livestock Systems

And I mentioned Doug Fine's Farewell, My Subaru, which I highly recommend as an entertaining read about one person's quest to live a more self-sufficient sustainable life

We've done it! We've made it! After all that time together working through these principles, it has come to and end and here is Holmgren's final one. Principle 12: Creatively Use and Respond to change. I find this principle to be one about vision and dreaming up the possibilities of what the future can hold for our design, both good and ill, and using those thoughts to prepare for what may come, to accept the changes, and then be in a place to respond to it positively. I want you to be calm and centered so you can make the best decisions possible while intentionally building the land and community around you. With that comes the last homework assignment for this series: Go out and practice what you have learned. With the Prime Directive, Ethics, and Principles of Permaculture, you are ready to begin this process. I can lead you further on with more information, but this is the core of the work that you will then do. All the techniques and concepts that you will find elsewhere build off of this. You can do it.

Questions? Contact me! Email: The Permaculture Podcast

We are getting near the end of looking at Holmgren's 12 Principles of Permaculture with this episode on Principle 11: Use Edges and Value the Marginal. After a brief introduction to what each one, numerous examples are given. There are a number of homework assignments as well. Give them a try and see what you learn in the process. Also mentioned in this episode are Phytoremediation and the work of Paul Stamets, who is working with fungal mycelium as a way to handle pollutants. Here is more information on both for sources that I like. Phytoremediation: Citizens Guide to Phytoremediation (PDF) This is a simple 2-page overview of the process and is good for letting people know this option is available. If you go to: www.clu-in.org and search for Phytoremediation a number of articles are available.

https://www.mobot.org/jwcross/phytoremediation/

https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun00/soil0600.htm

Paul Stamets: This is his TED Talk. At 18 minutes long it is worth your time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI5frPV58tY Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

We are nearing the end of this series on Holmgren's 12 Principles of Permaculture this time looking at Principle 10: Use and Value Diversity. In this episode I mentioned how quickly the number of connections between elements in the system can grow. There is an equation, borrowed from Network Topology that shows this, if the connections are 1 to 1. It is : N(N-1)/2, where N is the number of elements. Here is a diagram of The connection between 6 elements. But, you will quickly find as you examine the world and the different ways things are connected, that the real number is much higher than that equation or diagram suggests. There is an example of this in the episode between a blueberry bush and bird.

Questions?

Contact me! Email: The Permaculture Podcast