Hi, Bruce here. Hilary and I followed the Bali climate change conference closely and were relieved when agreement on action for the next two years was finally reached. Binding targets to reduce greenhouse emissions are essential if we are to avoid dangerous climate change. The Garnaut report, due in six months, will hopefully recommend targets similar to those outlined in Bali. Kevin Rudd’s response will be interesting.
Meanwhile, back on the farm, it’s the little things that count.
Mulch
We do heaps of mulching, both in the orchard and the veggie gardens, and buy bales of pea straw to add to our food scraps and lawn clippings. My spring grass slashing around the house has left thick piles of grass turning to hay in the paddock that we could use as mulch. We don’t have a hay baler, but we do have hand rakes, so last weekend a friend helped us rake up five trailer loads ― and there’s still plenty left to rake. By producing our own mulch, we can avoid the emissions associated with the harvesting and transporting of pea straw bales.
Chooks
One of the nice things about spring is that the hens go broody and raise new layers and roosters for the pot. After five successful hatchings last year, this year has been a disaster with not a single egg hatching from the first two broody hens. We were inclined to think the roosters had run out of puff. The third hen fared better, producing four chicks, and another two hens are now in the ‘maternity ward’, so we hope to get lots of New Year chicks.
Firewood
We use wood from our pine plantations to heat the house. It’s a sustainable system, and is the most energy efficient way to heat a house. However, it requires some forward planning and tree felling, because the wood has to cure for at least two years to burn efficiently. We used two stoves last year and burnt more wood than I had planned, so I have been splitting large logs this week, and hope they will be right for next winter.
There’s always plenty to do on the farm, especially when you’re trying to be C neutral.
Comments