<DrumBeat: July 18, 2006 The Oil Drum Feeding the Beast>

172 comments on How the Energy Crisis Will Help My Diet

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Jon Kutz on July 18, 2006 - 12:39pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
One thing that will help is to increase the number of livestock being raised on pasture grass instead of grain fed feedlots.
This would give a much healthier meat and supply meat with a much lower (oil) energy input.
Part of the problem with this is that there are almost no fences left in farm country. Next time you drive around farm country watch carefully for how many fields have fences. And fences are an expensive 50 year investment. Farmers aren't going to make that investment until they are sure it is going to pay off. Further, financing the 50 year investment in fences is somewhat of a problem in that you have a very high initial investment that will not return any profit for 5+ years. (time required to put up fence, renovate pasture grasses and start breeding up a cattle herd).
We would get more from government farm programs if they would initiate some type of finance plan to cover this type of time lagged investment on the farm. But as it doesn't benefit the large factory farming businesses I doubt you will see anything like it until the oil crisis/depression hits.
Meat could get very expensive during the transion from feedlot farming to pasture farming.
I would expect that a lot of cities are going to have to modify their "no livestock in the city" provisions to permit chickens (no roosters! <BG>), rabbits, etc... so that people can raise some of their own meat and eggs even in the city (using a lot of their waste food products)
The development of the miniature breeds of both dairy and beef cattle should even make it possible for people with only a large lot to raise their own beef. Miniature cattle are generally 36 to 42 inches high at the sholders and cows go about 650 pounds and bulls/steers about 800 pounds. Steaks, roasts and other cuts are more family size instead of the giant cuts from a full size steer. One miniature steer provides about the right amount of beef for one family for 1 year and they get all the different cuts from the carcass instead of only some from a 1/4 or 1/2 of a full size steer. Minaiture Jerseys give about 1 gallon of milk a day - just about right for a family with any excess going to raise a steer for beef.
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Pathumthanee on July 18, 2006 - 12:55pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Fences can be grown as well as built. This is a technique typically used in most developing countries. Only a rich westerner would consider building a fence around a large piece of property. Pick a non edible tree/bush that grows in your climate, plant a hedge, and wait 3 years. This may be difficult in a very cold climate unless you can find a non edible evergreen that can grow in a hedge, but there are many places in the U.S. where a living fence would be a very reasonable solution.
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sendoilplease on July 18, 2006 - 5:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I love the idea of natural fences - both to keep in the critters and keep out the Riff-Raff (e.g. graffiti 'artists') even in Urban areas:

"Trials in the designing out of graffiti and flyposting have been carried out in areas where large expanses of wall/fence attract vandals. This involved the use ... planting of natural screening i.e. thorn bushes or fast growing large shrubs. The scheme is to expand during 2003 to minimise the potential for large-scale graffiti and vandalism."

http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/environ/graffiti.html

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TN Granny on July 18, 2006 - 4:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I understand the comment about roosters - they crow! But how do these people obtain replacement chickens - shipped from a commercial hatchery somewhere? (That's why I have 6 roosters...)
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Jason Bradford on July 18, 2006 - 7:45pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I keep my rooster in a box in the cellar at night and let him out at 9 am every morning--hoping to avoid the wrath of the neighbors.  He services 3 mature hens and two pullets are growing.  
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Mad Maxout on July 18, 2006 - 8:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
What do you mean "no livestock" in cities? I live currently in an apartment where I'm one of 3 tenants with no livestock. The rest have head of livestock known as dogs. Carnivorous, they are very inefficient at converting waste food to meat, hence deterring their use as livestock per se.

While not useful as food, dogs, at least huskies, can be used as draft animals. With a suitable harness on the Siberian Husky and its user, the user wearing Rollerblades suddenly becomes one efficient animal-drawn vehicle with most of the mass being payload and "engine". This method of transportation is PERFECT if you work in a really pet friendly workplace. Use a backpack to haul small amounts of freight.

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TN Granny on July 18, 2006 - 10:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Several dog breeds are quite useful as draft animals. St Bernards and Newfoundlands both can outpull a Husky. Saints regularly pull 10-12 times their own weight in pulling contests. This is around a ton of concrete blocks on a sled on dirt with no wheels! What's more they love to do it. Bernese and Greater Swiss are also traditionally used as draft animals.
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Mad Maxout on July 19, 2006 - 6:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
So, a St. Bernard is the dog to use as a draft animal. I suppose you could cut the dog's hair to compensate for summer heat. (any breed) In Illinois animal-propelled vehicles are legal without a license due to a small number of Amish types.

You'd still need a pet friendly workplace to "park" your dog by your desk. It sure wouldn't be nice if the workplace merely had a kennel as a "stable" as you work.

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Stoneleigh on July 19, 2006 - 8:20am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I have four huskies that pull a racing sled in the winter, which is a little like vehicle racing with the accelerator nailed to the floor. I wouldn't dream of using one to pull me on rollerblades in other seasons as that would be a recipe for broken bones, especially in the city. Using a scooter with one dog is much safer as the rider can jump off if necessary (by which I mean plant their feet on terra firma while still holding on to the scooter and attached dog). I wouldn't do it in a built-up area though - there are too many distractions that could cause a husky to shift direction abruptly. Training helps obviously, but even well-trained huskies have a mind of their own.

Huskies were bred for food-efficient pulling power and so could be very useful for getting around in winter if the roads were no longer plowed. (The inevitable falls hurt much less if one is landing on snow.) For summer pulling on rollerblades I'd recommend a breed which is more likely to have the word 'stop' in its mental vocabulary. Also, choosing a breed less likely to overheat in summer would be advisable. Huskies spend most of their time sleeping when it's hot.  

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TN Granny on July 18, 2006 - 10:24pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Since coyotes are a problem in my area, my chickens(20 hens in addition to the 6 roosters) are closed up in a very secure shed at night with metal skirting and hardee borad on the interior walls and floor. This enables me to keep down the noise until I let them out in the morning, but I do that around 7 AM. Where I live was all farmland when I moved here hence my agricultural zoning. However all the farms around me have sprouted MacMansions and there is no other livestock for miles....
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172 comments on How the Energy Crisis Will Help My Diet

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