One year ago I chaired an English Department and taught writing courses at a small college. When not dealing with administrative red tape--which was all too common--I worked at revitalizing a curriculum, rekindling a departmental vision, banishing plagiarism, and most importantly, cultivating ideas and empowering students’ voices. I felt that my labor was meaningful. Sometimes my sense of meaningfulness arose [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON10IlwmISw At ABC acres, we are always looking for ways to improve the health and production of our soils. It honestly has moved from a mental preoccupation to a slightly obsessive pursuit. So, when we learned of the concept of bale grazing through some research, we were intrigued and interested in experimenting with it on our pastures with our cattle [...]
https://youtu.be/CaUE7mUuTEY One of the many reasons we love permaculture design here at ABC acres is because the design system empowers people to see the world in a new way. Where once someone could only see a problem, they can now view a solution. New and unique possibilities begin to emerge as creativity is awakened. Opportunities and the potential for abundance [...]
As I hold up the razor sharp knife to the bird presently inverted in the ‘kill cone’, I pause for but a moment, second-guessing my recently acquired skill-set as an on-farm butcherer. Too aggressive of a cut and I’ll sever the trachea, resulting in drowning in their own blood… cut the spinal cord, and the chicken will thrash around uncontrollably [...]
Several years ago I became interested in the food system, and as any good geek does, I became engrossed in the subject matter. However, the more I learned, the more upsetting the picture that emerged. Health epidemics, environmental degradation, governmental corruption and corporate greed, and the list goes on, unfortunately. A massive amount of books, articles, and documentaries have highlighted [...]
As the sun symbolically sets on 2015, it is a natural time for both reflection and anticipation, complete with a heart of thankfulness. The beginning of a new year brings with it a sense of refreshing and promise, along with new projects and to-do lists waiting to be completed! While it is easy for us to get wrapped up in [...]
Outside the window, the surrounding landscape at ABC acres is blanketed in about a foot of snow, and I am pleased that the confines of my home office leave my feet toasty with the in-floor heat. The Winter Solstice has come and gone, and by forcing myself to tear away from the many tasks at hand, I take pleasure in [...]
Wintertime in Montana likes to humble us at ABC Acres, letting us know it is best to make our plans in pencil. We may have discussed all that we were going to get done the previous day, but waking up to a thick blanket of snow quickly changes our tasks, and reminds us that we have to be flexible and [...]
I look back fondly at the many forested trails I have hiked over the years, remembering the clearly marked paths that so many feet before me carved for my easy identification. For the ease of hiking unfamiliar territory, this is a blessing, but to understand that the soil beneath the surface is devoid of life is something else to consider entirely. [...]
On Wednesday of this week, we officially kicked off our exciting new partnership with the “Days at Dunrovin” online community by heading North to Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo for a garden prep permablitz. ABC Acres joined up with the Dunrovin team, and a couple great volunteers, to begin the transformation of a garden that was in need of some permaculture [...]
