Our earth worms and the microbial life that feeds them are the most important volunteers in our program. They are the building blocks of our program. The health of our livestock depends on them. They produce lush, healthy forage for our animals--and they do it all without poisoning the soil like modern chemicals and fertilizers.
Last year we began clearing Jacob's Woods, a mixed forest woodlot of about 15 acres. I only got about five acres clear. In a 1/2 acre section of that area I concentrated horses for a couple of weeks and rolled out round bales there to feed them.
This is the result. We planted no seed. We added no lime. We used no fertilizer. Just outside the view of these pictures the same land contains no grass.
The biome in the woods was very high in fungus without sufficient bacteria to create a good home for grasses. Horse manure, horse hooves, and horse saliva brought in the bacteria that we
This winter we have to clear the remainder of the land and roll hay over it. The result will be 15 more acres of forage for our livestock along with improved habitat for quail and rabbits who use the brush piles for cover. the uptick in quail population has shocked me.
This is going to be a paradise for animals, domesticated and wild.
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