Thoughts on Permaculture

Everything I do on my farm is all part of a system. It's all circular, with pieces of the puzzle contributing to the other pieces, that all combine together to form a whole: a farm.

The chickens produce fertilizer which is then added to the compost pile. The compost pile creates compost, which is then added to the garden. The garden produces vegetables, which we eat. The scraps are then thrown back to the chickens. It's all a cycle. 

The garden, goats, woods, fields, bees - all of them are just pieces within their own cycles.

Likewise, I try my best to ensure that everything within those systems serves as many roles as possible. The greater the number of roles each participant plays, the greater the value of that particular piece. 

For example, chickens also produce eggs for me to eat and sell. I get food and offset the cost of raising them as a result. They produce chicks, which I can also sell. They control the tick population, providing a health service. When their lives are done, they produce meat. Combined with the fertilizer, that's 5 different services that one piece provides.

The more efficient and effective systems that a farm contains, and the greater versatility for each piece, the stronger of a farm you will have (typically). Creating such systems is the definition of permaculture.

I've read heavily on the subject, and I've found the best book to be written by Ben Falk. I highly recommend it if you're involved in any form of farming or gardening whatsoever.