Free-Range Living

Husbanding', 'husbandry' - old-fashioned terms no doubt in modern tech-e life, and considered 'old hat' by some. The Chambers dictionary definition of a husbanding person include 'a thrifty manager', 'a conserver' and 'one who manages with economy' , the longer-term  nature of which may help to explain the role's decline in today's 'borrow now-have now' super-consumer mainstream culture. Some, though, it would appear, are concerned with longer-term possible realities, taking the 'husbanding' stance, whilst quite a few seem to be pretty busy 'super-consuming', giving presumably quite a schizophrenic element in society. 

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Crikey, what a growing year - in these parts, the growth of vegetation in April through May has been quite startling, leaving the countryside hereabouts looking stunning, in spite of the lack of rain in April. Rain did come, probably just in time to save the day, and for the last three to four weeks, ground moisture levels have been good. Rain may not exactly suit sun-worshippers, but my, it does give a 'green and pleasant  land' effect, which certainly uplifts at least some spirits. The East and South-East of the UK, though, are still very desperate for rain, having had very little for three months whereas the North and North-West has had more than enough - hard to believe there could be such a difference within such a small country.

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Starting and running a 'freeranger'-type lifestyle enterprise can be an attractive way of 'freeranging', but there can still be potential pitfalls such as over independent thinking, lack of 'heart/head' balance and adoption of generalistic, assumed objectives rather than 'freerange' objectives suited to the enterprise.    Lifestyle enterprises can be seen as the vehicles which deliver the satisfaction of an array of multi-dimensional 'freeranger' needs,  and as such need a more encompassing system of assessment than a purely financial assessment might deliver.

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April's a busy month on the organic eco-holding normally, but particularly this year due to the virtual complete absence of rain, translating then into more  watering work. The upside is that plant growth has been phenomenal and the crop area looks pretty good. Although it's a lean time of year for eatable produce, onions are still available from store, the recently installed 'early production' glasshouse in the small paddock has yielded very timely salads produce, and of course, the good ol' spring greens, having survived a savage winter, have 'burgeoned' brilliantly to provide fresh, healthy and TASTY veg. 

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The ‘big’ free-range idea is to give animals such as egg-laying chickens and dairy cows a natural (to them) environment which then allows them to express their innate, unique behaviour patterns, for their own sakes, and to facilitate their natural proclivities and productivities. The ‘spiritual’ foundation to this appears to be a feeling that as ‘top animal’ man should be working ‘in partnership’ with them and recognising their needs, rather than just trying to dominate and control them; husbanding and caretaking rather than merely exploiting, paradoxically though often leading to good sustainable levels of productivity. There’s just something so satisfying, too, about seeing those chickens scratting busily and contentedly about in the paddock.

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‘Delicious dosh’

No, of course it’s not the money that’s consumed, though, it’s really just a medium -  it’s what it can give access to that really counts: survival, security, exclusivity, social standing, clout, protection, conviviality, pleasure, personal development, philanthropy to name but a few.

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Four-Course Rotation

Maybe older ways and concepts may make a comeback as modern resources such as oil become scarcer, particularly as world-wide demand for material goods and comforts seems to be ever growing. Modern food growing uses considerable amounts of fossil fuels in the production of fertilisers for instance. In 'olden' days before fertiliser and spray availability, people had to plan and think ahead long-term, to ensure that soil fertility was on-going, just as modern organic farmers have to do. Maybe thinking and operating longer-term is an additional attraction of organic growing? .

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