Who’s living on the V6?
I now have some free time to start looking into some of the questions that I have wondered about since holistic management gave me permission to question my management practices and change those that didn’t help pay the bills or improve soil health. Well, I’m now debt-free, so I have time to satisfy some of my curiosities. So who does live on the V6 that can’t drive a truck? I think that pretty well excludes all of us humans but does leave some that still get around on the back of a horse.
With my new water system, along with the existing water, I will be adding 10 new watering troughs. These concrete troughs measure 30” inches high, letting only mature cows and horses have a place to drink. New technology has also made its way into construction equipment. My son John last year bought a mini excavator that will allow me to dig a hole for a trough that measure 30” high by 36” wide by 10’ long and a half hour of digging time then it will lift this trough weighing 3500 pounds and then lower the trough into its permanent place that will measure 15 inches high above ground level that will allow many more residents that live on the V6 to get a drink. The old method I grew up with: you needed a pick and shovel, a gallon of sweat, a block and tackle, and a day's time. But pre-holistic management time, we never gave much thought to giving anything but cattle big enough a place to drink. Oh, I’ve forgotten that 15 inches high was still too high for many. I can cure that with a real heavy-duty screen sloping up 15” to the lip of the trough, then across the top, then sloping at a 45-degree angle to the bottom. So with John’s excavator and enjoying his cab with air conditioning, there was no sweat involved.
I was ready to mount a trail camera on a post next to each trough that will automatically take a picture of whoever is getting a drink. I think as time passes, I will be able to tell who is drinking and whether each specific class of drinkers is prospering or not; migratory birds will be a little harder to monitor. So for me, satisfying a curiosity has become a very rewarding way to spend some of my retirement years.
See Ya,
Jack