Hi there,
I was wondering if anybody is using horses to work their land? Particularly in S.A. I would love to chat.
And just a plug for it. They cause less harm to the soil and give something back to it, they run on grass, are so much quieter and less disruptive.
And in case you are worried about 'going backwards' technology wise. What good has modern, progressive, industrial farming done for us anyway? Degraded the soil and raised CO2 emissions to dangerous levels.
In the UK the silver nomads use horse drawn wagons and can be seen on the roads everywhere. In America the Amish folk have annual sales of horse powered farm machinery.
What about Australia? Nobody is manufacturing this equipment. Its relegated to lawn ornament status. Dilapidated rusting tools sold as antiques at outrageous prices.
Come on shed tinkerers Surely it wouldnt be hard to adapt gear that is being dragged around by tractors, to horse.
There maybe a lucrative market for it in the small holders community.
I need to grow 2 acres/1 ha of grain a year for my stock and flour needs. I dont need a 40 meter wank tank that will chew up the landscape with its 4 meter high tyres.
I am a regenerative farmer so no-till. But a horse drawn seeder and header would be great at a reasonable cost or even better, to hire for the two days a year I would need it.
I am committed to not using cars. So also looking for horse drawn vehicles. Not antiques for tourists. Useful working vehicles with lightweight chassis and wheels for speedy transport with a towball, and a wagon/ cart for around the farm. Who knows maybe even a caravan for holidays. I have seen some Gypsy wagons for sale but would have to mortgage the farm to buy one. They are works of art, but @ $20,000, way out of reach for a humble dirt farmer.
So anyway that's my two cents worth. If there is anyone else out there with similar lines of thinking, I would love to hear from you.
Is there anybody out there further down the track in this than me?