You have eliminated pesticides and chemical fertilizers and thus reduced your input costs and benefited the environment,
and you are getting twice the price for your production at the farm gate. But on the energy front we seem to be burning up a
lot of petroleum producing this organic food and fiber. To me organic also means sustainable in the true sense of the word.
If we are dependent on non renewable energy for the production and distribution of our great organic food, stop the tractor,
I want off!
But you like your air conditioned cushy cab tractor with all its gadgets and
you're just waiting for some corporation to buy your soybeans so they can
process them into bio-diesel and then sell them back to you to run your tractor
sustainably. It may happen sooner than I thought, but let me tell you about
another great option. It's modular, solar powered, 4-wheel drive with power
burst, programable with 340 degree vision, has a large memory bank and
intelligence all its own, is soft and lovable, and it will not talk back, launch
liability suits, or require paid holidays, pension plans, or unemployment
insurance. Yep, you guessed right — it's the almost forgotten draft horse.
Assuming a well-conditioned team, equipment in good repair, and 10 hours in the field, with two 1,500-pound horses, in one day you can expect to:
plow | 1 1/2 - 2 Acres |
cultivate (single row) | 7 acres |
harrow | 8-10 acres |
mow | 7 acres |
drill | 8-10 acres |
rake | 14 acres |
plant | 8-10 acres |
haul on a wagon | 1 1/2 tons 20-25 miles |
More articles in this series:
Advantages of Draft Horses
Feed and Water Requirements
Procuring Suitable Horses
Horse Housing
Harness and Equipment