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There's a difference between a woodstove, and a wood cook stove. A wood stove -- excuse me, some wood stoves have ample space on top to use pots and pans, which would amount to the cooktop part of a modern stove/range/oven/whatever you call it in your neck of the woods. But that's about it...

The word of the day is "monopsony." A monopsony is basically the exact opposite of a monopoly; many producers, one consumer. In your case, the consumer was whoever operated that elevator.. They were buying from you, and the next guy, and the next guy, and pretty much could offer you whatever...

Big words, from someone who thinks Saddat was the Iraqi President who invaded Kewit. Also...did you really use the word "stold?" Really? Yikes.

In Kentucky, the generally accepted stocking rate for cow/calf pairs on clear pasture is 2.5acres per mama cow...so, 7.5 acres of actual pasture. As for hay, around here, the generally accepted figure is that you need one big round bale of hay per head per month...and we feed hay about five...

Generally speaking, it's phosphorus that causes problems in males.. Blood phosphates, to be more specific. Extra phosphates are filtered out by the kidneys and sent into the bladder. Grains of pretty much any kind are PACKED FULL of phosphorus. If the urine pH is too high (too base/not...

Alright, so...here's what I'm taking from this thread. 1) To be "self-sufficient," on this forum, doesn't really have that much to do with actual self sufficiency, where one would have the ability to live without outside aid or input of any kind. It simply means trying or actually being...

What does it mean, then? Super curious to hear this...... :pop I'm not suggesting it...the term "self sufficiency" does. I'm actually suggesting that true self-sufficiency is practically unattainable. I'm also really amazed at how many people are coming back at me with pretty much exactly...

Why? Because that's where most food comes from these days? Oh, wait. No, it doesn't. You missed the point again. The point was to compare what most folks do to what we strive to do, with regard to sustainability. From a sustainability standpoint, yeah. So far, so good. You're doing...

Really? Because, if you notice, quite a few people have jumped in and said they agree with my assessment of what it means. Soooo... :hu Thanks! :D ..oh.. :( Is it nitpicking vocabulary if someone looks out across the ocean and says "Wow, look at that water-car!" and you say "Uh, that's a...

No, actually. Far from it. Indeed, that's been my point for the last umpteen posts. Ironic, huh? :lau :gig

FWIW, I don't think that being self-sufficient means removing yourself from society.. I simply think it means having the ability to remove yourself from society, if necessary. And I think that because...yanno...that's actually what it means. :D :gig

I work for a living, and my job pays the bills and buys the stuff we need. Would you consider me to be self-sufficient right now, because frankly...I don't. At least, bot in the sense we're talking about here, anyway, whether people wanna own up to the kind of self-sufficiency most of us are...

It's the only logical interpretation I can think to assign the phrase within the context of growing one's own food, cutting one's own firewood, canning one's own veggies, etc.. I mean...if we open the door to the possibility of bartering and buying things we need...well, hey, most of us are...

I agree, and I do the same thing. Not so much because it will help in a SHTF scenario...though it would...but because it keeps me out of the vet's office and saves me money. Another example of self-sufficiency skills driven by practicality.

Actually, I'd say the "us" has a misconception of self-sufficiency. It's not about being a hermit, either...not necessarily, anyway. But if you're self sufficient, you could be a hermit if necessary. If you couldn't be a hermit...that is, if you had to come out and do a little business with...

That's not self-sufficiency. You just said it yourself -- that's an agrarian community. No kidding...which is why I've referenced the illusion of self sufficieny like three times. It doesn't exist. Your agrarian society is a much better idea. But, unfortunately, being a better idea than...

Being self sufficient. :hu Do you own all those nails and screws? I don't. I have a finite supply and when they run out, I can't make anymore. If someone else has them, and I need them, then I gotta figure out a way to get them from that person. Which means bartering. Which means...uh...

I always find it funny when, in self-sufficiency forums and so forth, folks inevitably begin to mention bartering and micro-economies. It's funny because it's the next logical step...in the direction of specialization, increased efficiency, etc., which is a step away from self-sufficiency...

Ok, the only thing I've ever read about infant formula and third world countries was the whole Nestle thing, which had little to do with foreign aid. The Nestle deal was an example of a big company using effective marketing to sell a useless product to uneducated people in a bid to make as much...

Ya reckon that's what happened? Reckon they just ran slapdab out of goats, chickens, and seeds and that's why they're in the shape they're in? Really? :/