Food Web - integrated livestock for lower feed costs

[velacreations]

What is a Food Web? The Food Web is a holistic approach towards small scale food production. Basically, it's a way to increase efficiency and yields by integrating your livestock. If you are going to raise animals on your homestead, you should design connections and interactions between them to decrease feed inputs and labor.

We're building a Food Web here in Northern Mexico as a working example and sort of an open classroom for the struggling farmers in our area. We are documenting this project in a book, titled Food Web. It will provide instructions for people to be able to design and create their own Food Webs, depending on their unique situations and circumstances.

We need help to get the project off the ground, so we've launched a crowdfunding campaign here: http://www.indiegogo.com/foodweb

Come check it out, and help us promote a simple, real world example of sustainable farming!

We've been living off the grid for more than a decade. Part of our lifestyle is sharing our experiences, so that others may find some inspiration or information in their own projects.

Check out a list of our Homesteading How-To's:
http://velacreations.com/foodweb/howtos

 

[velacreations]

More photos

We are moving forward with the Food Web model system. We have started construction on the barn's water. It is a 7,000 gallon rain catchment system. We've been experimenting with liner-tanks for large capacity water storage, and this one is coming out great.

The basic concept with these tanks is to make a support structure to hold a liner (animal safe or potable, depending on your needs). The structure has to be able to hold the liner in place, and resist the pressure of the water, especially at the base. The trick is to avoid making the tank very tall. A 4ft tall tank has only 1.8 psi at the base, no matter how wide the tank is. 1.8psi is not a lot of pressure, and can be held with a very basic frame, like wire mesh, plywood, or sheet metal.

In this version, we used wire mesh.

Here's some more details about the tank:
http://www.velacreations.com/blog/item/280-barn-tank.html

 

[Denim Deb]

Does the tank have some kind of cover to keep the water from evaporating? What do you do to keep the water clean and free of insect larvae?

 

[velacreations]

yes, we are currently building its roof, probably finish next week. Another option would be to through in some small fish like minnows or bluegill to take care of the insects.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Why in Mexico? Why not in the USA?
Just curious...

 

[velacreations]

we prefer the pace of life, here. It is a family-oriented culture. Food is also cheaper and easy to find produced locally. Lots of reasons.

We couldn't really afford the US anymore, and we didn't want to go into debt.