Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
More than one commercial fl ock has grown out of a homestead fl ock.
Suddenly, a fl ock that began with one or two ewes grows to 20 or 30, and the
homesteader is looking for a larger piece of land or some additional places to
graze the sheep on other people's land.
Then there are folks who jump from virtually no experience with sheep to
acquiring a commercial fl ock in one step. Perhaps they've inherited a farm or
have decided to purchase their dream farm. These folks face a greater chal-
lenge than those who take the “grow-your-own-fl ock” approach, but the rest
of this topic should help either type of new shepherd.
Intensive versus Extensive Management
There are two approaches to any type of agricultural enterprise: the high-
input, intensive system and the low-input, extensive system. The high-input
system is the one that currently dominates U.S. agriculture. This system
requires tremendous inputs of labor and cash for fertilizers, pesticides, har-
vested feeds, veterinary services, extensive lines of machinery, and specialized
buildings. Farmers practicing high-input, intensive agriculture hope to gener-
ate enough product to meet those costs and make a profi t regardless of what
“the markets” are doing. In the intensive system, there is an expectation that
more lambs mean more money, but that isn't always the case. Although the
intensive approach works for some folks, there are far more who are drown-
ing in worthless products and piles of bills.
The low-input, extensive management system places far less emphasis on
production volume and more on profi tability. This is also the system that's
been tagged “sustainable agriculture” in recent years. Sustainable practitio-
ners look to maximize profi t while protecting the environment and the social
structure of their rural communities. They consider quality of life to be as
important as gross income, but they would probably agree that net income
plays a big role in having a good quality of life.
In this system, farmers try to mimic nature — for example, by lambing in
the spring when the grass is coming on (and wild animals are having their
young). They look to their animals to carry a fair share of the workload, har-
vesting their own feed and spreading their own manure for a large portion of
the year. Successful practitioners of low-input, extensive agriculture fi nd that
both labor and costs are dramatically reduced. The time they save allows them
to maximize profi ts by working on direct marketing. This topic emphasizes
the low-input, extensive system because this type of management is especially
well suited to homestead fl ocks and small commercial producers.
