Episode-1677- Grant Schultz on Farmscale Permaculture

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Grant Explaining his E-Tractor

Grant Schultz is the Founder of Versaland and known in some circles as the “Mad Scientist of Permaculture”. As a farmer-hacker-artist, Grant develops new tools and techniques for creating and managing agroecosystems, including GPS Keyline technology, custom tree planters, and electric tractors.

Grant does this by leveraging a background in agricultural and commercial land management and brokerage, Grant has developed many innovative ways to gain land access, design a diverse landscape, and create a broad acre permaculture farm that yields profit and anti fragility.

Join Us Today to Discuss…

What is “Farmscale Permaculture”
What does your a broad acre permaculture farm look like
How many full time income enterprises can you stack onto one farm
What is Grants biggest moneymaker on the farm today
What will be his biggest moneymaker in about in 5 years
Why aren’t more farms operating using a model similar to that at Versaland
What changes Grant would make in establishing a second farm

Resources for today’s show…

Join the Members Brigade
The Year 1677
Join Our Forum
Walking To Freedom
TSP Gear
PermaEthos.com
AgriTrue.com
GenForward
Fortress Defense Consultants – (sponsor of the day)
The Berkey Guy – (sponsor of the day)
Against the Wind – Bob Seger

Grants Links

Versaland.com
New Farm Supply – Get 25% off all orders until 11-25-15 with code TSP
FreeMoneyForFarmers.com

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I gotta admit that this show was completely overwhelming to me. I am just some suburbanite stuck in a double upside-down mortgage, in a state that allows the vendor to sue me for the difference of the auction and what I still owe (even years later) if I walk away from it, with no farming/homesteading experience whatsoever, no idea where to move in the country, no idea how to even begin looking where to move because I don’t have time/money/health to travel around, no ideas on how to bring enough value to people in a rural environment so as to get paid in low-populated areas (I’m a “techie” guy near a major city), no significant property to practice on now, no time to practice, no immediate family to help, no support from anyone else, little energy/health even left after long work-days to do anything more than just listen to a few podcasts, etc.

For example, I listen to a podcast like this with total professionals living the whole lifestyle…and it seems like a complete DREAM to me. Much like if I listened to a sci-fi podcast with astronauts talking about space-travel and a colony on mars and similar… it’s super interesting, enjoyable, and thought-provoking for me to listen to, but it’s not like I can realistically ever picture myself being in that same outer space, or on Mars, or anything even close to what they are talking about. Same feeling after a show like this. Very discouraging sometimes when it’s what I’d like to do, yet see NO path to it. I’m so envious of all you people with the resources and support to make it happen, and am legitimately happy for you. Helps keep my dreams alive, even if they really are probably just dreams.

Jack, I wish you’d do a show along these lines sometime…without coming down hard without some “just pull up your bootstraps” talk though. Real step-by-step lists of how to make the transition, a list of 100 specific ways a person can bring value in exchange for enough money income to survive in rural environments, etc. How do I actually get to Mars, and grow enough potatoes to live there? (reference to “The Martian” movie currently out now… *grin*)

Comments

Episode-1677- Grant Schultz on Farmscale Permaculture — 10 Comments

Lukkas on November 18, 2015 at 8:34 pm said:

On the Fiefdoms thing, isn’t each enterprise its own Fiefdom within the Kingdom?

That would mean the Element Partners are landed gentry [Nobility] and the Products [Livestock, Plants etc] are the Serfs wouldn’t it?
- Nick C on November 18, 2015 at 10:18 pm said:
  
  Not really. There isn’t a “Kingdom”, just a collection of “fiefdoms”. Each one is entirely separate, including the real estate fiefdom.
- Lukkas on November 18, 2015 at 10:18 pm said:
  
  Vassal, that’s the word I was looking for. The Element Partner is a Vassal to the King. After all in a true Feudal System the only true owner of the land is the Royal House, everyone else is granted permission to use the land in a trickledown system.
Adam on November 19, 2015 at 2:05 am said:

Are the seeds available for the Giant sleeping chestnut? A google search seems to come up with bare root grafted seedlings. If they are available can you link a source? I am looking to add chestnuts to a future sivilpasture and to add to my permaculture orchard inspired design but with more nut trees added.

Thanks
- Lukkas on November 19, 2015 at 3:34 am said:
  
  You can thank my insomnia for this:
  
  http://newfarmsupply.com/collections/nut-trees/products/sleeping-giant-hybrid-chestnut-nuts-american-x-japanese-x-chinese
  
  Although the page uses the term nuts rather than seeds, it also references stratification.
  
  75$ [well, 60 with the discount code) for roughly forty ‘seeds.’
  - Corrects errors on November 19, 2015 at 6:35 pm said:
    
    CORRECTION
    About forty nuts per pound.
    $60 gets five pounds from New Farm Supply.
    5 lbs x 40 nuts = 200 nuts
    about 33 cents per nut
    - Lukkas on November 20, 2015 at 9:45 am said:
      
      Snap you’re right. I might actually make that purchase now.
      
      Thanks for the clarification.
Zach on November 19, 2015 at 8:12 pm said:

I was able to buy some chestnuts seedlings from Grant around this time last year and I was NOT disappointed. I had about 5-6 trees die. I didn’t nurture them. I dug a wide hole, plopped them in, flagged them to save them from a mower and let them live/die as they were able.

The great thing is that I bought 10 trees and received well over what I actually bought. Perhaps it was just an over-abundance of stock but I love a place that over delivers what it promises. I plan on getting more trees very soon!

Thanks Grant!
Jerry Ward on November 20, 2015 at 9:57 am said:

Grant,

Can you give more details on the drone mapping? I have a 10 access parcel with about 2/3’s of it wooded and I have a hard time with the contours. Any resources you know in Michigan that would do this mapping?
Perry on November 22, 2015 at 12:43 am said:

I gotta admit that this show was completely overwhelming to me. I am just some suburbanite stuck in a double upside-down mortgage, in a state that allows the vendor to sue me for the difference of the auction and what I still owe (even years later) if I walk away from it, with no farming/homesteading experience whatsoever, no idea where to move in the country, no idea how to even begin looking where to move because I don’t have time/money/health to travel around, no ideas on how to bring enough value to people in a rural environment so as to get paid in low-populated areas (I’m a “techie” guy near a major city), no significant property to practice on now, no time to practice, no immediate family to help, no support from anyone else, little energy/health even left after long work-days to do anything more than just listen to a few podcasts, etc.

For example, I listen to a podcast like this with total professionals living the whole lifestyle…and it seems like a complete DREAM to me. Much like if I listened to a sci-fi podcast with astronauts talking about space-travel and a colony on mars and similar… it’s super interesting, enjoyable, and thought-provoking for me to listen to, but it’s not like I can realistically ever picture myself being in that same outer space, or on Mars, or anything even close to what they are talking about. Same feeling after a show like this. Very discouraging sometimes when it’s what I’d like to do, yet see NO path to it. I’m so envious of all you people with the resources and support to make it happen, and am legitimately happy for you. Helps keep my dreams alive, even if they really are probably just dreams.

Jack, I wish you’d do a show along these lines sometime…without coming down hard without some “just pull up your bootstraps” talk though. Real step-by-step lists of how to make the transition, a list of 100 specific ways a person can bring value in exchange for enough money income to survive in rural environments, etc. How do I actually get to Mars, and grow enough potatoes to live there? (reference to “The Martian” movie currently out now… *grin*)