If the answer to any of these questions is yes you need to read further.  We may have a solution for you – aquaponic fodder!  OK, what is that?  Aquaponic fodder is young green grass that has been grown from grain or grass seeds grown in 6-10 days in a controlled environment using very sustainable and earth friendly technology.  This 6-8″ long green grass is fed directly to your livestock as a replacement for grain and for a significant percentage of your normal hay feeding amounts.

We are livestock farmers just like you, and we have struggled this season with our feed needs.  We raise show quality breeding alpacas.  Proper nutrition is vital to the success of our carefully monitored and strategized genetic improvement program.  We are also passionate about using sustainable farming methods in our farming and we want to teach others how to do the same.

We have been producing  aquaponic fodder here in Northern Colorado at the Center for Ecolonomic Excellence and feeding it to our show quality alpacas.  We are very selective about what we feed, and this has been a very exciting addition to our feeding process.

We will be  regularly reporting on our results with this new technology through our Mountain Sky Alpacas website, as well as through our Nourish the Planet Membership Community.  We will be marketing a unique livestock nutrition plan to selected clients which will include  an aquaponic fodder program.  Watch for all of this as we roll this program out!!  Email us at waynedorband@gmail.com or call us at our offices at 303-495-3705 for more information.  We look forward to sharing more with you.  

Livestock feeding does not have to fit the “old school” paradigm that you have always thought about – it can be innovative and sustainable.

Responsible for textile and apparel (including silk kind of product) is responsible for the class said: At present, materials have been handed over to declare, that we are finishing, the next step will be the relevant standards, identify and so on.

Model driven to lead the Commerce Department reported that export base under the scope of products are light industry, pharmaceuticals, textiles (including silk type products), four categories of agricultural products.

Submit the requirements for the export base has been formed around, industry clusters have obvious advantages of the light industry, pharmaceutical products, textile and garment export base, including: base of specialized industry names, content, brands and R & D capabilities and so on, export base of agricultural products, including: planting base livestock and poultry breeding base, aquaculture bases (fence farming, cage culture, pond farming, factory farming, beach / crane to support / at the end of broadcast), agricultural products and food processing base.

Since the construction of four major categories of export base is still early, on the role of standards for a range of issues the parties can only speculate theoretically. In accordance with the planning of the Ministry of Commerce and export bases in the transformation of foreign trade development mode, optimize trade structure will play a demonstration, motivate and lead role. Zhang Guoqing, deputy director of the Policy Research Department of Commerce, told reporters.

Export base is not a new thing, in the past have had a try and experience in this regard. In the past, Ministry of Foreign Trade have organized commodity export base building, previously the Ministry of Commerce has had export bases for medical, automotive export base-building experience.

According to one expert on condition of anonymity said that before the building of these bases belong to the operation of direct government investment and money. For example, when the Ministry of Foreign Trade has created a specialized export base construction company, the Government has given special funding; some directly from the department directly under the company’s building, while others are handed over to local, localities, led by the government investment.

The expert said the export base for the building of the former fully government-dominant position, which is the idea of a planned economy to set a market economy.

Zhang Guoqing believes that with the improvement of China’s market economy development in degree. China’s reform and opening up, China’s market economy development and perfection of top-down driven, initially, is to rely on the government to derive and reform.

At present, China’s market economy system through continuous improvement and development, China is expanding and opening up, WTO has also been nine years of experience, so the way to build the export base is very likely different from before.

The construction of a new export base is likely to mainly local manufacturing enterprises to run, and the Government only as information and technical conditions for their support and providers of market conditions to boot. Zhang Guoqing said that the Government may provide a base for a series of standard construction, such as the quality of export products, technology, prices for other export products as an example, to make China’s exports remain competitive; In addition, the government’s role may also be export enterprises will provide trade facilitation, such as authentication provider for the enterprise facilitation.

Zhang Guoqing that although the export base model, the play the role of lead and lead, but the offer can only be reference standards. The final standard to measure the market needed. Because the market is constantly changing, relying on the government’s administrative power in the current could no longer play a leading role.

Zhang Guoqing do not agree that as long as the government involvement in the formulation of a planned economy. See an export base in the end behavior of a market economy or not, mainly depends on who is dominant, depends on the Government is playing a leading role or supporting role.

In the past, the export base construction by the state and local governments to invest in companies on the base of the subsidies and assistance are essentially government-led model. Zhang Guoqing said that in the new export bases, if the government position in the public services, to help enterprises develop normally in the market information, guidance measures to provide assistance, it is under the auspices of the market to promote the export of specialty products.

Although the export base of the building requirements have been submitted over the formation of industrial clusters have obvious advantages in related industries, Zhang Guoqing that the industrial agglomeration and export base is differentiated. Industrial agglomeration in the industrial chain-oriented and export base in order to export products instead. To rely on the strength of the national public service platform to build a more realistic, if the enterprise on its own strength to rely on relatively modest. Export base with a certain amount of trial, and this is why the Government continues to explore the foreign trade structure adjustment and development approach is one path of transformation.

Can you say lack of food security?  What if that food supply was cut off? There would be riots, terrorism, violence and catastrophe.  We are doing a little to help solve this issue.  Look for us to say more about this project.

Wayne

A UVI Raft Aquaponics system - thanks Dr. Jim for your years of devotion to aquaponics

We had three completely packed hay ride tours of the Ranch.  We had many free drawings and excited winners and we were able to teach many about sustainability.  We had several awesome vendors that also participated with us:  Kate Armstrong the Urban Forager, The Tire Garden from the Ft. Collins area , Coby and Amy from Metanomy, and  the guys from Brewster Timberframe Company. We want to thank all these folks and hope they had a great experience.

We are going to be announcing some exciting new activities in the next few weeks, and we could not be more excited about the future.  Please keep in touch with us and make the Planet a Better Place while making a little money doing it!!

We will be having hands on demonstrations, fishing in our pond for our greenhouse raised trout, playing some pasture golf, pitching some horseshoes, hiking, biking, hanging with the animals, or just chillin with some amazing music from Davey and the Blu Dog.  I guarantee you will have a great day. You can come any time between about 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM.  Bring the kids and your friends.  If you bring pets be prepared to have them on a leash.

DAVEY AND THE BLU DOG

We have many cool things we will be able to show you that you could use on your farm, your ranch, your suburban back yard, or your window-sill in your apartment.  We want to help you see how you can feed yourself and teach others to do the same

We will also have a booth next weekend (Sept. 17 – 18)  at the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Fair in Ft. Collins, so come see us there.

So we brought some alpacas, our Nourish the Planet materials and we are now on thousands of Facebook pages in the Rocky Mountain area. What a great time we are having. Everyone wants to see the “cute” alpacas. We have three young boys who we had on the show circuit here with us – Bam Bam, Arctic, and Camo. They were huge hits with everyone. It never ceases to amaze me how little so many know about our amazing livestock breed.

This is an urban gathering with most people coming from the city. Most of them believe that you have to have many acres to have alpacas. Denver has recently passed ordinances that now allow residents to have goats and chickens, but what about alpacas. Are they legal? I would hope so, but I really do not know. Are they permissible in residential areas in your town? Why shouldn’t they be? Alpacas are quiet, they have minimal odor, they do not challenge fences, and are completely non threatening.

I know that the average urban backyard could support a pair of fiber boy alpacas. They would be good pets (not cuddly like dogs, but cute and safe – in my opinion much better than cats), they would be affordable ( much less annual cost than dogs), they would fertilize your lawn, mow your lawn, and give enough incredible fiber to make sweaters, hats and socks. How great would that be?

What are your thoughts on urban alpacas? What am I missing? Wouldn’t this be a great market for fiber animals, or even partnerships for owning breeding/genetic/show animals. Well, I have people stacked four deep wanting me to tell them about our amazing alpacas. I better go tell this tale.

The Mobile Barn - how would you think your alpacas would like living on carpet!

Here are some highlights:

• John did an amazing tour of our stone farming operation.  Many folks did not know that this could be so sustainable!
• Our pallet buildings and temporary pasture fencing was a real eye opener for many folks.
• Our golden retriever Sky got to show the folks how competitive dog agility prepares a dog for life on the Ranch.
• There were some great fish stories from fishing on the pond.
• Yes a pasture golf hole could be a par 22 – at least for my son, Dustin!
• Java, our alpaca who thinks she is a dog, was a hit for everyone.
• Some folks watched the entire Food Inc. movie for the first time.  It is good.

Well here are a few pictures, and we will post a whole bunch more within a couple of days.  Thanks for coming if you did, and if you didn’t you can now look forward to our big event – The IDEA2011 that we will hold on Earth Day Weekend (April 22-24) next year.  Much more to come on that!!!

The greenhouse and flowers in fall colors

The Good DR. describing our greenhouse aquaponics

A livestock pallet barn in a temporary pasture at Mountain Sky Ranch

We have been using moveable pallet barns here at Mountain Sky Ranch for over six months with much success.  They provide protection from wind, rain and snow.  They are easy to move around, and they provide excellent sun protection in the heat of the summer. 

Our structures are about 9′ x 8′ and about 8′ tall in the front and 6′ in the back.  They are made from recycled pallets that we can obtain for between $5 and $8 each.  Only the steel roof of this structure is new material.  The total hard costs (excluding labor) for these barns is less than $150, a one person can construct one with a circular saw and a hammer in less than 4 hours.  If you value the labor time at say $20/hour then the cost of these very effective barns is less than $250!  I know you would pay almost $1000 for a commercial three sided barn.

You are also doing a great carbon balance act by recycling material that would often be going to landfills.  They are actually even better for animal care than hard sided barns because they “breathe” by allowing some air to flow through them, while still keeping out moisture for the most part.

Mountain Sky Ranch has many other examples of this sustainable use mentality.  We would love to have you come and visit us to see how you could make use of these types of technologies on your own property.  You can be lowering your carbon footprint and bettering the planet.  Come to our special Celebrate Sustainability Event on October 23, 2010 and see these pallet barns and many other cool agricultural practices.

Loveland, CO, September 11, 2010.The Institute of Ecolonomics (IOE) and Mountain Sky Group (MSG)  announce the Second Annual Celebrate Sustainability Event to be held again on Saturday, October 23, 2010, at Mountain Sky Ranch, near Carter Lake.  This one day free event will feature discussions, displays, activities and entertainment related to sustainable living and agriculture.

Mountain Sky Ranch which is a commercial sustainable agriculture ranch as well as an agritourism, demonstration, education and research campus will host the Celebrate Sustainability  Event for the second time, on October 23, 2010.   Dr. Dorband, President of IOE states, ” our inaugural Celebrate Sustainability Event last fall was so much fun that we knew we wanted to do it again.  We met so many environmentally conscious people who did not know what we did and we want to continue to show the community how to be more earth friendly.”

Celebrate Sustainability is a family oriented event running from noon to 7:00 PM which is free and open to the public.  Throughout the day there will be discussions, demonstrations and activities showcasing:

• small acreage farming for anyone;
• sustainable livestock;
• aquaponics for home food production, and;
• tips for sustainable living.

Deb Dorband, Mountain Sky Ranch owner says, “Come for an hour or spend the day.”There are ponds, a stream, timbered mountain trails, and restful meadows to just relax in.  Bring the kids for fishing and other kid friendly activities.  You will learn a lot and have fun also.”

The Institute of Ecolonomics, LLC,  (www.ecolonomics.org) is an international non-profit that promotes the synergy of ecology and economy.  Based in Loveland, IOE works as a business development facilitator and incubator for entrepreneurs building businesses that will improve the planet.  IOE has rural acreage, a large greenhouse complex and a converted warehouse where partner companies work on a variety of projects involving alternative energy, innovative technologies and socially conscious initiatives.

Mountain Sky Group, LLC, (www.mountainskygroup.com) is a group of environmentally conscious companies that work in a variety of sustainable business area, including sustainable agriculture.  Mountain Sky Ranch (www.mountainskyranchllc.com)is a subsidiary of MSG that commercially practices sustainable agriculture raising a genetic/show herd of alpacas and Pygoran goats, along with many other ventures that are earth friendly.  MSG partners with IOE in the area of sustainable agriculture at Mountain Sky Ranch.

The Second Annual Celebrate Sustainability Event is a way for IOE  and MSG to show the public in Northern Colorado what the two groups are doing to promote sustainable living.  Call the IOE and MSG offices at 303-495-3705, email at info@ecolonomics.org, or go to the web sites above to get more information and directions.  Mountain Sky Ranch is located south of the campground at the south end of Carter Lake, west of Berthoud.

Contact Info:

Dr. Wayne Dorband

President

The Institute of Ecoonomics, LLC

Phone: 303-495-4705

Email: wayne@ecolonomics.org

Web Sites:  www.ecolonomics.org, and www.mountainskyranchllc.com and www.mountainskygroup.com

Mountain Sky Ranch Large chicken tractor

We moved the tractor daily, and it was an incredible source of fertilizer for our pasture.   Starting this summer we opened the gate to the outside area and allowed the chickens to roam in a temporarily fenced (Premier Electric fencing – great company) area.  At night we would put them back inside the inside space and close the doors.  As the summer went on we started letting the chickens roam more and more independently without the temporary fencing.  The fertilized more pasture, and killed more insects.  All good!  Then one night we forgot to close them into the tractors enclosure in the evening.  Well in the morning we were missing 5 chickens.

That was about a month ago.  Last night it was raining all evening and as we got engaged in other activities and the evening wore on, we forgot to go close the doors on the tractor again (dumb us!) and guess what today 6 more dead chickens.

So what do we learn from this Dumb action.  Well, I hope it will teach us that you cannot cheat nature! We know that the other time we forgot to close the tractor we had a predator issue (by the way we do not know what the predator was, but suspect a fox), so we should have known the same thing would happen the second time.

And, you know what, this little lesson for us has much bigger implications.  We make very similar Dumb decisions about much bigger environmental issues daily (not properly handling quality control standards – BP?) thinking we can get away with our Dumbness just this one time.  But we cannot.  We know the right decisions to make, and our Dumbness is not an excuse for making wrong decisions.

Well back to work here at the Ranch.  Until next time – I know you will not be Dumb like us – right!!