Meat consumption statistics
Posted by Mary
A few more snippets of info I picked up at the show about how much meat Aussie’s eat. I consider these numbers to be more relevant than statistics provided by pro-vegetarian american based websites.
- 11.2kg of lamb per person per year. (Roughly half a lamb, dressed weight)
- 3.4kg of mutton per person per year.
- 36kg of beef per person per year. (roughly 10-20% of a steer)
Tamworths still exist in Australia!
Posted by Mary
Tamworths still exist in Australia! There’s at least three breeders in Victoria, a few dozen family lines and Bonseas rare breeds pig stud has some, and knows of others. I saw a few at the Royal Melbourne Show this year, and it looks ilke the breed is being maintained reasonably well, so they’ll still be around ina few years time.
Where: Wonthaggi?
Posted by Mary
I guess I took less photos of the scenery than I thought.
Oh well. Here’s what I have. Lots of rolling hills, some quite steep gullies and the potential to establish lots and lots of microclimates. The rainfall is pretty good, and this section of gipsland is very near the coast. I also don’t think that liver fluke is present here, despite it being a big dairy area. (Dairy ares are typically very fertile agricultural lang btw).
The growing season here lasts well into Summer (for grass anyway) thanks to some costal rainfall and mild summers. Winter can be bitterly cold, but establishing some shelters should help that out.
I can’t remember which areas are deficient in which minerals, and would have to get a map from the dpi to figure that out exactly, or ask local vets.
The area is currently used mostly for cattle, since sheep don’t fare quite so well in the wet, but moving a little further inland may help that respect. There is not much cropping in this area either, but I think there are other organic/bio-dynamic/permaculture set ups in Gippsland.
People
Posted by Nik
I have found myself a green thumb! Sam is his name, he is a country boy by raising. Into his permaculture, visibly excited about the idea. In fact it was his mentioning that he wanted to set up a self sustaining community that got me talking. He also agrees with all my idea’s about the point of the commune. Knowledge preservation, survival of social collapse ect… (he doesn’t think we are luny, its amazing how many people think that).
I think its a big question as to when we buy land. I have started research into my brewery company, I have also go some potential investors. I plan on completing my Masters in Physics which would leave me to stop study in 2012. I am thinking about a Ph.D but thats a maybe, and it could be done part time so there is no reason that we should wait till its over before set up.
What about you Mary, I assume your still eager, when do you think that you will be ready to throw some hard earned monies at the problem? Also have you met any solid people?
Saltpeter
Posted by Nik
The critical ingredient in gunpowder. With very few other uses apart from cook (and smoke bombs). However gunpowder should not be ruled out as useless. It can also be mixed with sulfuric acid to produce nitric acid with has other uses. It can also be used to produce sulphuric acid, bye reacting the potassium nitrate with sulfur. Sulfur needs to be extracted from volcanic rocks.
It is produce by leaching the nitrates produced during biological decomposition. Manure, bat guano and straw were mixed and let to compost. Kept moist with urine (increases the amount of nitrates) for about a year. The compost is then leeched with water and filtered through wood ashes to produce an abundance of potassium nitrate. This liquid then let to dry will allow the potassium nitrate to crystallize.