Midwest Permaculture

Wayne and I (Bill) went to visit Mark and his family in mid-December (‘06) to take a good look at his farm at this time of year and to plan out our courses for 2007.

Daniel, Erik, Mark and Jen greet us when we arrive.

This is Wayne’s first visit to New Forest Farm.  Mark is showing him his most-mature chestnut tree (11 years old).  This tree is producing well now and will continue to increase in production for another 20 years or more.

Mark has a market where he is getting about $1 per chestnut.

He explains fully at the courses.

Mark is still in the process of finishing this retail/utility/classroom building.  This is where we will hold the lecture portion of our Permaculture Design Certification Course in June.

Jen took this picture of Mark on a warm day in November.  They are in the process of building on a solar addition to their home.

It will be part residence, part greenhouse, part hot water solar collector, part home heating system, and part fresh water collection system.  That’s a permaculture model.

Inset: Their front door at Christmas.

Foreground: A young chestnut tree (bush?) already bearing.

Background: You can just make out the rows that look a bit like terraces.  These are part of the swale system Mark integrated into the hillsides during his first 2 years on the farm.

There are miles of swales, cut on contour, to slow the movement of water across his property.  This allows it to slowly soak into the ground, charging the subsoil with moisture, providing his trees and plants with all the water they will need.  This has eliminated the need (and expense) for an irrigation system.

Mark’s permaculture farm tours are becoming increasingly popular.

Believe it or not, this is part of Mark and Jen’s summer garden.  The customary vegetables are nested among a variety of perennial plants that have been selected for soil improvement, fertilization, insect control, shade, and other factors.

Mark with three of the hardest workers on his farm. 

Mark does not spend money raising these guys.  They provide a minimum of 5 services for him, and in exchange they get to live an idyllic life as a pig.

Would you rather eat pork that was raised in a confinement building, in the dark, in their own waste matter…?

Or, one that was lovingly raised on Mark’s farm?

As an ‘Organic Valley’ grower, Mark raises organic squash and a few other vegetables. 

  Rather than tearing up acres of land, exposing the soil to wind and rain erosion, Mark has developed a very effective rotational, strip-farming method.  This works great to maintain soil health & plant fertility while minimizing weed and insect pressure.

Rael Bassan (left) and I (right) stop to see Mark and Jen’s farm for the first time a couple years back.  Rael is the coordinator of CUP (Chicago Urban Permaculture)