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Re: Water for Your farm(P.A. Yeomans) (fwd)





http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london   InterGarden   
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 10:32:42 +0000
From: Steve Diver <steved@ncatark.uark.edu>
To: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu, permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu,
    permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Re: Water for Your farm(P.A. Yeomans)

The Keyline system is useful to locate the location of proper 
placement of ponds and swales and hedgegrows coming off the 
slope, and where to subsoil with a Keyline Chisel Plow.  The idea 
is to get better water infiltration into the soil, and where appropriate
locate vegetation that can use the rainfall.  It follows a principle
of permaculture to use the water that comes onto your farm
as many times as possible before it leaves your farm. 

Ponds are what we call farm reservoirs, whereas they are referred
to as dams in Australia.  So basically Frank, it sounds like what
you are really asking for is where and how to build ponds on your 
land to hold water.   There are no dams and locks involved, as
one would envision with a canal system. 

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (formerly Soil 
Conservation Service) can help provide you with pond building 
advice, and the names of local bulldozer operators.  If you take
some Keyline literature with you they will understand what
you are looking for....  and see how that fits your particular 
land situation. 

With the slopes of your land covered with forest, you may 
not obtain very much runoff because forests function as rainfall 
absorbing sponges.  I'd say the Keyline system is geared more 
appropriately to pasturelands and croplands. 

Check out the Keyline web site at: 

Keyline Design - Water for Every Farm 
http://www.keyline.com.au/

Details of The Australian Keyline Plan 
http://www.keyline.com.au/detail01.htm

Holistic Management can help you get your farm 
management and business goals fine tuned. 

Holistic Management 
http://www.igc.apc.org/holisticmanagement/

A permaculture design consultant can help you condense your 
personal/farming goals and provide a layout of your farm that 
integrates buildings, ponds, and croplands into a working plan.  

Introduction to Permaculture:  Concepts and Resources
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html

Steve Diver
ATTRA 


> Hello,
> 
> I've just finshed reading a piece on PA. Yeoman's pioneering work on Land Care
> that features his use of the Key Line System to manage, and abet water
> retention and utilization on the farm.
> 
> It sounds like just the thing I'd like to integrate into an holistic farm plan
> for the farm I'm purchasing. The farms contains a private valley ringed by
> forest on three sides running down to the bottoms and a wide shallow creek.
> There's over 300 acre sof such woods so there's a lot of water on the farm.
> I'd like to use that resource wisely.
> 
> Anyone familiar with this system, using it .? I'd like to hear coments,details
> o the system. Is it expensive to install the dams/ponds /locking systems
> needed?
> 
> How does one determine  Keyline Point? How does one figure out best 
> placement of dams/ponds.?
> 
> TIA:) frank 

 

--
steved@ncatark.uark.edu

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