I've designed systems so that the farm takes care of itself and makes less work for the farmer: 1) I get livestock to eat weeds and do pest control with rotational paddock grazing. 2) I save on water and deny weeds with drip irrigation and lots of woodchip mulch. 3) I kill rabbits and wild geese that steel produce with dogs that are trained to hunt in a pack. 4) Dogs also herd livestock without drawing blood so I don't have to chase livestock. 5) sheep and pigs feed the dogs with their meat… Show more I've designed systems so that the farm takes care of itself and makes less work for the farmer: 1) I get livestock to eat weeds and do pest control with rotational paddock grazing. 2) I save on water and deny weeds with drip irrigation and lots of woodchip mulch. 3) I kill rabbits and wild geese that steel produce with dogs that are trained to hunt in a pack. 4) Dogs also herd livestock without drawing blood so I don't have to chase livestock. 5) sheep and pigs feed the dogs with their meat and bones. 6) The pigs and chickens piss and shit in a designated woodchip area that the pigs constantly mix for me along with all kitchen scraps and produce overflow creating a rich mulch that I put on garden beds once a year when I swap it for fresh wood chips. 7) In the fall our pigs walk with us through the orchards and eat windfall apples and pears. They can barely walk when we return them to the barn because the phrase "eats like a pig" is completely true. We always butcher pigs after the last apple has fallen!With only 20 acres we have 9 separate areas that are either livestock paddocks or crops that the livestock must be kept away from. So 9 microfarms--basically a Japanese size. I even have studied Japanese style mini farms that are maximally efficient and, of course, the highest quality product so as to get niche market high prices. Japan leads the world in microfarm techniques. The first time I flew to Japan in 1992, I freaked out seeing all the tiny farms along the train tracks that basically looked like the size of backyards in American suburbs but had small tractors doing real farming. I thought they couldn't possibly be big enough to make a profit!My Japanese wife has grown many Japanese vegetables and herbs that aren't for sale around here and they taste fantastic! I mean, not as fantastic as a steak or ribs but I try to show extra enthusiasm because I'm happy that she has started to share my interests and has even taken a leading role on the farm. Show less