Water in the Desert, Can We Sustain This?
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Bringing life to the desert takes the same thing it does everywhere else on the planet, water! Today we're looking at our water source here on the farm and discuss ways we're working to ensure we have adequate water to generate life where there was none before!
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It would be wonderful if you had the time to attend the meetings and explain this to the developers. With the approved 300,000 homes that will be pulling from your same aquifer I hope you can continue without difficulty. Education is key and you explain things very well.
Yeah, all of us out here have our eyes on that new development and are concerned as well. I know the new governor has put a halt to much of that new growth until the developers can show the ability to sustain without ground water, so we'll see how that pans out.
Hello neighbor! I just purchased 5 acres on the west end of wispering ranch. Im so excited to start my off grid homestead journey and have subscribed to your chanel. learning from someone doing what i want to do literally 20 miles or less from me is insperational
Hey there Katie, congratulations on that land purchase! Once you guys get settled in you'll have to stop by for a visit. We're not more than about 15-20 minutes from you.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm oh I would LIVE THAT!!!! you have trees I want to raise.... and so many other things. I'm going to build an Oasis in the desert!!! I'm actually in wittmann currently I can see the school from my goat pen.
Mine was drilled to 600' we hit water about 400', They gave me the option on the pump, they said the well can do the 25GPM max limit, or put in a 14GPM pump and have cleaner water and also never worry about drawing down the head. I did the smart thing and did the 14GPM :)
Yeah, he gave us the same option. It's really not an issue as long as you plan out your irrigation to compensate. I figure it keeps us honest with the water usage as well.
I'm so glad I stayed to the end! I went from mild distain, to total amazement. I need to work on my tendency towards snap judgement. Good luck to you and all the things you're accomplishing. I can see that you're a visionary with a firm grasp on permaculture principles.
I tend to think in terms of one man, human scaled projects using hand tools. So what you're trying to do initially seemed alian to me.
How much did it cost?
@@kevinefram277 80 grand
Thank you so much for such a great content. I am planning on doing the same thing in the Saharan desert, in Niger 🇳🇪. You guys are such an amazing source of inspiration and knowledge.
Hey Abdourahamane! Wow Niger... that's cool! Glad you enjoyed the video, look forward to seeing when you get started on your journey.
May you have excellent success for endless generations
very nice to read this. it was` exactly what i was thinking about as i was listening to him. we should do same in our deserts in Africa to farm there.
I think your attitude towards farming is great. I don't live in a desert, but the sandy soil here hardly allows fruit trees to grow. I will try your watering rings here too.
Greetings from Germany
Hello in Germany! I imagine your surroundings are a bit different from what we're facing here, but we all have challenges to overcome. My understanding from other viewers in areas that have sandy soil is the importance of compost and mulch to build soil in the areas you're growing in. What kind of fruit trees will you be growing?
There are many ways to increase soil quality.. Try to add more organic carbon on your land.. Buy wood chips they are too cheap.. Find how you can get free garbage from hotels or any industry to make manure..
Nice video. Consider bringing volunteers into the fold to help do big projects. In my project management years I have coordinated many such non profit projects. Great learning experience for everyone involved. This kind of thing can help rejuvenate the down trodden spirits of the city folk like myself.
Jesse, that is a fantastic suggestion and we have had many folks reach out to us wanting to do just that. Once we get the major infrastructure in place we need to do it. Thank you for encouraging us to reach out and make a difference.
I am so glad you decided to film your journey. So many of us are considering moving to a more desert like climate because the land is just cheaper. I love that I can come to your channel and have help figuring out what needs to be done to sustain our family in a climate that's considered by most to be unlivable. Hugs and many thanks to you and your beautiful wife.
Ahh, thank you Dana. It's comments like this that keep us going. While the challenges are a bit different, we find there are also some advantages to being in a desert climate. Yes, summers are hot, but the amazing amount of variety we can produce is amazing.
I also love cheap land to live 🥺 god may bless me
Well said....Water in the desert is life! Thx for the info! We got 1/2 in. rain the other night! My swales worked!
Hey Dan! Glad you saw some rain out of these storms coming through. We haven't seen much here beyond wind and dust, but we're keeping our fingers (toes, legs, knees, etc) crossed!!
man dude your living the dream, i have an acre of land and I want to plant abunch of fruit trees, its summer now and i finally got the funds to do it.
An acre of land is a SOLID piece of real estate. That's what we started with out here and were raising chickens and pigs along with over 100 fruit trees. That was all on about half of the property.
I want to say thank you for these videos. Super informative and really helpful for all of us who are thinking about making this type of move.
I’m 25 and living in an apartment with my wife and dog and I know we can get to this point. So we’re trying to learn and absorb as much info as possible. Keep up the great work :)
Hey guys! You know, Lori and I were in the EXACT same boat when we moved to Phoenix back in the late 90's. I (Duane) was 25 when we landed in AZ from CA. It sounds like you have similar goals to us, so focus on that and take it a step at a time. Always ask yourself "How can I (we)". It sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but it makes you keep working through each hurdle and moving onto the next. You guys can do this and if you have ANY questions, please reach out!
Inspiring and fascinating! Your dad did the right thing, retiring early and getting out of the city. His passion was passed on to you. It is amazing to know how much worked had been done to have a well in the middle of the desert and to see plants and trees thriving. I can see you and your wife are enjoying what you have out there in Arizona. What a blessing to see that things that seems impossible can be done. Thank you for all the info.
Thank you for this comment. I (Duane) don't take for granted the legacy my dad and grandad have given me in the example they have given for a sustainable life. It's something we're missing in today's culture and, in my opinion, to our detriment.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Wow! Absolutely true, Duane! I grew up in the farm in the Philippines and was helping my parents since I was a small child. My grandparents were farmers. We've planted all kinds of crops and grew our own food. Today those farm lands have been converted to subdivisions without proper underground drainage. Caused a deadly flooding the first time the heavy storm came. It's good they built proper irrigation later at the outskirts later.
My daughter who got married last October moved to Phoenix from where we are right now, about 45 miles East of Los Angeles were we used to live (the first time we came). We talked about going off grid. We were in Arizona last weekend for a relative's wedding at Mesa. It was a joy to see greenery coming closer to Phoenix. It is also wonderful to know that you and Lori are enjoying raising your own organic poultry as well. May your hard work be rewarded with an abundant harvest always.🌱🙏
Its Really Great what you are doing! Not only with your Farming and regeneration techniques but the Videos are So Important helping others who want to do the same thing while Educating Everyone to the Value of these Techniques for our Planet! Thank you
Glad you enjoyed this one Peter and we agree. If we can get this right here in the desert it will be beneficial for us all!
Great video. Thanks for sharing all that great information.Hoping you and yur family thrive in the desert ;)
eline emeğine sağlık bu güzel vlog için kolay gelsin hayırlı işler....👍👍👍👍👍👍
Teşekkürler! Yorumlarınızı dünyanın diğer ucundan görmeyi çok seviyoruz!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm ben teşekkür ederim 👍👍👍👍
Very informative, love the well setup and thank you for sharing.
Hey Daniel! Glad you enjoyed this one.
The aquifer we/you are on is the 2nd best in the state. You guys helped motivate us to begin the same process on a smaller level (30 trees) as you espoused this is a good use of the resources we have and it keeps us as busy as we want to be. Thank you for all your great information.
Hey guys. We are definitely blessed to be on this land. We don't take it for granted. 30 trees is no small project and the detailed attention you can give them will really pay off!
Amen!!! Amen!!!
(15:00 to the end)
Hey Joseph. Glad you enjoyed this one and the rant at the end. A lot of our viewers are from the city and just don't realize that pulling water from the ground to sustain life is common. Many times suburbs have been and still are actually built with ground water as the primary source of clean water as well.
Loved that little speech at the end: that was beautiful...
Yeah, I get a little fired up sometimes and try to temper it somewhat for our videos. This one is a subject we all need to be passionate about, so figured it was appropriate.
Thank you for the information. It helps me move forward to keep looking for land in AZ
You'll find your space, so definitely keep looking. Things are little crazy right now, but as things start to slow down I think you'll find more land open up as folks settle down.
Excellent video with irrigation design , Great teacher
Hey Abid! Thank you so much for your support :)
Good points well made about the water...
Hey Rudy. Glad you enjoyed this one. It an be a touchy subject for some folks, so we're trying to dispel a few preconceived notions people have about pulling water from the ground.
love it keep it coming
Glad you're enjoying these Sean!
First of all congratulations for having so nice/full fledged water system for domestic and irrigation system.
Thanks for providing every detail of the system.
It is nice to see such a system.
Thank you Mohammed. For us it's important as it gives us more time to do other chores and also ensures the trees have what they need.
Beautiful and well articulated talk on the water and sustainability/ regeneration as well.
It's so critical we figure this one out. Without water we simply cannot exist!
Awesome important and useful video. Thanks for sharing this setup
Glad you enjoyed this one Kellen!
very smart system!
It's definitely working out well so far...no pun intended!!
Your channel is such an inspiration, I’ve learned a lot about farming with you and applied that knowledge to cure my 40 trees and plants. One day when the time will come, I’ll apply that knowledge to create my own farm. Best of luck and keep going with the good work!
Hey Felipe! I'm glad to hear we're an encouragement to you and you're finding the content useful. We say it all the time, but if we can do this anybody can. The key is having it as a goal and taking the time to achieve it. Eventually, it will come!
Great info, and I LOVE the end, lol
Hey Frances! Glad you enjoyed it :)
We have a well and the water is very hard. We just had some professionals install a whole House R/O system. We have lived here since 2009.
Ah yes, we know just how you feel. We have owned 3 different homes here in Arizona over the last 25 years and have always done the same. It makes all the difference!
Love it! Keep fighting the good fight!
Glad you enjoyed this one!
So educative
Glad you found this one useful Kariire!
Just found this site and love it keep up the good work you are doing for this earth
Thanks Joseph. Glad you found us and are enjoying the content!
Excellent Episode.
Hey Richard! Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Your grandfather's story is very touching, thanks for sharing. It inspires me to retire early
Hey Mike. Yeah, he is still an inspiration for me, so in a way he's still inspiring folks to do just that!
Great video, thanks for making this
Sure thing Jeff. This one was actually based on your request. :)
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm haha I was wondering
Thanks for the very informative explanation of each step of the water management process. I love how you're so consistently conscientious about the water, the land, and the value of providing food/life for yourselves and others. As you mentioned "like the middle east" the idea came that your successes and challenges will be (and already are) a great resource for those in yoru region, but also potentially for small farmers in similar climates across the world. So I'll pray that your knowledge and experiences get put to best use for the widest array of people :) And very cool story about your grandpa - it will be great to see your 50+ years of farming to come as well :)
Thanks for the encouraging words. We're all being stewards (good or bad) whether we realize it or not. I think it's a matter of understanding there is a natural way of working with creation to sustain life and that more abundantly. The problem we have is how far removed so many of us are as we've gone away from being part of the process of creation through growing our own food. If more folks were connected that way it wouldn't be as much of a stretch to becoming a good steward. BTW, is this Danny?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm This is Danny's wife, Katherine. I do most of the video-watching and all of the video-commenting but we both love your channels and are both keeping you in our prayers -- and we both hope to meet up with you in the forseeable future :)
@@plentifulharvesthomestead7657 Hey Katherine! Thank you for your prayers, that means so much to Lori and me. Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet you guys face to face someday soon.
Great content as always
Glad you enjoyed this one.
great channel..youtube finally made one good suggestion :). Love your videos. Wondering if you will ever try to grow avocado? that's will be a great challenge in your area.
Nature is life and gives life. 🙏🏾🙏🏾good video….
Amen to that, so true! We don't take that for granted working this farm.
Great video showing folks all that goes into starting out on your own piece of heaven :)
Hey Eric! It definitely is a piece of heaven. Can't wait to see what it will look like in 1 year, 5 years...
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm i agree. The trees are already gettin big in some cases. Itll look amazing all filled in.
Good job man
Glad you enjoyed this one. This is one of the issues we are all facing to one degree or another, so it's an important topic!
Great information, I have not seen a Video this well presented before on well Water systems. I have been wondering about how your getting water, and managing it.
Glad you enjoyed this one Kelly. We're trying to come back around to give some background as the farm starts to come together and this was the most obvious place to start.
Awesome video
Hey Patti! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Hey bro you can put green net fabric on your tank it will reduce sunlight .. To make it lifelong strong
Hmm, I hadn't though about that. I suppose it would be worth trying, but we haven't found a material that lasts much longer than a year or two in our sunlight.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm in India mostly green net can last for 3/5 years
@@Realatmx it sounds like it's very similar for you there. If we can find very thick material it might last that long.
Thanks for that great video, me I'm still trying to figure out on where and how can I get one in my area , and I know I wil thats what makes it a challenge to over come. Great information thank you.
Hey Mark! How far down do you guys usually need to go to hit water? With that farm land that surrounds you I wouldn't think it would be too bad.
God bless you and your family, for sharing your fantastic ideas, for a better future for our planet, thank you.
Thank you Iris. We are blessed far more than we deserve!
Please pray tell, do you sell seeds to the UK, and what seeds do you have available for sale.
@@irisleite5391 we don't sell any seeds as of yet. I'm not sure we would attempt to do that internationally.
Flood Irrigation farming in our southern desert (I live in the north east part of the state) seems like the most irresponsible way to manage the water. I think like 70% of it is lost to evaporation or something like that? Especially if they are destroying their soil with tillage every year. If they had a real Organic soil base the water would have a better chance of sticking around and they’d have to use less of it. Thanks for the video!
Hey Derek. Couldn't agree with you more. We (collectively in AZ) waste SO much water it's insane. If we could change just a few folks' mind and have them follow some of these principles, just imagine the impact on the land surrounding us!
My property is old Alfalfa fields , you can still see remnants all around of the flood system
Major Urban areas like Tucson bought out many farm lands in the early 90s as aquifer compaction and land subsidence was becoming a noticeable problem. Since then the city has been using the CAP to assist with recharging the aquifer and the water table has risen substantially.
@@McRod-1 Ah, now that is pretty cool to have the city come through like that. Usually government seems to get in the way in my experience!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm it's a balance. We need food and textiles (i.e. cotton) too. I appreciate all American farmers. Very difficult profession.
Compared to you, I am running around with a bucket and turkey baster. lol
Oh my goodness, that brings a very interesting scene to mind!!
Nice home .i have same wether here maybe a little hotter. I discover that i can grow orange, lime, mango, berries and figs. Now i have wonderful garden. Rain Bird and hunter systems are recommended 👌🏻
That is a really good mix of fruit trees that you have growing and we agree completely with your recommendation of Rain Bird and Hunter systems. We use both and rarely stray from that. Where are you farming?
Awesome shade with .... fastigiate lombardy poplar
We've had a few folks suggest poplar, but I'm not sure how it would fare in our extremely dry, hot desert environment. Moringa on the other hand will be in the ground shortly.
I don’t understand why people would question your water usage. You Artie purifying the air and adding Oxygen to the air through those trees. You are also using the water to feed..plants & animals..and use the product it provides along with the bi product through composting. It’s the best circle of life one could imagine and life takes water. Eventually, those trees will get their water straight from the aquifer themselves. Otherwise, beautiful and nicely organized watering system!
Hey Kris. Yeah, it's always a bit frustrating for us as well. I think the majority of the time it's just ignorance. Generally speaking folks are very disconnected from food and food production. When you combine that with decades of very poor management practices on high production farms it's not too surprising that folks assume using ground water is a bad thing. Hopefully this will open a few minds to the reality that we can drastically change the environment in a positive way if we start managing the resources we have available to us. It truly is a cycle of life that we watch unfold before our very eyes. It's incredible to see.
Very good, try to fix one water collection net. I think you can accumulate clean drinking water from the air also.
Are you referring to something like a fog net? With single digit humidity most of the year we actually don't have the ability utilize that technology.
I just love seeing those beautiful green trees. It has been said no canal water will be coming to the casa grande area Tucson and on and on due to the drought there are farmers who have been here more than 60 years who just did their last harvest and they won't have another one till there is water and no they cannot dig a well and no more developments only those that already had aprovels unless you can provide a hundred million gallons of water and that has to come from somewhere else it's crazy mine comes from a well I don't believe in waisting water it's to precious. Great job explaining your water system
Hey Pamela. That is a tough spot to be in, that's for sure. I hope they can find alternate sources of income. That's one of the many reasons to have integrated systems to support food production. For us we don't have eggs to sell because of losing the chickens, but eggs are only a small portion of the farm income.
The use of swales to capter the water from rain, and thus let it seep into the ground verly slowly.
Exactly! We have them around our trees and also using them to capture the rain water from the rooves of our buildings. The plan is to add them to the open areas of the farm as well to continue to push water into the soil.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm great
great story. thank you for sharing on this crucial subject. i am north of you and so want to grow food.
Glad you enjoyed this one! It is amazing what we can grow out here, but of course everything needs water! How far north are you?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm about 20 miles north of Prescott. i am wanting or hoping to grow fruit and nuts. just hoping to find the types that can grow here. i think it's zone 8? wind here! i am putting pallet fencing around a few existing trees to heal them from sun scald.
@@SG-vu4qy beautiful area up there. The varieties will be a bit different, but most of what we grow here you'll be successful with. Plus, you can grow more traditional fruits like sweet cherries. Fall ripening apples will also be a good option up there. Both of these we really struggle with down here.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you. i appreciate your advice and your dedicated work.
I have had several wells in my life. I see one thing missing on your setup that I would never be without. I have always had a bypass lever valve that would completely bypass the filter and pressure tank. The filter bypass setup can be used or not used when selecting the main bypass. Why would I never be without that setup?
Pumps and filters break down. Being without water for even a day is a pain. When something broke (and things did on the ranch all the time), all we ever had to do was switch to bypass mode and let gravity feed from our 5000 gallon tank while we waited for parts. Sometimes it would take a week or more for pumps and parts. Gravity feed bypass saved our arse and plants several times.
You should seriously consider retrofitting a bypass system. The first time you use it, you will be ever, ever so happy that you did it.
That is a FANTASTIC suggestion C S. We need to get that installed, because it's just a matter of time before that pump will be on the fritz.
We live about a block from the Gila River.
Do you guys live in town?
I was always wondering how deep your well goes and how big the aquifer is. Wish I had a well I am spending a lot on water!
Hey Sean! We definitely would not be able to do what we are doing if we were not on a well. I could only imagine what our water bill would be!
lovely. i just subbed
Glad you enjoyed this one and are joining us on this journey. Shoot over any questions or suggestions as we go along!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Will definitely do as I am considering starting a plantation in West Africa. And would like to be very involved in the process and all
gutters off roof into storage,capture desert floods in big groundwork pond,start covering all soil areas with mulch etc
Great suggestions and we've implemented a few of those and have plans for more. The roof catchment is in place, but we chose passive catchment into the vineyard and berry gardens vs storage. The focus these first 2 years was getting production in place to start cash flowing the farm business. Trees and vines take 2-3 years before they start producing, so that was the primary focus along with livestock systems to start building soil long term.
Sounds like a permaculture. Amazing farming your doing.
You hit the nail on the head F T. While we're not permaculture designers, we use many permaculture principles in the design of our farm.
Man thats deep.
We used a 38 foot hand dug well. That my grandfather dug. For the house and everything until we went to coop water in the 90's.
Wow, that really shows the incredible difference in water table heights in wet vs dry regions. How was the water quality?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm it was good. But then a bunch of tomato farms popped up in the 80's and 90's.
With there run off. All shallow water become suspect.
To the point I will not eat fish out of the ponds they used irrigation or any in there water shed.
When you see green slime that's not alge and chemical oil slicks on ponds. I figure everything in the water iffy.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm forgot it was all lime rock water. It was a bit hard but sweet sorta in taste.
There are caves for lack of anything else to call them that connect through a few of the wells.
Dad usto say it was a under ground river that ran under the place.
@@tbjtbj4786 an underground river is a very good description actually!
Wierd reflection huh!?! You said it
Sorry had to.
anyways thank you for this might have to have you and or your guy out to Willcox if we ever get there. I learned a lot from this video thank you !
Hey guys! Yeah, I didn't realize until I was editing that I said that. Weird reflection indeed!! I'm confident you guys will find yourselves on that land!!
Awesome vid. Your farm reminds me of a post apocalyptic game I play… fallout new Vegas- where you see several farms in the desert. Really neat what y’all do out there
Ah yes, I (Duane) played the original Fallout with our son back in the day. I imagine this fits in pretty well with those landscapes! :)
New subscriber here. I was so hoping you were managing a massive rain collection system.
Welcome to the channel! We decided on the well route for a few different reasons, but the primary one was our farming business. Turning a profit takes a lot of up front infrastructure (we are doing this debt free after nearly 20 years of debt free living/saving) and the need for consistent water to ensure we can manage the crops and livestock we have on the farm. The amount of catchment we would need up front would be enormous. We do use passive catchment from the buildings that drain into mulched swales and we also have plans for additional earthworks to capture and recharge our aquifer. I don't know that we'll go back and attempt heavy catchment, but we do expect our water usage will reduce over time rather than increase. If you have suggestions as you get acquainted, please shoot them over. We've learned a lot from everyone out there!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thank for your prompt reply. The first few videos I watched made me think you were homesteading. I'm kinda like you grandfather, getting ready to retire. However the difference being I'm leaving Oregon and moving to Arizona to follow some dreams and goals of a homested. Running a business, as you do, I understand your water choices. I read today that an inch of rain falling on a acre is around 27,000 gallons. I was surprised at the amount of water.
Cheers, Bill
@@Homested_Retirement ah, ok. It's always good to understand background and you're on the right track looking at water first. I'm not sure if you've seen it yet, but we did a video on choosing land in AZ that might be worth a watch. I'll link that for you here;
czcams.com/video/OHIT75qoBQ8/video.html
Our newest neighbors West of us are from Oregon as well. Same situation, looking for a place to at least call home for the winter season. We're here for any questions. Our email is on the about tab here on YT if you want to chat that way as well.
Kansas is basically a desert with all the trees and grass dying from the chemical farming. But the amount of water you pump is nothing compared to corn Circle /Pivot. Most of them leave big pools of water and runoff. My family had cows die because the cornfield ran off into the natural spring and contaminated it. We had to bury the spring and drill a well to water the cows. Three generations the cows drink from that spring. 500 feet is a very deep well. I am about 170. I had to have it punch deeper because we’re running out of water on our aquifer. As they put in another feedlot mind blowing.
Oh my goodness, that is just a nightmare. Just scary to hear this considering that is the bread basket of America!
Tropical fruit trees do good in the desert.
We have a few hardier tropicals growing out here in Wittmann. It's a bit easier in the city where they are about 4-5 degrees warmer than we are during the Winter. It can be done!
Plant Banyan tree in the desert, one day that desert will got more water than right now 😍
I've seen those growing in tropical areas, but have not seen it in a desert. It would be really cool to have one as they're amazing trees!
I live in dammam Saudi Arabia it’s coastal humid desert climate i started collecting water from humid air
Oh wow, Abdulaziz that's great to hear. Any time you can capture moisture and put it in the ground it's beneficial!
👍
Permaculture the heck to harvest every drop of that monsoon waters. You can have an oasis paradise there.
Hope you can get all the woodchips in the world to get all the goodness started. God bless you.
Ps. Start a solitary bee hotel, and maybe plant a palo verde. Palo verde bloom early and attract every bee on the planet.
Hey Danny. You are right on track with where we're headed. The focus this first 2 years has been getting cash flow on the farm, hence the fruit tree plantings and livestock. We're working the zones and are still at Zone 2, so we want to get that down before moving out to Zone 3 and beyond. Wood chips aplenty for sure!!
Nice to run into a video I missed. Loved it! While I do agree that every one of us has to do their best to conserve on water, I don’t believe you have to justify what you are using which is essential to the well being of our community. Unfortunately, even if every one of us as individuals did our part, it is a very small impact compared to that of corporations. There should be tougher laws on how they use water. I am tired of regular people being targeted for using water to the point where they feel obligated to justify. With that said, we still need to do what we can individually to use water wisely.
Glad you came across this one and enjoyed it.
I agree with you that the bigger concern is what large corporations are held accountable for. The reality is, it's a lot easier to make a comment here on CZcams rather than attempt to be a part of the solution and let's face it, Big AG is not going to change anytime soon anyhow. We're trying to a part of a sustainable future on both a small and large scale that keeps our precious resources intact for future generations. Our hope is that we can encourage more people to be a part of the solution, because large swaths of traditional farmland are now becoming deserts far worse off than our little slice of Sonora.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Of course, we all share the responsibility. Thank you for all that you do!
Just curious if you would like to create some swales or water harvesting ponds to support your irrigation and water for livestock.
Oh yes, that is definitely on the plans for the back of the property where we will be using some rotational grazing with goats and sheep. The ponds will be very seasonal, but we do plan on incorporating them into the design.
Fantastic video! I suppose you could also get solar panels for renewable electricty
You're onto something there Joao. We did have solar on the old farm and we didn't see enough of a savings to make it worth attempting here. At least not yet. Storage (battery) is critical for us and the technology is not quite there yet for it to be viable...at least not enough to keep Lori happy and comfortable at night during the Summer! That being said, we do have plans to incorporate it eventually and the outbuilding is situated so it would be ideal for solar/sun exposure.
I was going to give you shit about drawing table water for the desert until the end of your video.. Seen plenty of other videos about de-desertification and this is a good way to do so. Followed natural sequence farming in Australia and watched videos and a man turn Arizona desert back in to a spring filled aquifer by reinstating vegetation and root systems to drive water back down into the aquifer..
your statement is spot on. Are we perfect? no but your idea is sound. Create the plantation above and hydrate it and it will slowly hydrate and green the desert.. There was a guy that used orange peels to regrow rainforests.. don't you guys grow a lot of oranges near California?
Thanks for this comment Clint. We catch a lot of flack from folks who don't know the details of what we're trying to accomplish here, but we're doing our best to be good stewards. We actually grow a lot of citrus here in Arizona. Not as much as we used to as many of the old orchards are being leveled for housing as the city expands. That's part of our problem with more and more drought. Concrete isn't exactly a beneficial part of the water cycle! That being said, we do grow plenty of citrus on the farm here. All of the organic matter that we don't consume is returned to the soil via various composting methods. Technically all of the organic matter does as we're on septic here.
Exactly why I moved to Wittmann last year. Got rid of the huge house, downsized the yard (I graduated high school in 1973,) so 1 acre is more than enough for me. Got a scraped bare yard and a big garage. And thank God I don't have a pool anymore. I think I can do what I want right here. The dirt is surprisingly good and only needs water to grow pioneer plants. So far, I have put in a fence to manage the free cows, they ate the 3 trees I planted. I have 3 laying hens and some raised beds to plant. I'm already behind for the year, but it isn't a race. I have a shared well. Yep, sipping from the Hassayampa aquifer also. Primary goal: keep the water that falls on the property, on the property. I'm going to add water catchments off of the roofs and mulch beds to catch what runs over the ground. I'm a water farmer.
Woohoo, howdy neighbor! It sounds like you're seeing the same benefits (and challenges) we are here. That water is really the focus and you're right, the soil really does have a lot going for it once you give it an occasional soak.
Hal - 009 water control system. Your garage houses the water version of HAL 9000 . ( 2001 space odyssey sci fi film)
If that thing starts talking, I'm out!! 😂😂
Have you guys thought about big trees as windbreaks around the property? Maybe some mesquite mixed with eucalyptus? A few maybe dotted around the property as a canopy layer?
Great question/suggestion. Technically we're using the East and West orchards as our windbreak for the center of the farm where we have our in-ground plantings. The biggest challenge we have here is nothing will grow without irrigation (at least the first few years) and we needed to focus our limited water to trees and plants that would produce for us. That being said, we have a row of full size mulberry and pecan trees lining the South border of the property that are being used for that purpose. That's Zone 3-4 for us, so we have plans for more layering, livestock, using those as canopy, wind block, production and fodder. Goats are new to farm as of the last month or so and they will be a part of that process.
I am interested. What is next? Starting from scratch!
That's a great question and we're working on several things. Some on the business side of the farm and others on the expansion of things. We have irrigation lines stubbed out for 48 additional fruit/nut trees and additional livestock are coming soon. You mentioned starting from scratch, are you moving onto new land?
That’s why I haven’t started on my land yet. Our water table is about 400 feet down. I haven’t found a driller who is willing to even give a bid on the area.
Hey Breaking Burque! Where do have your land?
McIntosh and Moriarty New Mexico.
@@breakingburque2200 ok, so not too different from what we're dealing with here I imagine. At least the dry aspect of it. Do you think the issue with finding somebody to drill is at least partially because of demand? I know the drillers around here right now are booked solid for months.
Not demand, they hear it’s on the other side of the mountain from Albuquerque and don’t think it’s worth going. Once I pay off another piece of land it will be worth paying extra to have someone travel to get it done.
@@breakingburque2200 Ah gotcha. I (Duane) used to travel to ABQ for work many years ago, so I'm a little familiar with the area you're in.
I just got my 5000 gallon tank in Lucerne Valley , I have water trucked in because the ground water where I’m at is brackish , hoping to plant a few trees soon
The larger tank is so essential. I remember driving through Lucerne Valley moving my sister out here from Victorville. Much like what we're surrounded by here in the Phoenix area. How deep is your water table?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I believe you get water at 350 but no one in my area drinks it
What a cool challenge to grow fruits in the desert and capture the rainwater to refill the aquifer.
If I were American I probably would do the same (because I guess land in the desert is still affordable ....).
That's the ultimate goal and we're already seeing the change in water penetration in the areas we've started working with. And yes, land is still a bit cheaper in desert areas than most others! Where do you call home?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Wow - that was a fast reply!
I'm in Austria where land is unaffordable ...
But since my Aunt - who is Austrian as well - is in the States for decades already, maybe I also should give it a try.
@@Sagittarius-A-Star oh yes, I imagine it looks quite different where you are as compared to here!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Definitely - we don't have deserts, it's relatively humid (very humid actually compared to your place).
But it is not like this:
Calling in to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said, “You look at countries, Austria, you look at so many countries. They live in the forest, they’re considered forest cities. So many of them. And they don’t have fires like this. And they have more explosive trees.”
😂
@@Sagittarius-A-Star oh my goodness, that is hilarious!
Great work, how do finance all this,with no product on farm atm.
Also why dont you landscape and dig a water storage area, on true regenerative agriculture principals, it may take time but would no doubt be worthwhilw
Keep up good work, any more updates?
We've been saving for this for nearly 10 years, so it's allowed us to pay cash for the up front costs. Dave Ramsey disciples since 2001, so technically we started saving for it over 20 years ago! We opted for a well primarily because of the intensive fruit tree production we wanted. The amount of infrastructure we would need to store countless thousands of gallons of water up front was just too much. The goal is to slowly taper the water needed for those trees over time as the trees establish roots and we continue to build soil.
Man made climate change...
In a cooling direction ☺️
An oasis in the desert 🏝️
That's the goal Paul. The studies I've seen on the reduced irrigation needs with higher organic matter in soil is astonishing. As much as a 75% reduction when you start hitting double digits in organic matter. We'll see if we can pull that off.
We have a lot of bedrock in Cincinnati so wells are harder to dig, and they have to be deeper. BUT we have a lot of creeks and rivers, and it rains all the time. :) Ohio has a disgusting amount of bugs and plants lol. Anyways, rainwater catchment is completely viable where I live.
I imagine things look quite a bit different for you in Ohio! I've never been, but I think of green when I think of Ohio and most of the states in the middle of the country. Oh and your point about the bugs, I was just answering another comment/question about how we deal with insect pests and I don't have much advice. With our hot, dry weather there isn't much that survives the Summer! So, what are you growing?
Would you consider using solar power bird bath pumps Is with a 20 gallon or even a 50 sub tank for the wild life
We're still trying to figure out how we're going to maintain a wildlife pond at the back of the property, but if we keep it filled year round we would need to have some type of pump system. The area we plan on installing it in does not have any electric, so it would need to be solar powered.
Your next big investment should be in a rainwater collection
You'll need to check out our vlog that posts today. We talk a bit about what we're doing to hang onto water that falls on the property, but we have a long way to go in that regard!
My delivered water in the desert costs half what i used to pay living in the city.
Are you getting it trucked in to you are picking it up?
@EdgeofNowhereFarm i got my first delivery today for 60 bucks, 1000 gallons. We want to grow some veggies eventually and I want to make my Joshua trees bigger.
Interesting .. . u have answered my question re your water supplies in another video.
Out of interest have u been able to make the farm profitable, meaning u dont need an outside job to support it?
One other question is the reliance on electricity. U need to to keep pressure in your pumps and it cost money to keep this going and who knows about the reliability & cost of it going forward.
Have u considered a high tank for pressure and a solar pump to fill the tank. This way u will be off grid when it comes to your water security?
Great questions. We have been profitable enough at this point for one of us to stay home (we replaced Lori's income last year). Revenue this year will be pushing 6 digits, but that will not be enough to replace my income.
With our current setup we have the option to disconnect the home from the grid and run off of generators, but we have not taken the step of installing solar. We had that on our last home and it was a losing proposition at the costs in 2015. We may consider that in the future, but it's not on the plans (or in the budget) at this time.
Pricing on solar well pumps is astronomically expensive for the depths we're at for water. It's well over 5 digits just for the pump that will only last 5-7 years on average. Another reason we're looking more towards the future possibility of solar and the option for generator backup.
Where the heck are you guys that it's still dry? The rains for the east valley have been awesome this month!
Hey Rhys F. We are about 30mins outside of Surprise, north of the White Tank Mountains. We are so jealous of the rain everywhere else is getting, we still have not gotten anything but a few sprinkles. We will see it in all directions and then goes right around us.
You let the mask slip and showed your passion. Good for you!
You caught that!
Hey, don't ever worry about the haters that talk about what they don't know. When they question you about your water use they don't realize that they are sourcing their food from places that they don't understand. If they had half a clue about the practices of the farms where their food comes from they wouldn't question you for a second. Pound for pound your water needs are significantly less than almost all commercial farming in Arizona. They typically use flood irrigation rather than the localized irrigation in the rings that you do (which is also protected from loss by the woodchips). It isn't even something that can be compared.
Hey Alan. You make great points and clearly we agree on this one. We get a lot of folks these days that find the channel that are simply ignorant of a few facts that seem obvious to the initiated. We're trying to help them work through their preconceived notions about water and food. If we can get one person to flip their perception of water, food and the cycle the earth was designed to follow it will help humanity in the long run. Can you imagine how different our deserts would be if most folks would do something similar (or better yet, figure out an even better way!!). I'm confident California would be in a completely different position if some of these simple procedures where implemented on the majority of farm operations. As for the haters, we usually just hit the ignore button, but this one had to be addressed.
Up here in Canada my insurance co will not insure if the drinking water goes through galvanized pipe.
Now that's interesting. All of the above ground pump equipment for wells out here use galvanized pipe. It doesn't extend any further than the pressure tanks (It's always PVC from there).
Please don't mind me asking how much cost bracket does your irrigation system falls. Great work & management guys
We had a professional help us with the install, so it was a bit more expensive with his help. I believe the total cost was somewhere around $15k. That includes his fees.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm this investment will soon be a success guys the noble vision you share to save each drop of water and the concern for the locality will be a game changer for your journey. All the best.
@@sudiptabiswas5078 we hope so, and thank you for the encouragement.
I was wondering if you plant ur fruit trees closer together so the the soil is shaded , if it would save on watering ??
Great question Michel. Our primary way of avoiding evaporation and maximizing the growth of the tree (and subsequent water retention due to larger root mass) is using wood chip mulch heavily in all of our orchards (anywhere from 8-12 inches deep throughout). With many of our trees now 3 years old we've already been able to reduce our irrigation needs on most areas of the farm as the trees roots continue to expand both down and out under that mulch.
Would you mind sending me the information about your well and the installation of it and any information you can send to me about who installed your system along with your water storage tank. I appreciate your help. How much power does it take to run your farm? Do you have any solar.
We covered the well install and gave details in a couple of videos. I'll link our Desert to Farm playlist for you here and you'll find those in a couple of the first episodes in that playlist. If you have additional questions that are not answered let me know;
czcams.com/play/PLnT_wyDSIC9iPoiQyyKG9ZA00YiJSw1_H.html
Hey D+L. I keep watching these desert to grasslands with zero irrigation vids... just mob grazing.
It's fascinating how drastically management can impact soil.
Also just got reminded about a couple in western texas who use a double layered roof type system to collect condensation from morning dew. They filled a huge cistern from it... something that would be worth trying if you put up a shade structure or barn for your livestock.
Hey Allan. Solid suggestions, as always. We've only begun to scratch the surface here on this property and we're excited to see where this will lead. Condensation, I've heard of it, what is that exactly?? :)
Can you help us find the video about the condensation capture?
@@l0gic23- I spent some time digging for it tonight but couldn't find it. I'll keep looking tomorrow.
Though I do admire Allen Savory and his accomplishments. I feel that he's disingenuous at times.
One of the things he neglects to tell us is that in the beginning stages he provides supplementary food and water as the animals are rotated to different paddocks. Another thing he does is to gather them all in the same place at night for several days, maybe a week or more. Those are the places that benefit most with the accumulation of urine and manure. Those are the places that get used for the next season's agriculture.
He calls it something else, "Holistic Management?" But I was more familiar with it being called "Intensive Rotational Grazing" and I suspect that it predates the Savory method in places like Australia.
Charles has done us all a great service, but his method isn't the instant miracle it's made out to be.
@Jimlyn Ison - not sure who the "Charles" is who you were referring to, but I think "disingenuous" is off base when referring to Savory.
The management techniques he suggests vary based on starting conditions and level of degradation. He discusses the tradeoff between supplementing feed or it taking multiple years to achieve the desired results. If you look at a single presentation that may not be clear, but I don't think that qualifies as intentional deception.
However, I was referring to Alexandro Carrillo's ranch in the Chihuahuan desert (closer to home and climatic conditions in Arizona). He too discusses supplemental feed speeding up the transition process, just to be clear. He can also only graze each section once a year due to the low rainfall.
But it's basically following the same concepts and principles whether it's Gabe Brown in the Dakotas or Greg Judy in Missouri.
Nicole Masters and Dr Johnson have documented how a single compost tea application can speed the process along as an alternative.
Climate, context, budgets, whatever, there are methods available to regenerate degraded land, and helping farmers recognize that the current conditions on their land are not what the land was historically like is the important point. And sharing the information about what works is more productive than criticizing communication styles.
Savory would have to work for multiple lifetimes just to make up for the tens of thousands of elephants he killed in his disastrous first attempt at developing his concepts, and I love elephants, so I'm still holding a grudge, and tend to recommend others.
"First they will say its impossible,
then they deride and ridicule you,
then they fight and sabotage you,
then you win and they'll say they believed all along."
- ghandi
Thanks for this Gary. I'd say we're somewhere between line 2 and 3 at this point, so we haven't quite arrived.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm You have made a choice to keep your eyes on a fixed horizon point in the future and investing toward that goal which is hugely commendable. most of us are too paralyzed to act or too fomo'd out to believe the evidence right in front of our faces - flood irrigation, factory farming, salt based fertilizers and pesticides are not the future - the information is out there on permaculture but its impossible to convince a man of something when his reality is rooted in him not believing.
@@garygrinkevich6971 hopefully we'll change a few minds out there. The reality for us all is we need to do something!
awesome content thank you, i am thinking of doing the same; may I ask what kind of energy do you use for the farm and home ?
We use electricity from the power grid here in the Phoenix area for both the farm and home.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm i just didn't spot the grid from drone pictures
@@Mohamedabdo-ib3ki ah yes. All of the electrical lines out here are actually 6' underground!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you for the information
I love this but my water is brackish is there any advice out there to help.
Oh boy, that's way above our pay grade as we've never had to deal with that. Hopefully someone has some advice for you here. I assume this is well water you're dealing with?
Yup, like you, without electricity we're done
It's funny, because most folks who dream about an off grid paradise are approaching it from the doomsday scenario of an electricity free society. If that were to happen, the last thing you would want is to showcase the fact you have electricity when the rest of the world is in literal darkness!