Brookside Farm – Growing Food, Growing Energy

by admin on March 12, 2010


Peak Moment 62: Take a whirlwind tour of the Brookside Energy Farm with Jason Bradford and Christoffer Hansen at planting time. Along with perennials, annuals, a food forest, and dryland crops (grains), they’re growing Jerusalem artichoke and dale sorghum to produce both food and energy (ethanol). Watch Chris cut sod with a Swiss glaser hoe — a 1/6 horsepower guy! [www.energyfarms.net]

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Tagged as: Brookside, Energy, Farm, Food, Growing

  • cbhoodrider
    thank you! i'm glad you uploaded another "on location" segment.
  • greyflcn
    ... Be far better off growing organic food rather than wasting it on liquid fuels.

    Takes a whole year's supply of corn-as-food to fill 1 tank of E85 gasoline.

    Thats not sustainable.
    Especially when we use gigantic quantities of fossil fuels to grow those fuels.

    Agrofuels are not sustainable, Organic food farm is.
  • NoirMusic
    I think I read 1 acre of corn = 1 gas tank of fuel and is only something like 5/8 as efficient. Ie THEY SUCK. Get a life.
  • MyerstownFarm
    If people want to look to growing the fuel they need to look to another source other than Corn. It's irresponsible to use our food supply for a fuel. There are other options for example switch grass that is not used for food. But I still hold the idea that all fuels are doing is postponing the inevitable. We need to get back to a close living lifestyle. We need to stop commuting so much and begin to produce our own food and foster communities locally.
  • annearky
    It's all about CNG - natural gas, like what comes out of your stove. I drive a honda GX, and I love it. It's clean, efficient, and plus the CNG only costs about $2/gallon equivalent.
  • peakmoment
    Compressed natural gas (CNG) is still a fossil fuel product, and natural gas supplies are also declining worldwide (and in steep decline in North America). So CNG is not a long term solution.
  • TrevorJNoyes
    Agrofuels are sustainable depending on how you define them. Making alcohol from cattails. Sugarcane etc. HEMP. all agrofuels and sustainable.
  • hybridracers
    how do I get the recipe for the compost tea?
  • peakmoment
    I asked one of the permaculturists I know, but since YouTube makes it pretty hard to add urls in these comments, I'll reply at our website at peakmoment(.)tv/conversations/?p=87. Thanks for asking!
  • Bullettube
    A lot of work! Why didn't they mow the grass first? They don't have the best of soil to work with, I imagine it was hard packed from being a ball field at one time.
  • Bullettube
    Compost tea is easy. It's basically water that has drained thru compost. You could use a 5-gallon plastic bucket or a large plastic barrel. Add compost and water to a mushy consistency, let set for an hour or so, then pour out the water thru a screen and you'll have your "tea". The "Tea" can be used to water indoor plants as well as your garden.
  • javierenchina
    hmm....not sure....there has to be a better solution than a glaser hoe
  • odin422
    No fruit trees here?
  • odin422
    Wind turbines would work PERFECTLY with farms, like the Dutch do
  • peakmoment
    They've put in several young fruit trees -- we didn't talk about them much in the video, I think there is a photo. The trees are near the edge of the property fence, near the indigenous trees.
  • peakmoment
    If there is wind available. On this site, not often enough.
  • Subspace4d
    very nice I must complimnt you all.
  • bluemoondiadochi
    nice, but will not some draft animals be available for the population to work with? and more, the succesful agriculture, i think, is a combination of animal and plant life. wouldn't it be useful to manure it with pig chicken or rabbit manure too? it's hard to believe people in the future will rely ONLY on plants for food. i mean, no matter how small a farm, a few chickens and rabbits will be on it.
  • bluemoondiadochi
    try nettle. you may think it's a weed, but it can be eaten as spinich, used for animals, and for clothes
  • Hamish121212
    Put some pigs in there - they will root up that field in no time.
  • sarcasmi
    No pigs please, hehe
  • sixgunrich
    I would think that someone else would have dealt with the problem of human powered primary and secondary tillage. the Glaser Wheel Hoe is designed for weed kill in pre tilled ground. The Elliot Coleman broadfork is designed for aeration in pretilled ground. Jason you may have to design new heavy duty equipment if you dont want to disturb soil structure . Most people in this situation use a pick, or adz for primary tillage and hoe for secondary.
  • Kabbalahnews
    YOU ARE AN AMERICAN HERO.
    Very proud of you, each school should have a garden.............Gardens for Schools...................

    Your friend
    GOD
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