Wind Turbines, Carbon credits, More Horses, and Sunburn

Well, I got sunburnt Sunday at the tractor pull, then again yesterday when I went out to sand the long fence in front of the garden. It is a white board fence - well, WAS a white board fence - that delineates the garden from the city sidewalk (except the sidewalk is overgrown and if you didn't know it was there you'd never know). Since it will be the front produce garden for next spring, which means it will be where I sell and advertise my starts from the greenhouse that is going in behind it, and is about 1/2 an acre, I have to make it pretty and match the board fence that runs down the other side of my house-yard. The whole thing - house, garden, yard - will be my showcase for the business.

Yesterday Phil came up to hubby and told him that there were some teenagers who had horses that needed feed. He could not sell them hay yet - he is busy haying the fields this week, with all of the clear weather - and we might consider renting the pasture to them. So the kids came by to discuss business with us. They are juniors in the local high school. They have three horses they need to board til the winter - a pinto gelding, a chestnut mare, and a chestnut colt who is about to be made a gelding. So we made a financial deal for them to put them in the pasture. What the heck - we won't be using it, and Lake the current resident has been pretty lonely. Rather have it chomped down than a fire hazard come fall...

I had to knock off the sanding early yesterday because there was a Farmer's Union meeting on carbon credits and wind turbines. There were 50 people there in the middle of the day - quite a determined crowd. Turns out that, thanks to AlGore, there is a very cool way for farmers to make a profit.

You see, corporations that produce carbons in their manufacturing, or oil and gas companies, all have to meet certain Federal standards for emissions. Well, they can do this in part by purchasing carbon credits. When they do this, they not only don't get fined, but they get tax relief. So several independent companies have formed to negotiate tax credits for them. Here's how it works: the independents take the corporations' money. Then they deal with the Farmer's Unions to find farmers who are practicing sustainable farming and ranching - like no-till farming, wind turbine development, tree planting, or rotational grazing. They have figured it down to how much each practice per acre keeps carbons out of the atmosphere. The independent companies send out inspectors to the farms and ranches, verify how many acres are using responsible practices, and certify the farm or ranch. Depending on the practice, a farmer can make $800 - $5,000 a year for utilizing these practices; all non-government corporation cash. So they can get paid for doing what they do anyway to keep their farms and ranches productive!

There are also some government programs for large property owners to construct wind turbines on their leased properties. Not only can the turbines be erected at no cost to the property owner, but the KWH that are produced can garner a monthly profit for the landowner. A farmer with 6 wind turbines can get up to a $1000 KWH check per month, not including the leased property payment.

The back part of my property is the highest ridge around my little town, and has been determined by the USDOE maps as one of the windiest places in the country for producing sustainable winds of 17 mph, and hi-level winds for at least two-thirds of the year. Yes I knew that before I bought it.

Ahem. As much as I believe in sustainable energy, those little fillips of information could prove very useful. I still will do the greenhouse and the organic, heirloom-seeded produce; that is my main focus and my main drive for purchasing this property. But a little extra income never hurts... and something that won't bother my eventual milk cows in the pasture will be very comforting - a "cash cow" among the cows.

I still want to make a deal with the town so that they get the bulk of the profits, but according to the FU, towns and counties cannot build or be involved in these things for profit yet, by State law. Sigh. I need to see an attorney and see what kind of things can be done to change that, or to cut them in. It is the only socially responsible thing to do, after all. I came here to make a gentle profit, not to rip people off. T Boone, Warren Buffet, I am not...