Hugh,
I just wanted to say what a great article LT wrote. I have been a long time “back to the earth” guy, and the last few years have had me going at breakneck speed to “fully prepare” and put even more things in place. I am an older parent of three young boys and have felt VERY pressed in the last few years to get our 20 acres in order and get some more resiliency in place for what I see as a very uncertain future. My rural upbringing, military service, outdoor education, and EMT background have given me many tools to work with, but only through practice can you truly understand the complexity of becoming more self sufficient. The learning curve even for someone with pre-existing skills is tough. I have been very methodical about tapping into my network of old timers (my wife calls them “Geezer Ambassadors”) who can offer a lifetime of country skills.
If anything, the only short comings I saw in the well thought out article are in the actual small scale subsistence farming equipment needed and the ever-present need to tap into a “network” of people who know the region you’re in and how to farm it, and who have done it. These folks are dying every day, and their wisdom and experience are typically dying with them.
Great job, LT. – RC