As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the sheepdog trials, the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival was held this last weekend in Jefferson, Wisconsin. I’ll give an audio tour of this festival in an upcoming podcast (October 6th), but today I wanted to provide the visuals. The festival had many events going on, from sheep … More Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival — An Excuse for Sheep Photos
The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival was held this last weekend in Jefferson, Wisconsin. The crowd could be divided into three groups: yarn and fiber enthusiasts, sheepdog people, and sheep farmers (I hesitate to call them shepherds, as that conjures up an image of a lone boy driving a flock onto a high pasture instead … More Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival — Sheepdog Trials
One Scythe Revolution is a company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, operated by Botan Anderson. He is one of the largest suppliers of Austrian scythes in the United States and also offers workshops, such as the one going on this Saturday. I was able to stop by his farm a few weeks ago to pick up … More One Scythe Revolution
We gathered with some fellow Cooksvillians at the commons across from the institute to view the partial eclipse here yesterday afternoon. It was cloudy until the time of maximum coverage, around 1:15 p.m. Just then, the clouds started to clear. They were thick enough to give the partially eclipsed sun coverage for us to see … More Views of the Eclipse at the Institute
Even if you’re not in the path of the total eclipse later today, you can still see an exciting celestial phenomenon. Here in southern Wisconsin, just under 90 percent of the sun will be covered by the moon. You can find the degree and timing of the eclipse by typing in your location at timeanddate.com‘s … More Low Tech Solar Eclipse Viewing Options
This last weekend was the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence, hosted at Troy Community Gardens on the north side of Madison. It brought together people from across the Midwest to discuss ideas related to sustainability through the lens of permaculture. Permaculture is an idea started by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren to create permanent, self-sustaining agriculture and … More Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence
This year’s Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence is coming up August 4–6 at Troy Gardens in Madison. This event brings together people with an unusually wide diversity of skills to share in workshops over this weekend event. Dozens of sessions are already listed, many of which align with the mission of the Low Technology Institute’s core principles: … More Permaculture Convergence — Madison, WI, Aug. 4-6
See yesterday’s post on the scythe’s background, also from Matt Miles. Using a scythe is straightforward enough. The user lifts the snath and brings the blade down in a circular, sweeping motion to cut grass or grain close to the ground, aiming to cut as much as possible with each swing of the scythe blade, … More Using the Scythe — From Contributor Matt Miles
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s follow-up post on using the scythe, also from Matt Miles. Much like the broadfork, the scythe is a human-powered alternative to mechanical and power-driven mowers that have largely displaced the scythe from the farmer’s tool shed. However, in recent years this tool has enjoyed a comeback with small farmers and homesteaders … More Notes on the Scythe — From Contributor Matt Miles
We’ve added a new item to the menu bar on the Low Tech Institute’s website, namely a library of resources. Many of these titles are available to anybody with internet access while some of them are physical books available to those who can visit the institute. We’ve got over a hundred entries right now, but … More Introducing the Library