Thursday, February 3, 2011



February 3, 2011
Dearest Family and Friends,

We hope this letter reaches you in all of your happiness and health. Down here in McNeal, Arizona on the Tornrose Farm we have so much life springing, winds blowing and seeds ready to be placed into the earth. We sincerely hope you visit us and experience the energy yourself.

We are writing this letter to you to ask for your involvement. We know that each of you support us in our endeavors to grow local and sustainably raised food products and we cannot do this without you. You will find in this letter an explanation of our permaculture project, our goals and motivations along with a farm needs list.

We are currently working on two different projects that are integrally connected. In July of 2010, we attended a Permaculture Design course in Carbondale, Colorado. We both received our Permaculture Design Certification. A diploma in permaculture design requires two years of applied work and be verified by a professional permaculturist. Tornrose Farm is where we are doing our two years of applied permaculture design work, which will lead to a long term sustainable permaculture project. You can follow our work by looking at our blog page at http://pachamamapermaculture.blogspot.com. We are creating a working permaculture site with components such as education, public outreach, food for work, alternative economics, volunteer programs, WWOOFR and other not yet thought of elements.

In addition to permaculture, we have both been selected as apprentices in the The Quivira Coalitions CARLY (Conservation and Ranching Leadership and Youth) program. The Quivira Coalition has partnered with a number of sustainable agriculture operations in the Southwest to launch CARLY, which offers apprenticeship opportunities for people interested in the intersection of conservation and agriculture. CARLY is a leadership development program that looks to pair willing participant apprentices with experienced mentors in conservation-minded agrarian operations.
This is quite an honor for us, as we are the first apprentices selected for the 47 Ranch. “
The mission of The Quivira Coalition is to build resilience by fostering ecological, economic and social health on western landscapes through education, collaboration, and progressive public and private land stewardship.” Please look at the Quivira Coalition's website at http://quiviracoalition.org We will be focusing on animal husbandry, ranching , permaculture and intensive grazing management.

Although these are two different projects, they are interconnected on many different levels. We are learning soil, water, livestock, vegetation, wildlife, climate and the human beings are equally integral parts to a whole and healthy life system. Einstein’s theory that a body in motion tends to stay in motion applies to a healthy life system. As with all systems an energetic input is required to get the ball rolling. We are in that phase where much energy input is required.

We both want to raise food; ours and yours. We want to work locally with our community in the raising of it's food. We want to share with others everything we learn. In order to do this, much energy, effort and resources are required. We have invested countless hours of time and thousands of dollars. We need your help. You can help by donating resources. Resources can be money, time (energy), seeds, feed, chickens, pigs, irrigation parts, lumber, water tanks, tools, hardware, electric fencing, building materials, food for the farmers (it's not growing yet), fuel, solar components, ambassadorship and the list goes on.

If your donation is in cash, you will be shown how that cash was turned into a usable resource in the production of local, nutritious food and the new economy.

What do you get for your contribution? You get the satisfaction and the knowledge that you are helping to change the way this nation raises and consumes food. You will be helping to steer our food production away from the corporate controlled monoculture back to a more resilient polyculture. You will also be supporting the building of an new alternative economy. In the new economy transactions are personal, time is not money time is time. We use time to create food, shelter, health, hope and joy for all.

We wish to thank you for all that you do and for being a part of our lives. Please see below for current needs list.

Our contact information is as follows:
Laura: 520 335 7183
Timothy: 520 335 7184
Email: pachamamapermaculture@gmail.com
Much love,

Timothy and Laura

P.S. If you know of others that are interested in this movement and may be willing to help please pass this letter along.

Needs List

*Any and all seeds suitable for arid desert southwest
*Live fence material(Ocotillo branches)
*Shade cloth (full rolls minimum of 60" wide)
*One gallon fruit trees (apple, pear, apricot, peach, plum, pomegranate, olive)
*Grape vines
*Sewing Scissors
*Gloves for gardening and working
*Gray water piping and fittings (ABS or PVC) 1.5" to 3" diameter
*Education materials (books on Permaculture, sustainable agriculture, Integrated Pest Management,    Livestock, Rangeland Management, Native Planting, Rangeland Conservation etc.)
*Barrels and/or water storage vessels 55gallons+
*Galvanized and brass fittings .5"to 1.25"
*Galvanized and/or PEX pipe .5" to 1.25"
*Chicken wire
*Barbed wire
*Field fence minimum 36" tall 2x4 or 4x4 grid
*Live stock panels 4'x10'
*Lumber 2x4 2x6 4x4 8 feet or longer
*Plywood 4x8 sheets 1/2" minimum
*Tool handles
*Nails and Screws galvanized or brass only
*Saw blades for sawsall, circular saw and table saw
*Fixing wire light gage
*Light bulbs 40-100 watt for chicken brooding
*Outdoor duty extension cords
*Ranch pipe 1.25" 160psi
*Sunscreen
*Postage stamps
*Printer cartridges Epson 126
*Chicken feed starter/grower mix and layer feed
*Buckets 5 gallon with lid
*Dog food
*Snake hoop
*Snake Bite kit
*First aid supplies
*Solar compass
*Solar oven
*Large Rubbermaid containers with lids
*Window glazing compound
*Wiener pigs
*Kitchen food waste
*Compost
*Commercial grade steel shelving
*Chicken waterers
*Dishwasher
*Gift certificate to Arbico Organics
*garden work pads
*Garden and tree pruners
*Guinea fowl
*Fuel
*Bird netting
*T posts
*Electric fencing solar or grid tie
*Post mix and ready mix concrete
*Pavers, bricks and landscaping materials
*Trellising materials
*Plumbing fixtures such as tub and shower valve, kitchen faucets, yard hydrants
*Roofing tin
*Portable building i.e. Tuff Shed 10'x12' minimum
*Hay
*Window screen
*.25"and .125"  galvanized mesh
*Electrical supplies: wire, outlets, switches, light fixtures
*Food for volunteers and community workdays 
*Canning supplies
*Zip lock storage bags
*Harvest, Market and Egg baskets
*Commercial grade produce spinner
*Grapefruit seed oil extract
*Galvanized pales 5 gallon
*Solar water heating components (pumps, panels and storage)
*And/or cash to be converted into these items

Current projects where help and resources are needed
*Garden
*Chicken Brooding
*Weiner Pigs
*Gray water system
*Rainwater harvesting
*Outdoor kitchen
*Outdoor shower and laundry
*Solar composting toilet
*Outdoor workspace/garage reconstruction
*Rehab of barn
*Composting systems
*Tree pruning
*Irrigation repair and maintenance
*Fence repair and maintenance
*Tractor and equipment upkeep
*Beekeeping
*Straw bale/Cobb/Adobe building construction
*Salvage and Material collection





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