Graze Animals on the Median?

The work of mothers and families may be different in the future if we need to go back to growing part of our own food as our ancestors did. Passing yet another abandoned north Texas farm, subsumed almost completely by modern monocultural agriculture, the only green thing growing was the grass along the highway and a wee bit around the crumbling, dilapidated farmhouse and outbuilding which was in stark contrast to the vast ocean of empty dirt surrounding it.

Common areas used to part of community lifestyles.  In Santa Fe the old agricultural tradition lingers on, faintly, in the Hispanic acequia system where water is diverted in community-maintained canals for shared usage - water that is now being legislated for diversion to the larger cities rather than the rural farmers.

Is it too far-fetched to think of grazing animals on these medians, these public spaces? 

Hiking in the Sangre de Cristo mountains here I tread on paths that were once the footpaths for the shepherds.  Herders would take sheep into the mountains which were considered open land.  The sheep industry has changed substantially.  Backroads sometimes take me past cows that have grazing rights in steep mountain pastures and I ride horses that are turned out to pasture on public land.  But sheep I don't see.

Nooks and crannies here still support oldways.  Perhaps oldways can teach us how to do newways. 

Comments

[Hattie]

We have so much waste land that could be used. I like your ideas.