I believe it is spreading....

[BarredBuff]

I am almost certain that the Self-Sufficiency movement is spreading. Have you all noticed? We went down a road the other day, and I noticed several new garden patches. Then I have seen several new chicken flocks around in my area, free ranging to boot. And surprisingly a few dairy goats here and there.

It also don't seem to be creed specific, or demographically oriented. I don't know their motives either, our's was a combination of a need for real food, frugality and preparedness.

In my first two hatches I have sold 30 chicks, and have more customers supposedly interested. I can't wait to get a customer base built up for my hatchlings. I really want to expand my duck flock to more hens, then add half a dozen turkeys. Plus expand my rabbit operation. Then get my greenhouse built next fall or spring.

Now let's graze the cow in rotational plots in the yard THAT will get a lot of murmurs.

What about in your area?

 

[SSDreamin]

In my immediate area, you are strange if you DON'T have animals, at least a small garden plot and an effort at an orchard

To be fair, almost half the population is Amish.

For the rest of us out here, the nearest store is eight miles away, the nearest 'big' store (Wal-Mart or Meijers, etc.) is at least twenty miles. It makes more sense to walk out to the coop for an egg, the barn for milk, or the garden for lettuce or tomato, than to drive a twisty-turny 8 miles and back.

 

[Denim Deb]

I noticed on my trip to Lancaster County today more chickens and goats than I've seen in some areas B4. But then again, normally I'm the driver, this time I was the passenger, so maybe I just haven't noticed them B4. :/

 

[FarmerChick]

I am country so to not see chickens in yards and a goat or cow in the pasture is strange

everyone gardens here. I almost never see a home without some kind of garden harvest happening.

so I just can't say if in my area the SS movement is happening more or not. it takes more than a chicken or garden to let me know if more is happening cause that chicken and garden are everywhere around me now.

 

[BarredBuff]

Its common for us to see gardens and a few fruit trees. But the milk goats is a bit stranger. Then the chickens are fairly common...but not noticeably common.

 

[okra]

It's spreading. We had an allotment (a piece of land rented from the Council for food growing) in the UK for 20 years and up until a few years ago their were 8 occupants on a very large site, there are now over 60 and a waiting list and it's the same all over the UK with new sites being opened to meet demand for land.

 

[the funny farm6]

I find that the people who once thought of me as a froot loop, actualy have a question or 2. Like "is it hard to butcher you rabbits...how do you gut and skin them...do you have any for sale?" And the chick sales have been CRAZY this year. Farm and home is only getting 1/4 of the chicks they normaly do- and no americanas yet-grrrr. So I have people wanting chicks from me that I am hatching. I have most of what I want so now the chicks I hatch are for sale. I do see more gardens. And I used to see free canning jars here and there, but not so much here recently. So maybe people are using them?

 

[hqueen13]

I am more aware of seeing things, but then I am also now aware of the movement in the first place.
Visibly in our area, there hasn't really been much change, but then we live in a funny between spot, north of us is rural farm land, with fairly large farms (farms that use tractors and heavy equipment and sell commercially on some level versus folks with an acre or two for their own private use), and south of us is basically urban. West is park/protected land, and east is more neighborhoods.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I see quite a lot of people at least taking a few steps toward light gardening. Some are really getting in there and trying to make a sizeable garden, that might actually feed their families.
More coops locally, but my chick sales have decreased due to the ag store selling chicks this year, I think.
I'm getting more questions from the locals. Had a mini session with a new customer/contact just yesterday.
Not sure about everyone's motives. My neighbor is mostly quiet about her motives and her DH's motives, but spoke to me a few months ago and told me her DH called home in a panic and told her to hurry up and start working in the garden (most local men work offshore).

 

[Wannabefree]

I am seeing a lot more places that haven't been farmed in decades suddenly having a tractor show up and start digging. I am seeing a lot more chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and longer lines even at the local butcher shop. I think part of it is movies like Food Inc, encouraging folks to eat closer to home, then there is the state of the economy as well. Then, it's an election year, lotsa folks get ancy around election years anyway, about everything from ammo to whatever is the hot topic in the political world. It's cyclic IMO. It'll die down a bit after the election and resurface again in 2-4 years unles the crap REALLY hits the fan, and folks will go crazy for sure then.