I have an idea for a new online calculator, and I need you the reader to help out. Many times I’ve been asked what is the best animal to raise for meat, from a preppers point of view, and my response has always been rabbit. I’ve also been asked how long green peppers take to grow till harvest, (about 71 days in my area). And the list goes on and on…
So it occurred to me that these questions have a couple of factors in common, and are being asked because people are comparing options. Do you raise rabbits because you don’t have enough room for beef? How much does it cost in feed to raise egg laying hens, are sheep really that bad? Should you just go with Aqua-ponics because you need that job in the city?
So here is what I need. I need to pool all the knowledge from my readers, so that I can create a online calculator and place it here on my site. If each reader commented on this post about what they believe to be the best food to raise in their area, as far as cost of feed/soil, water, and time spent on it. It would give me a starting point for the datebase. Please also include what climate zone you are in, if there are local risks such as an invasive plants, pests, or even local laws, anything you think should be included in the calculations.
The idea is two fold, first it should help people decide which of this or that to do, and second how much what they do is worth to what they can trade for.
For example: If you are raising corn, the calculator should be able to tell you how much you should have raised, and how much you would have raised in beans if you had done that instead. You will then know how much corn you should trade for beans, and so on.
Thoughts? Leave a comment.