Mules are interesting– born of a burro and a horse, they’re sterile, a mutation of strength, intelligence and will. Singular creatures.

This is the team of machos that plowed our land, and yes, the white one is Pancho’s mule.
Each year we make a small step toward better husbandry; this year no tractor will enter our land. Last year we ran out of time and money (it’s more expensive to hire the mule team) and were forced to use the zero till plow.
The mule driver agreed to trade one pig for planting our large field and 500 pesos for the small one. Still we are the last to plant. His services are much in demand. Unfortunately, it is not because farmers are returning to less invasive ways. The mules are able to plow small, inhospitable places and in the last two years farmers have cut down the hedgerows, areas considered not worth planting in the past. They are ‘planting fencerow to fencrow ’.* Progress. Continue reading →