In this episode, Bennett shifts away from discussing Bitcoin's recent all-time highs, noting the lack of significant news, and instead introduces the "Cathedral Project." This is a conceptual blueprint for a regenerative silvopasture system, emphasizing long-term, low-time-preference thinking inspired by European cathedrals. He describes it as a "prayer" for greater fertility and abundance, drawing from his extensive reading on ecology, agriculture, and permaculture.
Core Idea: A flexible model for a 1,000-acre regenerative system integrating trees, pasture, and grazing animals. It's designed to challenge fiat-driven agriculture by promoting sustainability and multiple revenue streams.
Design Layout:
A square plot (1.5 miles per side) with perimeter dirt roads for access.
Outer rows of support trees (black locust and thornless honey locust) to aid nitrogen fixation and shade for primary nut trees like black walnuts.
Internal structure: 23 north-south tree lanes, each about 7,400 feet long, separated by 150-foot-wide pasture strips for rotational grazing.
Hedgerows around tree lanes act as animal barriers and provide additional benefits like medicine, food, fuel, and fiber.
Principles: Based on three adapted laws:
Increase land fertility annually.
Maximize productivity per square inch without violating the first law.
Flexibility: The model adapts to different USDA zones, climates, and land contours, with alternatives like pecans or chestnuts if black walnuts aren't suitable. It incorporates concepts like silvopasture (trees in pasture) and edge effects for enhanced productivity.
Metrics and Goals: Bennett introduces "acre-year" as a measure of solar energy capture, biological momentum, and productivity. The system aims for diverse revenue streams (e.g., nuts, lumber, fodder) to avoid reliance on single crops, contrasting with conventional farming.
Sponsor Promotion: Bennett endorses Leather Mint for high-quality leather goods (e.g., wallets, belts), highlighting their use of Bitcoin and connection to the project's themes, like cattle hides for leather.
Future Plans: Over the next two weeks, while on vacation in Colorado, Bennett will explore the Cathedral Project in depth through follow-up episodes, seeking audience feedback via Noster. He encourages listeners to sign up for updates at BitcoinAndShow.com for sketches, writings, and more.
Call to Action: Bennett invites engagement, emphasizing the project's potential to transform agriculture and reduce fiat dependency.
Episode Overview
Key Concepts of the Cathedral Project
Additional Segments