Update for clarification.
We have all seen this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ve...stic_mulch.JPG
Now imagine all that dirt between the rows is pasture instead.....As you can see there would be 1/2 to 2/3'rds or more of the land would be pasture or some kind of cover crop for forage, without interfering at all with the crop of veggies.
The other thing we all have seen is this:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/multi...d=114940&seq=2
This is a traditional way organic mulching is done. Once again between the rows is wasted.
The key would be to find a way to allow animals to eat the forage between the rows while keeping them away from the veggies. Essentially it is turning a liability, ie weeds between the rows, into a positive cash flow.
So instead of cultivating it which cost money in fuel and labor, or mulching it which also takes labor and a huge supply of organic material (especially if done on a large scale), We either use cheap feathernet electric fencing or portable pens such as "chicken tractors" to "mow" the forage and convert the "weeds" into meat, eggs and/or milk. Alternately you could make hay or grass clippings out of the pasture between the rows, if you didn't feel comfortable raising animals. Or you could do a little of both.
The advantage over plastic mulch is no erosion off the land between rows and no expensive plowing discing etc to prepare the seedbed. And labor and disposal of old plastic at the end of the year. The advantage over traditional mulch is far less hay straw etc needed per acre. The advantage over both is a second source of income on the same exact acreage, increasing productivity and profit per acre, without having to try and overcrowd your plants. And of course those animals are actually putting manure on the ground fertilising both the paddocks between rows and also after rains a slow seepage of fertiliser under the ground to the veggie crop (also potentially carried by migrating earthworms). Since the veggies are not in direct contact with the animals it should prevent too much getting to the veggies, so I think there won't be a problem of burning etc... If the animals in the paddock are something like chickens, they will also provide insect control. And of course both "Managed intensive rotational grazing" and "Sheet mulching" are permaculture techniques that are proven to improve the soil instead of degrading the soil and sustainable. All without needing outside chemical fertiliser input.
No one has put them together simultaneously before, as far as I know, especially in a way that is scalable for either small gardens or commercial. That is the "experimental" nature of what I am attempting. I am sure there will be bugs to work out.