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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Latest tirade against organics
  • Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 12:37:34 -0600


It's a good question, but let's start with can local gardens or farms feed
our local communities (I think the rest of the world could do just fine if
we left them alone for a change). Our own work right now is amending
terrible soil with mostly free local materials. Since land is so cheap
here, and well water is free and unpolluted, it looks promising on a larger
scale. We believe as you do the answer is yes, in theory. If we can do it
with sandy, thin soil that's never been farmed here in the semi arid
southwest, that's a good indicator. You don't see many market gardens in
cattle country, but over a season or two some combination of free manure,
alfalfa meal or pellets, greensand, and small additions of blood meal
and/or bone meal can build moisture retentive soil with good structure and
tilth. Larger operations take more time; other organic materials may be
more economical locally, and of course cover crops can help over time.
There's been some concern over the fact that some organic farms have to use
half their acreage to grow crops for composting on the productive cash crop
acreage, but with all the manure going to waste everywhere, that could be
recycled locally and dispense with sidelining good land for growing
compost. Hmm?

paul, tradingpost AT gilanet.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OWL-OldWaysLiving

The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all
our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to
foster its renewal is our only hope.
- Wendell Berry


*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 10/19/2005 at 11:19 AM Matt Cheselka wrote:

>Thanks, Lucy, for this.
>
>I found the Cornell press release for those of you interested in this:
>
>http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July05/organic.farm.vs.other.ssl.html
>
>Unfortunately the actual article which appears in the July 2005 issue of
>BioScience
>(http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=get-toc&issn=0006-3568&volume=055&is
sue=07) is only available to subscribers.
>
>
>The real question in my mind is, "Are sustainable organic practices such
>as those advocated by Rodale, Jeavons, and others able to feed (at least)
>the human population of the world?"
>
>
>My answer is in the affirmative, but at the moment all I have is crunched
>numbers and hot air to substantiate that claim. The next five years will
>show whether my calculations are correct or not. Hopefully I'll still
>have a world to feed....
>
>Matt Cheselka
>Cosmic Lettuce
>www.cosmiclettuce.com
>






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