Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

We've seen reports about organic being more nutritious and older varieties 
being more nutritious, in certain cases. I haven't seen the Australian report 
yet. And yes, people do pay more for organic today. The message from the Wall 
Street Journal article is the big outfits are starting to sell "organic" at 
lower prices than people are used to paying for organic - and putting their 
brands on it. And to the public, organic is organic, and most of us will save 
where we can - right?. That does not bode well for the little guy still 
trying to charge a premium.

Not just market growers but home growers are increasingly short of time and 
money. Home growers also need better techniques to cut labor and input costs. 
We can do it.  What could be more important for encouraging homegrown for us 
poor folks in the lower half of the economy?

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------
The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not 
television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only 
those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about it.
   - Aldo Leopold in  Round River, 1933
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 5/4/2006 at 10:43 AM Robert Norsen wrote:

>Paul, a report by the Autralian Gov Labs.  showed organic produce were
>two to ten times as rich in essential mineral nutrients,  the reason for
>buying and eating the produce.   If buyers were buying nutrition rather
>than  pounds of water in produce form, organic would be worth  two to ten
>times the price of chemically grown stuff.   Not going to sell at those
>prices.  But if those facts were known by the shopper, some additional
>price might not stop sales.
>
>  That information should be made evident on the market.    Bob
>
>  In the same report the assistant chief at  USDA said - "size and
>appearance is what matters."
>
>TradingPostPaul <tradingpost@riseup.net> wrote:
>
>For some time I've been warning that market growers and CSAs need to
>compete with stores on price, and now they stand to lose out to the big
>guys. Below article shows the threat. Too long, organic growers and CSAs
>have smugly claimed their products ought to cost more, and besides they
>have to make a profit. We do have to make money by marketing our work, but
>we have to cut costs and labor.
>
>I began our predecessor list Soilmakers on the conviction that healthy,
>humus-intensive soil is the main key to profitable, local market growing
>with less labor and lower input costs, including less land and water.
>Other factors include season extension techniques, marketing direct to
>regular customers, and selecting only varieties that work well in a
>particular climate and market. I've also argued that sustainable market
>growing must first of all sustain the farmer or family trying to stay in
>business and keep their land.
>
>The problem can only squeeze growers more viciously as fuel prices keep on
>driving up the cost of doing business. Yet those who can make a living by
>growing on small farms or plots without power machinery may well be the
>survivors.
>
>There's a wealth of knowledge and experience among those on this list, so
>fire away. But keep this in mind: if this is not the key to growers'
>survival, then what is? This will bring out denial in some quarters. But
>the old adage applies: deal with reality, or reality will deal with you.
>
>paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
>---------------
>The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not
>television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only
>those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about
>it.
>- Aldo Leopold in Round River, 1933
>-------------
>
>Organic Food Goes Mass Market
>Supermarket Chains Launch Less-Expensive House Brands;
>Blue-Chip Special--$1.79
>May 4, 2006; Page D1
>http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB114670795156643418.html#CHIP
>
>It's getting cheaper to go organic.
>
>In a bid to capture a slice of the fast-growing organic-foods market,
>mainstream supermarket chains are rushing out their own store-brand lines
>that can cost significantly less than comparable specialty brands often
>found at health-food and gourmet stores. The pricing could remove a big
>barrier for many Americans who have wanted to try organic rice, cookies or
>cans of soup but have been put off by the prices. Though the store brands
>are less expensive, the chains say they adhere to the same federal
>standards for what constitutes organic as other brands.
>
>(see link for whole article)