Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Ryan Albinger" <ryalbinger@earthlink.net>]

Without anecdotal evidence, farming and gardening would be completely
absent of progress.  Not everything works is in scientific format.  Cases
in point:

** I foliar fed nutrients to my crop last year.  An independent crop
consultant viewed the control to the treated plot and observed about a 4
inch increase in plant height, a higher crop yield, reduced insect
pressure, and better standability.  Scientifically, these are worthless
results because they are not validated by multiple sets of data over
multiple years or multiple locations.  Scientifically, a positive outcome
has been observed in one data set, but beneficial outcomes can not be
accepted without further study.  Foliar feeding these nutrients can not
assume a positive outcome on a scientific basis.  Anecdotally, it is a
venture to pursue with great interest and at this high outcome, much good
can come about.

** Paul, you stated that on the blow sand that you made a garden of by
amending with aged manure and other amendments, you got improved conditions
and yields, I'm not doubting it.  Did you maintain a control plot of equal
production methods? Did you sample the soil for nutrient levels in both
plots? Do you have recorded harvest weights and produce quality verifying
your production increase?  Does the nutrients applied through the
amendments raise the soil nutrient levels that nutrient levels alone raised
the production?  Can you hypothesize from your data that the value of
organic matter played to the yield of the crop?  What watering method and
levels did you apply?  At what time of day? Frequencies of watering? Soil
moisture levels over varying plot treatments?  What was the evaporative
rate of your environment?  Did the evaporative rate of the soil at a depth
of 6 inches change with the varying experiments? At 12 inches?  Did the
experiments cause decreased soil compaction levels as measured by a
pentrometer?  How did soil density measurements change over experiments?
Over the course of the season?  Did water holding capacity trend in line
with the amount of compaction observed?  What was the total cost and
non-cash costs of the soil amendments applied?  How did the cost of
amending the soil favor in increased production, quality, and sale value
across all experimental methods?  Was it more economical to apply the
amendments or not?  What were the increases in value and return on
investment for each?  What if non-cash costs were assigned a value?  What
if market prices did not vary accross production experiments and produce
was priced solely on weight, what are the changes observed in the economic
costs?  Does that method change what is the most profitable amending
program?  Will a rise in water prices change the water practices of the
amended experiments and can it be concluded from your data that one
amending program will be most benefited and least affected?  If food
quality was a determinant in your amending program, what rise in food
quality were observed in the experimental trials?  Did the nutrient levels
correspond with amendment program?  Can data be derived from the data set
which amendment resulted in the highest rise of food quality?  What is the
hypothesis of this experiment?  Without any data your statements are
completely anecdotal and scientifically worthless, thus on that basis,
everything done to make that production has no scientific basis to be used
elsewhere with a belief positive results will follow.  That is fact, not
myth.  The devil is in the details and if details are required in the
scienctific format then "ain't nobody know much 'bout nothing" 

Ryan Albinger
Full Disclosure: I do not profit in any way, shape, or form from the sale
of compost tea production, equipment, adverstising, or education.  Nor do I
sell ANY products other than good wholesome non-GMO, non-pesticide crops
grown on healthy soil amended with rock powders and all-natural fertilizers
and compost tea.


> [Original Message]
> From: TradingPostPaul <tradingpost@riseup.net>
> To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: 6/15/2006 11:27:00 AM
> Subject: [Livingontheland] The questions still remain
>
>
> I'm not saying it can't be done, and I'm certainly not getting in
anybody's
> way who's doing it. But those who insist we accept anecdotal evidence as
> final proof are expecting us to take it on blind faith. Personally I can't
> garden that way, too much at stake.  
>
> We know and use demonstrated, reliable practices to improve soil health,
> supress disease, improve production and cut costs while doing all of that.
> We just don't have clear evidence of compost tea doing a better job of
> anything - that is, better than the reliable practices we already have.
> Those who know nothing of these established, sustainable practices may
well
> believe compost tea is the answer to every problem. Or those who stand to
> profit handsomely from selling the equipment, or those who don't realize
> where the economic incentives lie. 
>