Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

I'm not sure who's in MO, but not me. What is it you have going there -
since 1869?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net


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

On 2/3/2007 at 5:12 PM Barbara Fischer wrote:

>I assume you are speaking of MO only.  My family has had a farm in central
>Illinois since 1869.....soybeans and corn.  No need to convert to organic.
>
>Barbara
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
>To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 3:55 PM
>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Popular Misconceptions
>
>
>>
>> Think you've got a point there. Which might explain why people from
those
>> $800 permaculture seminars don't grow anything themselves. Nothing in
>> school or college taught me any do-it- yourself skills. Not even high
>> school FFA, which is never about food gardening.
>>
>> I doubt we'll get many farmers to convert to organic, intensive no-till,
>> and I really doubt we'll get many overeducated non-farmers to either.
>>
>> Yet I've read the typical farmer's return on investment today is about
>2%.
>> You get a better return on a savings account. The way they farm we have
>at
>> best 50 years of topsoil left, and less for irrigation water. Going
broke
>> and destroying what's left of productive soil. Technology can't make
more
>> soil and water. But organic, intensive no-till effectively reverses the
>> damages and makes it profitable to stay on the farm. But it's probably
>too
>> late. I don't know how to tell my kids and grandkids.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>>
>> On 2/3/2007 at 3:31 PM Laurie Ann Powell wrote:
>>
>> >My guess, Paul, is that the real misconception is the Western idea that
>> >behavior can be "taught" or "learned" from books, tapes, seminars or
>> >phone calls, and then acted on.
>> >
>> >Modeling, live-in apprenticeships, and daily life are the only ways
that
>> >"work" for any skill that requires applying knowledge in a physical
way.
>> >
>> >Which is why we live among a generation of people who only know how to
>> >teach or learn - but not know how to DO anything they teach or learn.
12
>> >years of public education prepares you to be a teacher, student,
>> >factory worker or a couch potato. Not a farmer. Farming with a farmer
>> >teaches you to be a farmer.
>> >
>> >So, it's not that I don't want to do no-till or send out my soil sample
>> >or remediate my pasture. But only what I learned living at Carrie's
>> >house and doing her chores with her seems to really get done at my
>> >house!
>> >
>> >Laurie Ann
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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