Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Popular Misconceptions

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Barbara Fischer" <cen12205@centurytel.net>
  • To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Popular Misconceptions
  • Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 18:30:44 -0600

I have a regular 80 acre farm for soybeans and corn. It has always been
tenant farmed but my family has owned it (and the resident ghost) since
l869. I manage it and have a farmer who does the farming and another family
who lives in the house. It is not all gravy as I just spent $40,000 over
the last two years bringing the house up to snuff.

Barbara
----- Original Message -----
From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Popular Misconceptions


>
> 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
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >_______________________________________________
> >> >Livingontheland mailing list
> >> >Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> >http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Livingontheland mailing list
> >> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
> >>
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Livingontheland mailing list
> >Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> >http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page