Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[<activism98201@verizon.net>]

It's not just corn.

Here in Snohomish County the politicos have managed to, along with idiot 
farmers, push canola.  And we don't really have big farmers here: I suppose 
I'd have to say that they were the "mid" farmers (not the couple acre types, 
and not the 1,000 acre types).  The subsidies be a comin'...

One county up (Skagit County, where REAL farmers reside) they totally reject 
canola for all the right reasons.

When people start starving here I'll be sure to point out these jackass 
politicians as a possible food source!


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


=====================
From: TradingPostPaul <tradingpost@riseup.net>
Date: 2007/04/28 Sat PM 11:08:26 CDT
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] happenings to get fired up about  growing


Probably right, but which small farmers will jump into biofuel crops, corn
specifically? Highly mechanized small farmers, same as the mega farms. But
really small growers will find food prices squeezed upward and more profit
in small operations selling locally with less fossil fuel expense. Right,
food transport is heavily subsidized, and the money for that subsidy, and
all the other hidden subsidies is going to dry up. My own take on it is,
nobody is going to listen to what we stress until they feel it in their
wallet. But it will happen. And we're ahead of the curve. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 4/28/2007 at 10:31 PM activism98201@verizon.net wrote:

>Unfortunately increased gasoline prices are likely going to result in the
>LOSS of farmland with respect to it producing food :-(
>
>Small farmers will shift over to ethanol/biofuel crops only to ultimately
>be bought up by the big agri-fuel businesses.  Result?  Loss of food crops
>(which would take years to reestablish in the wake of fuel crop
>production) and the loss of local control of "farmland" (now in the hands
>of absentee owners.
>
>We've got to stress the need to reject the consumption of food that's
>shipped from far away (which is heavily subsidized).  Only then will the
>value of local food achieve levels necessary to maintain farmland for food
>production rather than fuel production.
>
>Kill ALL existing subsidies, NOW!
>
>
>-Mark Nagel
>Everett, WA
>
>
>---
>Paul, I wonder what happened? (regarding the NMSU extension agent).  I 
>wonder if we could bottle it and pass it around?  Your comments make me
>wish 
>I was back in Doña Ana.
>
>    The only thing that will save farmland here is $5 a gallon gasoline. 
>Then urban blight will stop and people will have the sense to fix up some
>of 
>the older and frankly prettier homes near Birmingham and stay away from
>our 
>rural area.
>
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