Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>]

Mostly I see it framed in a shortage of farmers

 

This is the first time I have read such a statement.  That is the most truthful statement I have read in years.  I have been a substitute teacher for 11 years and many weeks spent in vocational ag.  Lubbock is cotton.  The high school where I sub has 702 students.  125 in VA.  2 "interested" in farming.  But remember this:  many, if not most, of the new comers to farming are from outside "agriculture".  Most of the insiders have a mindset against organic and no-till.  The wife of a cotton farmer told me "he will not stop plowing".

 

Ken Hargesheimer

"E. E. Mitchamore Jr" <emitch@att.net> wrote:

Lomberg's book was printed in 2001, before the latest run-up in prices.  Since my first email on the subject, I started his chapter on energy, and was amused to see his prediction of $17 - $30/bbl oil through 2020.  The current price increase doesn't make him a complete idiot, any more than Brown's earlier predictions of failure that did not materialize.  It does, however, emphasize his assumption of continued energy availability for agriculture.  That seems unlikely, if not because of absolute scarcity, then because of our crazy economy.

 

Is there a good analysis of a global transition to sustainable agriculture?  Mostly I see it framed in a shortage of farmers,  rather than a shortage of land, water, or anything else (though there are clearly concerns about all those things).  It's a lot easier to see steps that we can take for ourselves and our families, but what about the world at large?  Is there any possibility of a smooth transition?  Looks like we're running full speed until some disaster intervenes.

 

Meanwhile, back on the ranch...Central Texas hasn't had a freeze, yet, and I did manage to put the ends back on my Hoop House yesterday, having ripped them off when it got too hot.  So I'm sort of ready.  With such a long season, it's hard to get in the mood to plan gardens and order seeds.  I'm not through with Fall chores, yet.

 

Since my trees are grown in containers, my biggest concern is managing moisture and nutrition to the plants.  Top-dressing is too much work, so I've just procured a compost tea brewer and injector pump for the drip irrigation system.  The plan is to add fish emulsion and compost tea to the irrigation water, feeding more or less continuously.  Got to get that system built before Spring.

 

Right now, I'm going to go plant some seeds.  It's clear and 60 degrees....Jealous?

 

E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.biz

----- Original Message -----

From: TradingPostPaul

To: emitch@att.net ; livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 8:49 AM

Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] The Skeptical Environmentalist

Well, they tell us that oil-derived pesticides and gas-derived fertilizer
going up so high is gradually driving industrial agriculture to the brink
of extinction. At some point very soon those of us who grow sustainably -
and profitably - without fossil fuels will actually be able to undercut the
poisonous storebought garbage. But you decide.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 11/27/2007 at 6:15 AM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>In an attempt to be as well informed as possible, I grudgingly felt
>obligated to read Bjorn Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist (TSE).  I
>haven't finished, but am finding it so tedious that I wanted to get
>reactions from others that may have read it.

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