Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

A reply I sent to the AlbuquerqueAreaAgriculture list.
paul tradingpost@lobo.net
-------------------

A working farm in the South Valley that researches, teaches, and
demonstrates 21st Century, evironmentally-friendly, sustainable agriculture
is a terrific idea. But take a good hard look at bringing back an
agriculture curriculum in high schools. Where we still have traditional voc
ag classes now, the number of those voc ag students planning to go into
farming is approximately zero. Raising show animals just doesn't justify
any grants. 

The folks at Alcalde and elsewhere with NMSU are showing how to produce
more high value crops for NM growers. This helps. Another big step to
encourage young farmers would be to stress cutting edge practices that cut
costs and raise profits for ordinary vegetables that make up the bulk of
our diets. They have to see a good living in it. The hard reality is these
kids aren't fools and aren't going to give up paying jobs for farms that
can only go broke like their parents' or grandparents' farms. With an
average 2% return on investment, the typical U.S. farmer would be better
off putting his/her money into CDs at the bank. And alfalfa and cattle
require far too much capital for young farmers starting out. Revolutionize
the ag curriculum or give it up. Researchers and state colleges are moving
in this direction already. 

A sustainable agriculture first has to sustain the farmer. Otherwise no
agriculture of any kind. And conventional industrial agriculture is a
demonstrated collosal failure, in water waste, in fossil fuel waste, in
biodiversity loss, in topsoil degradation and loss, and in the loss of farm
families and rural community. A working sustainable farm must deal with all
these issues or end up only a footnote in somebody's PhD thesis. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. 
--Henry David Thoreau 

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

On 12/11/2007 at 7:34 PM Joe Hlifka wrote:

>Jenny thank you for posting the Open House announcement. 
>
>One of the main concerns and focus of our South Valley group working 
>with NMSU has been how to recruit future farmers. We are trying to 
>get NMSU to work with local high schools to re-introduce an 
>agriculture curriculum at the high scholl level. 
>
>We have also contact CNM Community College regarding collaboration 
>with NMSU to develop a certified "small-farm-management" coarse at 
>CNM. All classes would be credited and meet the requirements of any 
>of our state colleges or universities that could be applied toward a 
>2 or 4 year degree. 
>
>We also want a working farm in the South Valley that researches, 
>teaches, and demonstrates 21st Century, evironmentally-friendly, 
>sustainable agriculture.
>
>The more people who join in the efforts, the sooner we will see this 
>become a reality!
>
>So... come to the Open House and get involved.
>
>Joe Hlifka
>877-4512
>