Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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

For what it's worth, a post I made to an area agriculture list

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
------------------------

Looking at the article
New Mexico State University Invites Farmers to Discuss Growth
Albuquerque Journal Nov 27, 01:22 PM at
http://cropproducer.com/CropNews/tabid/59/Default.aspx?StoryID=112423412&ybc

at=CropCycle%20Agriculture

I certainly agree with Bader that "existing farmers should be thinking
about farming in terms of a business, identifying new crops and markets
that could make the venture more profitable."

It goes on to say "Hlifka agreed, saying farmers need to start thinking
about switching crops from the old standbys such as alfalfa to "people
food" such as fruits and vegetables, that might bring in more money." One
wonders why they aren't already doing this if they could make more money. 

I'm suggesting it will take more than new crops and markets to persuade
existing growers and new growers to get into fruits and vegetables and away
from reliance on alfalfa and the like. There's a perception that food
production is just too much work for too little money, or it's for the
uneducated manual laborers who can't do anything else. Not to mention the
belief that getting into it needs a lot of startup capital which most won't
risk if they even have it. 

 "Say someone owns five acres and wants to put it into production," Hlifka
said. "He should be able to take a class, determine what equipment he
needs, what his costs will be, what he wants to grow, how to manage water,
how to build it out over the next five years and figure out what his market
will be. Does he want to sell to a food co-op or a supermarket?"

Yes but there's obviously a lot more to it. Any grower knows there's a
learning curve and it's wise to start small and learn from your mistakes
and learn from others. I'm sure you're not suggesting a class is all that's
needed. I'm suggesting classes based on a true cost-cutting, profitable and
sustainably managed very small farm. Research and the experience of many
others indicates this would take advantage of permanent beds and free
organic mulch to minimize labor of tillage and weeding and to conserve
moisture, that it would involve minimizing or eliminating the cost of
fossil fuel machinery where feasible, the growing of staples that retail
best in the area rather than wholesaling exotic specialties, and rebuilding
damaged soil through organic amendments such as minerals and free manures.
Season extention techniques such as floating row covers, cold frames or
greenhouses allow double or triple cropping to get far more production from
a given area, which obviously raises income relative to land cost. 

Of course these things are not unfamiliar. Point being, with some
demonstration and practice these things can show food production methods
that are highly profitable and give the youngsters real incentive to go
into farming. 
 
paul tradingpost@lobo.net