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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] NO-TILL FARMING OFFERS A QUICK FIX TO HELPWARD OFF HOST OF GLOBAL PROBLEMS

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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] NO-TILL FARMING OFFERS A QUICK FIX TO HELPWARD OFF HOST OF GLOBAL PROBLEMS
  • Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:00:28 -0700


You're right, Liz. But that raises the next question: how sustainable is
going back to the bank every year to keep farming in the first place?
Spending your life farming to repay debt (with interest) is a clever modern
invention, and incidentally gives the financial elite absolute control over
your food. Thoughts?

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 12/15/2007 at 5:25 PM Liz wrote:

>At 03:16 PM 12/15/2007, you wrote:
>
>>But even in a temperate climate where there may be proven
>>methods of no-till farming, farmers are often under economic
>>stress that preclude any experimenting with new methods.
>>
>
>Among other things, many farmers have to obtain financing at the
>beginning of each season to purchase seed, fertilizer, pesticides,
>new machinery, etc. The bank officer who has more or less routinely
>granted a loan in the past may be much less likely to do so if the
>farmer is "experimenting" with some new-fangled procedures. Add that
>to the uncertainty the farmer feels about methods whose success he
>has no personal experience with, and there is a lot of pressure not to
>change.
>
>Around here, I saw the emotional upheaval people went through when
>they realized they could no longer depend on tobacco. Many older
>farmers retired and sold their land to avoid having to deal with that
>change, and that wasn't nearly as drastic as a complete change in
>planting and tilling methods.
>
>Liz in SW VA
>http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com
>
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