Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

*                  GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK*
Workshops: USA - TX,  MS, FL, CA, AR, NM, WA; México, Rep. Dominicana, Cote
d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haití, England, 
Nicaragua,
India.

Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent-bed gardening, mini-farming,
mini-ranching, using drip irrigation, in English & Español
minifarms@gmail.com

FUTURE ORGANIC FARMERS OF AMERICA

FFA and vocational agriculture in the high schools is an embarrassment to me
as an ex-FFA member and vo-ag student.  Almost none of the present day
students in FFA/Vo-Ag are interested in agriculture.  Since FFA is no longer
Future Farmers of America, that is as it should be.

I propose that we establish a new organization consisting of those students
who are interested in food and fiber production.  The number of students is
not important.  This is especially important in view of the present energy
situation which will force this country to return to local food production.
Even before 2008, there has been a growing grassroots movement to buy local,
buy fresh and buy organic.  The future is urban farming and that is where
the students are anyway.  Almost all cities [inter-urban, urban, peri-urban]
have land that can be farmed.  Using organic, no-till
mini-farming/mini-livestock farming takes almost no capital or little
capital and only hand tools, power hand tools and pedal power.

The average age of American farmers is the late 50s.  A-G-R-I-C-U-L-T-U-R-E
is an eleven letter "dirty" word in American today.  Many of the new farmers
are people leaving the unhealthy, high tech, non-satisfying lifestyle they
had created for themselves.  They know little about farming but are willing
to learn.

To create the FOFA will take effort, time and eventually some funding.  At
this time, I want to build a list of agriculture high schools, interested
organizations, individuals and groups who have the same vision I have.

I am going to email this to every address for the above that I can
find.  Please
respond.  I would appreciate any suggestion which I will compile.  I will
email the information and suggestions, as needed, to inform all interested.
This is my idea but this has to have the input of everyone of like interest.
If there is someone out there who will take this and direct it to fruition,
it is yours.  I have other projects I must not neglect.

I want this to spread to every high school around the world.

Ken Hargesheimer
Box 1901
Lubbock TX 79408-1901
806-744-8517