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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change

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  • From: Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change
  • Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:57:08 -0400


Asian "traditional" farming with intensive poultry might be a danger in
continuing development of flu strains. Or maybe on your local land?

The second important message is that while wild birds do occasionally spread
Bird Flu, primary vectors are the large numbers and concentrations of
domesticated birds, in CAFO's and intensive farms.

The best solution is a the "veggie" option, still.
Zack

Nonsense.

Repeating this mantra that everybody "knows" to be true doesn't make it so. As for bird flu, it's almost a non-issue in small, sensibly managed flocks. Some years ago, as they were bulldozing millions of broilers in the Shenandoah Valley, backyard "flocksters" like me and producers for local markets like Joel Salatin and Tim Shell continued husbandry as usual, without the slightest fear of wild birds and flu and contagion, and none of us--or any other producer in the Valley practicing sensible husbandry--had the slightest problem.

And as for other aspects of agriculture: As Mark pointed out, there is (just as in nature) an inherent synergy between livestock and crops, for maintenance of soil fertility and for diversified farms as closed systems. Show me anywhere in nature you don't see a mix of plant and animal as a key part of the ecology. Isn't sane agriculture almost by definition one that imitates nature? Show me a traditional system of agriculture anywhere on the planet or in history that didn't incorporate both animals and plant crops.

Row cropping on the scales necessary to "feed the world" with "the veggie option" exclusively is destructive of soils, and continues the loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere. Clothing vastly greater areas of agricultural soils with grass would heal the soil, reduce loss of species, sequester atmospheric carbon in soil, eliminate a lot of pollution of water systems, and more.

"The veggie option" sounds not only virtuous but a more efficient and practical answer to the agricultural dilemma. I don't buy it.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Virginia
www.themodernhomestead.us

The building of new topsoil depends on us, and our future depends on building
new topsoil. This is the greatest challenge facing modern agriculture.
~Christine Jones




  • Re: [Livingontheland] Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change, Harvey Ussery, 10/12/2009

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