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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change - Herder Vs. Farmer

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  • From: Zachary Domike <zdomike@yahoo.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change - Herder Vs. Farmer
  • Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:06:54 -0700 (PDT)

re: Back to Traditional Farming to Beat Climate Change
Harvey Ussery <www.themodernhomestead.us> wrote a rebuttal to my soundbite.
Harvey and I are replaying one of the oldest conflicts in human history,
between the herder and the farmer.

Now, Harvey has written terrific informative posts over the years, and has an
excellent website. He wisely counsels for integrated farming methods. I had
written about Bird Flu, whose primary vectors are the large numbers and
concentrations of domesticated birds, in CAFO's and intensive farms.
Thankfully, there is a world of difference between the work that Harvey
promotes, and industrial farming that is the USA reality, that externalize
their pollution and their fuel consumption.

I wrote a short truncated pair of paragraphs about the science of Bird Flu.
My conclusion was a bit too direct in support of vegetarian option as a way
to save the world as it heads for ever-increasing populations.

I had written the tagline 'The best solution is a the "veggie" option.' I
have had goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits and headaches on 8 acres. I am not
going back to the never-ending responsibility of raising animals for food,
but I would truck in horse manure and keep a few rabbits in a house-tractor
to trim bits of lawn. Animals are trouble and relatively costly when
compared to the bounty of nuts, vegetables and fruits neighbors have been
able to harvest, although it took them all many years to get to this point.
And I buy my honey, eggs and goat dairy from people I know nearby.

Unfortunately, the USA and the world economies involved in Free Trade
Agreements, gets divided into those that support industrial farming Vs. those
that prefer local food systems. Harvey is an expert supporter of the local
food systems, like Joel Salatin, etc. But this LivingontheLand list is a
flea on the ox of industrial ag that is trampling the Americas.

Coincidentally, on the same day as Harvey's reponse, Norma wrote:
"IMO smaller livestock does better. <sn> When used for meat they are easier
to process on the farm and even though they
are smaller the bone to meat ratio is better so much of the time you get more
meat percentage wise from a small animal then from a large one."
and also Morgan wrote:
"Morgan, who has miniature goats and lives in the land of acres per cow, not
cows per acre."

I am certain Harvey supports riparian zones to keep cattle away from streams,
and other controversial limits on these walking-one-ton environmental
disasters. Environmental degradation at the hooves of big animals has
brought blight and erosion to millions of acres in my lifetime. That, and
impressive results for my personal health, have steered me towards fishy
vegetarianism.

On the other hand, I wrote my opinion about "the veggie option" based on my
own experience with the neighbors' cows trampling my garden, goats
exterminating my perennials, and chickens laying waste to just about
anything. If the world population continues to consume meat, Harvey's
techniques need to be made law and soon!

It is still unclear who is responsible for the fences - the herder or the
farmer?
Zack







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