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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Using Human Waste

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Using Human Waste
  • Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:45:21 -0400

On 07/21/2010 05:15 PM, John D'hondt wrote:

In my experience I think that pathogens are not at all a problem. We have a septic tank overflowing into a small water purification area. I have seen all kinds of animals drink from that water at different places and not one sign of disease has been seen.
Under good circumstances pathogens are eaten out of a living by an overwhelming mass of non pathogens. The only way you can select for pathogens is by using man made chemicals that often kill off the others.

I wouldn't say "not at all a problem"--we do have to exercise great care, recycling our own manure. But I agree that reliance on the natural ecological balances--encouragement/proliferation of non-pathogens--is the key to placing limits on growth of pathogens.

Selection for pathogens by saturating environment with man-made chem's is not the *only* way they get free rein to grow. Anaerobic conditions specifically are a natural condition in which pathogens are more likely to proliferate--thus we need to be on guard against oxygen-deprived conditions when working with composts and decomposer organisms.


And onfortunately that is the paradigm we have been fed with our mother's milk. Don't try to kill bacteria for you will fail and don't be too clean so as to keep plenty of non pathogen species on standby.

Excellent point. We're taught to be terrified of bacteria, and of course the way we are to "fight" this "war" is with purchased solutions. How ludicrous! Chlostridium botulinin for example is universal in the environment--there is no way of "killing it off"--our only protection from botulism is how we handle the foods we eat. (Using common sense, a commodity in increasingly limited supply.)



We harvest plants like comfrey and bullrush there and maybe 10 more species for animal food. Again never seen a problem and how could it? Pathogens are not taken up by plants in a cold swamp to be transported to an edible part. That simply does not happen.
john

Another good point, John, and a reassuring one for those who like the idea of recycling their own manure, but are still conditioned by fear of pathogens: There's always the option of "feeding" the compost to fertility plants like comfrey et al, then feeding the plants to livestock, or using them in mulches and composts to feed the soil.

~Harvey


--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

My book, THE MODERN HOMESTEAD POULTRY FLOCK, will be published next year by
Chelsea Green Publishing.





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