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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] TWO AGRICULTURES, NOT ONE, By John Michael Greer

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Emery Mitchamore <emitch@att.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] TWO AGRICULTURES, NOT ONE, By John Michael Greer
  • Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:27:46 -0500

There are two relatively new books with a LOT more on the relations of
microbes and soils:

Teaming with Microbes, by Lowenfels and Lewis, and
Life in the Soil, by James Nardi. Nardi recounts some old experiments in
which it was proved that 95% of a plant's mass comes from air and water,
leaving only 5% coming from soil minerals. For many crops, only part is
removed from the soil. From that, it seems that soil mineral deficiencies
are probably not our major problem. Much more likely that something is
unavailable, for chemical or biological reasons, rather than missing.

E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
www.hillcountrynatives.net



On Sep 25, 2010, at 1:38 PM, Harvey Ussery wrote:

> On 09/25/2010 05:05 AM, Dieter Brand wrote:
>> Importing organic matter free of charge is only possible in a wasteful
>> society that considers "organic matter" as "waste" to be gotten rid off.
>> I now live in one of the poorest regions of Europe, if I were to ask my
>> neighbor, who is a cattle farmer, for a load of manure; he would charge me
>> 100 Euros. In Germany, most farmers would just give me a load of manure
>> free of charge. ~Dieter
>
> I just finished reading HOLY SHIT, Gene Logsdon's latest book (subtitle:
> How to Manage Manure to Save Mankind). Logsdon makes the prediction
> repeatedly that we will soon appreciate the value of manures as
> fertilizer--that their use will make *economic* sense as fertilizer prices
> continue to rise--that farmers will start seeing sale of their manures as a
> significant source of income.
>
> There were aspects of the book I craved more depth in--particularly the
> whole microbial picture that joins poops to soil--but it was a fun and
> useful read.
>
> ~Harvey
>
> --
> Harvey in northern Va
> www.themodernhomestead.us
>
> You can pray for potatoes, but you better pick up the hoe.
>
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