Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us>]

On 09/28/2010 04:16 AM, Dieter Brand wrote:
> Traditional farming has been practiced without any external inputs for 
> thousands of years in most regions of the World.  Even on poor soil, like in 
> my region, there are still some traditional farmers like my neighbor who 
> produce everything they need for living on their own land as their ancestors 
> have for centuries.  My neighbor is 82, the other day he broke his foot while 
> climbing a tree, put otherwise he is fit as a fiddle. No nutrient 
> deficiencies, no lifestyle induced illnesses. He is still outside in the 
> fields swinging his hoe most days.  There is everything needed for life all 
> year round: grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy products, wood 
> for heating, clay and stones for building houses ...
>
> The only difference between regions with poor soil and regions with rich soil 
> is the size of farms.  In arid regions with poor soil, a 30 acre farm is 
> small, while a traditional Japanese farmer may farm on as little as 3 acres 
> of very fertile land.   ~Dieter
>    

Thanks, Dieter, excellent observations.

~Harvey

--
Harvey in northern Va
www.themodernhomestead.us

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