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  • From: Allan Balliett <igg AT igg.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Buying Manure
  • Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 06:05:20 -0400

Friends -

Here's a moral quandary I'd appreciate a peer group opinion on.

For the past year, off and on (but by arrangement), I've been picking up a hand shoveled load of rabbit manure from a local rabbit breeder. I use it as worm food and for composting.

This past month an article appeared in the local paper about our CSA. Some people, for reasons I can't deduce from reading the article myself, have deduced that we are getting rich growing organic vegetables.

Apparently the rabbit farmers (a school teaching couple) arrived at that conclusion. After complimenting the article, when I called to make a manure pickup appointment they told me that they'd like me to start making a financial contribution to their farm whenever I pick up manure.

I remember hearing John Jeavons talk about the day that organic farmers could no longer rely on manure as an input because it would be too expensive. I remember deciding at that time to never pay for manure, to do nothing to hasten the unaffordability of manure.

What about you? (Remember: this doesn't involve loading or hauling by the rabbit breeder. I shovel the manure from right where he'd put it if I wasn't taking it.) Would you pay for manure? Do you pay for manure now?

Oh, and if you were me and decided to give in for the 'convenience factor,' what would you expect a fair 'contribution' for rabbit manure would be?

Thanks

-Allan Balliett





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