Market Farming

["jay gee" <JayGee AT jghelp.com>]

Matt at Cosmic Lettuce wrote:

> > I would not cover my property with old tires as they are not cheap or easy
> > to dispose of.  You are creating a mess.
> 
> To each his own, Craig.  I'm certainly not forcing anyone else to do this. 
> If it works (that is, the veggies come out delicious, happy, and healthy --
> and the soil in the tire stacks continue to improve), then I'll let y'all
> know.  If it fails (that is, sick veggies and toxic soil), then I'll let
> y'all know.  It's my time, my money, my effort, and my gain (or loss).  I
> certainly won't sell any of these veggies if they're not doing well, so I'm
> not harming anyone either.

Matt and others using tires in food production:

As a marketer, you should always consider the potential
negative side effects to your brand image of adopting a
production strategy that involves risks of toxic metals
contamination to your products and your land.

It is always better to err on the side of safety.

Though you may feel or believe that there is no risk
involved with this practice, unless you pay an independent
testing laboratory to regularly and randomly sample your
crops and land for above background levels of these metals
you may be recycling yourself into liability you don't need.

The kind of testing I describe is not cheap, relative to the
scale of your operation as I understand it.  Given your
knowledge of the debate over the safety of the practice,
you cannot plead ignorance of the issue.  Your posts
to this forum are a public record of your cavalier and
somewhat naive attitude.  Just the kind of stuff a good
lawyer likes to read to a jury.

It is something akin to selling fish with excessive
levels of metals in the flesh.  Metals may not cause
visible indicators in plants any more than they do in fish.

When other materials without the same risks are available
for raising planter beds, you are taking a very big risk by
not using them.

If you rent the land you grow on, you also risk a damage
claim for soils contamination from the property owner
should they become aware of any problem.

IMO, a word to the wise...


jay gee
not a farmer  --  but interested in farming



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