Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Greens are the beef of vegetarianism

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Nan Hildreth <NanHildreth AT riseup.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Greens are the beef of vegetarianism
  • Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:49:04 -0500

I agree, Mike. More citizens should talk about sequestering carbon in the soil as humus, compost and/or biochar. And about how more carbon is sequestered in the soil than in the air plus in all the trees plus in all the other living creatures. About how chemical fertilizers slowly burn up soil organic matter, reducing drainage in clay soils and water retention in sandy soils. Soil organic matter is like the darkies picking cotton on the plantation, invisible, taken for granted.

We need stories about what we can do about stabilizing our climate, like "eat your organic, local veggies". Without hopeful, empowering stories to hang on to, how can folks face horror stories like huge methane emissions from tundra melt?

It's good news is that the public conversation about "eat your veggies for the climate" got big enough to draw critics. Movements are made of zillions of little shocking conversations.

What is humus, anyway? Is it that fine black crumbly stuff at the bottom of my old compost pile? How good is it for my soil?

Nan in Houston today making money to pay for the farm

At 07:42 AM 6/17/2010, Mike Rock wrote:
Bill,
How come no one talks much about the methane or 'swamp gas' generated
all the way from the summer tundra of the circumboreal north to the rain
forests of the world. I have been north and south and it is a constant
stream of bubbles.....lots more than cow farts. Or no one seems to
mention the tremendous carbon sequestering power of good humus. Oh,
forgot..... chemical farmers today don't know what humus is. It is a
crying shame when you chisel up a handful of dead minerals in a thousand
acres corn field. A farmer just east of me said he could 'grow corn on
a bowling ball' with chemicals.... :(

Just wondering.

Most respectfully,
Mike Rock
Southern Wisconsin, SW of Madison

William H Shoemaker wrote:
> Nice job of researching the issue Nan. Pretty complex.
>
> I'm certain that Dr. BoingBoing is referring to greenhouses that are heated.
> An unheated tunnel is not going to generate much greenhouse gas. Sure, the
> plants respire, but plants in heated greenhouse respire much more. Unheated
> tunnel greens are going to generate negligible amounts of greenhouse gas.
> Greens shipped from the west coast generate negligible amounts as well,
> other than large amounts of methane-generated nitrogen fertilizer from farm
> equipment. But the trucks that haul the greens to the east coast generate
> plenty. Don't listen to Dr. BoingBoing. Grow greens in your tunnels as far
> into the winter as you can. Besides, they are a much better source of
> nutrition, food safety and security than the highly centralized food system
> you compete against.
>
> Bill
> William H. Shoemaker
> Sr. Research Specialist, Food Crops
>

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming

Market Farming List Archives may be found here:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/market-farming/
Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email
address and password):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming


Nan Hildreth 713-842-6643

Action is the antidote to despair....
Joan Baez




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page