Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Jay Sleichter <jaysleichter AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn
  • Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:30:23 -0700 (PDT)

Thank you Richard for pointing out large acreage problems.  I was wondering at what scale of produce Rodale was using.  For one acre of organic verses one acre of conventional, I can see that organic would do very well.  However, IMO, organic production of grains can not be "Sized Up" to the scale of many farms here in the midwest.  300, 400 even 640 acre fields.  I don't know about you but I have a hard enough time weeding 1/2 an acre.

Jay

Jay's Jellies, Produce and More
Clay Center, Kansas
www.jaysjellies.com
http://highfarming.blogspot.com/

--- On Tue, 9/20/11, Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com> wrote:

From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Now......GMO sweet corn
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 7:09 AM

"Additionally, in the Rodale studies previously cited..."

I downloaded Rodale's "Full"  FST Report and I have yet to see the data that backs up their claim.

My experiences planting heirloom corn (Kruggs Yellow and Boone County white) and beans (Black Turtle) on three acres or more is that the yields are far less than conventional and much more highly prone to weather conditions, mainly because of weed and cultivation issues.  Once weeds get in your labor requirements to get them out go through the roof and it becomes, in some cases, more economical to simply plow them under.  Keep in mind that I am selling corn at 25-150.00/bu (based on milling the corn and selling between .50 and 2.50 a pound).  I know that amy sound ridiculous, but its true.  Translate current methods of growing corn these days.  How do you hand cultivate 6000 acres with an unskilled labor pool that demands 10.00 an hour or more?

I will also argue that be it conventional or organic you will deplete your soil resources.  One simply does it faster than the other.  The problem is population.  The math simply does not add.  I have no idea what the solution to that is nor do I want to play "Global Earth Lifeguard" but at some point we will need to do so.  The alternative is continued divide between the "have" and the "have nots".


_______________________________________________
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



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page