permaculture

["Michael Murphy" <mmurphy@ctsl.com>]

This is just a matter of definition. "Industrial ag" commonly means
monoculture, chemical fertilizers, herbicides and so on.  IF you mean
"mainstream ag" moving our way, I completely agree with you, but we have
to show them that multicropping perennials and organic farming gives
them a higher net profit per acre over the life cycle of their farm than
what they are doing.  That includes methods of harvesting, on-farm
processing to capture more value and creating brand/label demand for
higher quality food.

About which, I am becoming a brixaholic and need a healing.  Does anyone
else think high brix = better food = better soils, and brix is the magic
number that can distinguish the organic farmers market produce from the
supermarket?  If we could charge more for high brix food because it
tastes better and is better for you, it would be easier to move
mainstream ag.

Or am I just grabbing the easy (wrong?) solution to a complex social
problem?

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark [mailto:mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu]
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 10:48 AM
To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Re: big ag in Pc


At 06:46 AM 8/30/02 +0930, you wrote:
>Re your farming.
>Are you for real? I thought this was a discussion group for Pc not
>industrialised agriculture.

You assume these are mutually exclusive.  IMO they are not.  The fastest

way to increase PC acreage is by moving "industrial ag" in our 
direction.  This will take time and no doubt will not satisfy PC
purists.

>This planet cannot shrink the individuals eco footprint while we
continue in
>the use of industrial agricultural. Food production must become a very
>individual personal activity and then only then will we personally
accept
>the reduction in energy subsidised inputs.

No everyone likes to grow stuff.  Modern society gives us options and I 
will fight like heck to keep it that way.
M