permaculture

["Laurence Gaffney" <lgaffney@bigpond.com>]

Robyn Francis wrote:-

>    We need to think more in terms of generations of use for all our stuff - 
> changing the consume/discard
>    mentality fostered in recent decades is one of the biggest challenges we 
> face.

Yes and our housing is now almost throw away. The Australian Building Code 
does not specifically address overall design life/ durability of domestic 
housing but as near as I can tell it is now generally of the order of 30 - 50 
Years in Australia.

Perhaps the durability of materials and how to design for a long life could 
become a module in future Permaculture Design Courses.

Laurence  Gaffney
>From lflj@intrex.net  Wed Feb 13 17:51:05 2008
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Subject: [permaculture] [Fwd: Re: [SANET-MG] Sea Salt Information needed]
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] Sea Salt Information needed
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:52:22 -0500
From: Steve Diver <steved@IPA.NET>
Reply-To: Steve Diver <steved@ipa.net>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

>Does anybody out there have any information about applying sea salt to
>the soil as a way to improve the micro minerals?  There are different
>ones but I was asked specifically about SEA 90.
>http://www.seaagri.com/index.html <http://www.seaagri.com/index.html>
>
>Thanks
>Doug Peterson
>Missouri


Doug in Missouri, et al -

The benefit of sea minerals and ocean water is similar
to the benefits of rock dusts.  They contain a broad
spectrum of secondary, trace, and rare earth elements
in low to minute concentration.

Depending on the source, more than 70 to 90 elements are
found in these soil amendments and human health products.

Plant roots and soil microbes and human cells respond to these
trace elements and rare earth elements.  They select what
they need and produce secondary metabolites and compounds
through complex biochemical proccesses.  In addition, trace
elements function as metallic catalysts in microbially-
generated enyzmes, microbial functioning, cell metabolism,
etc.

The alternative farming literature has an abundance of
technical and reference information on rock dusts and
sea minerals to draw upon.

The academic science literature has an abundance of
technical and reference information on plant secondary
compounds and microbial metabolites, on microbial
fermentation, and on the geology and occurrence of sea
minerals in general.

However, agricultural science has not yet put two and two
together.   The standard ag science emanating from
land-grant universities and soil science journals still
says that only 18 plant essential elements are required
for plant growth.

At the same time, you can find a few mainstream journal
articles here and there on evaluation of rock dusts and
minerals, on the use of marine products, kelp, seaweed,
humates etc.

To be clear, there is no industry-wide "soil test" that
explains what kind of odd-ball trace elements and rare
earth elements your soil has or what it needs.

Yet, they exist in Nature.  Allow your consciousness
to wander back in time... 4 billion years ago.  The planet
was a fiery cauldron of minerals.  From this, microbes
emerged. Later, plants emerged.  Plant roots co-evolved
in association with soil microbes and these broad
spectrum minerals.

Rather than relying on incomplete soil tests and pharmaceutical
fixes, farmers and consumers have made the connection between
broad spectrum minerals and soil health, crop vitality, and
human health and just apply and/or consume these minerals.

The fact that our modern fruit and vegetable food supply
is depleted of a broad number of minerals is now thoroughly
documented.  The cummulative effect on human health and
a growing preponderance of degenerative diseases is
enormous.

To completely bust the Western Agriculture paradigm
that is based on the sufficiency soil test and subsequent
inputs of chemical fertilizers (and concomitant pesticides
due to ecosystem imbalance), you only need to observe
the following three examples of soil fertility:

1.  Terra Preta, the black fertile soil developed by
Amazonians thousands of years ago using organic matter,
biochar, clay, microbes, and other natural ingredients.

2.  Ana Primavesi's Nutrient Access Concept vs Nutrient
Quantity Concept

3.  Diluted sea water to raise hydroponic crops; nothing more.

Yes, you can raise whole crops of vegetables, flowers, and herbs
with diluted seawater and nothing else.

Poof. The Western Agriculture Paradigm of Soil Fertility is busted!

Go back to school, but step outside of the agricultural college
classroom.  Pick up Acres USA magazine and attend their conferences
and find out why.   Attend the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners
Association (TOFGA) conference and find out why.  Attend the
Eco-Farming Conference at Asilomar and find out why. Attend the
remineralization lectures, sea mineral lectures, microbial
fermentation lectures, and soil foodweb lectures at a dozen
organic and sustainable farming conferences and find out why.

Since you are talking about mob grazing to increase soil
organic matter you will also be interested in forage health,
For this, I especially recommend an understanding of Ana
Primavesi's work as well as the information and techniques
relating to soil foodweb agriculture.

[permaculture] Ana Primavesi, ecological soil scientist in Brazil
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/SoilWiki/message-archives/composttea+soilfoodweb+soilquality/4/msg00085.html

To enhance biological soil management under grazing systems, I suggest
soil biology testing in addition to soil chemistry tests.  We do this
in Texas.


For background info on sea minerals and rock dusts, see these
selected items from David Yarrow and Acres USA:

David Yarrow / Living Soil index
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/index.htm

David Yarrow / Trace Elements
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/trace.htm

David Yarrow / Sea Minerals
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/SeaMinerals.htm

David Yarrow / Sea Energy in Agriculture an almost-lost legacy
of Dr. Maynard Murray
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/SeaEnergy.htm

Sea Energy Agriculture, excerpts from Maynard Murray, M.D
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/seaponics.htm

Ocean-grown Foods of South Florida; Nebraska farmer Don Jansen
continues Dr. Murray's work with sea solids
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/DJansen.htm

Fulfilling Maynard Murray’s Dream; Remineralizing Soils & Food
with Sea Minerals; Acres USA interview with Bob Cain
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/BobCain.htm

Fire in the Water; How Mineral Becomes Biology; Lost
legacies of Dr. George Earp-Thomas as told by Dr. Gerald Olarsch;
On trace elements, electrolytes and health
http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/firewater.htm



Also see:

Sea Energy in Agriculture - Renewing the Soil with Sea Solids
by David Yarrow
Acres USA, November 2001
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/seaenergy_nov01.pdf

Seaponic Farm & Beyond - Continuing the Legacy of Maynard Murray
by David Yarrow
Acres USA, January 2002
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Jan02_SeponicFarm.pdf

Trace Elements in Nature's Balance
by Dr. Maynard Murray
Acres USA, January 2003
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Murray_Trace%20Elements.pdf

A Pantheon of Minerals - Nature’s Sunken Treasure for Health, Fertility
by Charles Walters
Acres USA, February 2005
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Feb05_Minerals.pdf

Health from the Ocean Deep - A New Approach to Holistic Healing
with Sea Minerals & Herbs; Interview with Gerry Amena
Acres USA, March 2006
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Mar06_Amena.pdf


Also see these books, available thru Acres USA:

"Sea Energy Agriculture" by Maynard Murray

"Fertility from the Ocean Deep" by Charles Walters

"Food Power from the Sea" by Lee Fryer & Dick SImmons

"Seaweed in Agriculture & Horticulture" by W.A. Stephenson

"Seaweed & Plant Growth" by T.L. Senn, Ph.D.

"Bread From Stones" by Julius Hensel


Also see:

Bergner, Paul.  1997.  The Healing Power of Minerals, Special
Nutrients, and Trace Elements.  Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA.
312 p.


Hope this helps,

Steve Diver
Texas