Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - [permaculture] Amish Farming Draws Rare Government Scrutiny - NYTimes.com

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: Market Farming <marketfarming@lists.ibiblio.org>, permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Amish Farming Draws Rare Government Scrutiny - NYTimes.com
  • Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:11:03 -0400


Amish Farming Draws Rare Government Scrutiny - NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com
Some agricultural practices of the Amish, chiefly involving manure
runoff, may be destructive to the environment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/science/earth/09amish.html
<a snippet>
"But farmers like Mr. Stoltzfus are facing growing scrutiny for
agricultural practices that the federal government sees as
environmentally destructive. Their cows generate heaps of manure that
easily washes into streams and flows onward into the Chesapeake Bay.

And the Environmental Protection Agency, charged by President Obama with restoring the bay to health, is determined to crack down. The farmers have a choice: change the way they farm or face stiff penalties."

My comment:
-----------
If there really is an issue with manure-based runoff leaving
Amish properties, that problem can be easily fixed with an investment in grading land and limited terraforming, channeling and impounding water, cover cropping, catch cropping, strip cropping, forest and perennial farming, constructed wetlands and aquaculture, all as intergrated systems utilizing the best permaculture methods. Their limited use of mechanization may present problems that would not exist for conventional farmers. - LL

Anyone else have any suggestions for these Amish farmers?






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page