tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post6354586869109334406..comments2023-06-09T10:06:43.324-04:00Comments on Permaculture Reflections: Killing me softly with his investmentsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-69357961563043597632008-08-18T11:54:00.000-04:002008-08-18T11:54:00.000-04:00The Economist is a (not very good) news rag and no...The Economist is a (not very good) news rag and not an agricultural journal or agricultural research institute, so take anything they say about anything (especially related to economics, now that I think of it) with a few thousand grains of salt.<BR/><BR/>Rodale has kept good records of their excellent results with no-till, organic farming. Furthermore, their results show that even when one discounts the premium price for organic products, organic farming is more profitable than farming with chemicals. The only reasons to use chemicals are a desire to waste money or a dogmatic insistence on harmful, expensive practices, evidence be damned.<BR/><BR/>The "need" for chemicals is actually a need for study. If you are having such problems that you need to turn to a biocide to solve the problem, you are doing something <I>seriously</I> out of accord with nature - and nature will win one way or another in the long run.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-83068080604660749142008-08-18T11:08:00.000-04:002008-08-18T11:08:00.000-04:00A recent article in the Economist proposes that ch...A recent article in the Economist proposes that chemicals are necessary to do no-till, and that this makes chemical use a greener alternative than organic tillage farming. <BR/><BR/>Farmer John's production is proof to me that that is not so, but I don't know the hard statistics to refute this. I know Fukuoka's production was measured, and I know Amish production is measured, but I didn't know how to reply to that article. I hope somewhere here can Google to find the article and insist on responding.<BR/><BR/>Mary SaundersUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12256092649210460593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-19309228972659368592008-06-20T08:03:00.000-04:002008-06-20T08:03:00.000-04:00The Current had mail and didn't read my response. ...<I>The Current</I> had mail and didn't read my response. While most of the letters disagreed with Blumenthal's claims and arrogant attitude, there was one woman from Alberta who saw fit to repeat the claim that large farms are more productive than small farms. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps it is the strong sun in Alberta, or some salty dust kicked up from the thousands of acres of land they've managed to salinate in the prairies, but that claim is completely untrue as even a casual perusing of an given year's USDA Agricultural Census will reveal. No doubt this woman would tell us (from a spot on the prairies that is 3 metres lower than when the first Europeans arrived and applied ploughs unnecessarily) that there is no soil erosion problem either.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-23347775608069768742008-06-16T07:44:00.000-04:002008-06-16T07:44:00.000-04:00Thank you Freddy.When I was in Japan, I could see ...Thank you Freddy.<BR/><BR/>When I was in Japan, I could see a very slow push away from the family farm and, with my in-laws in agriculture, I have been concerned with the trend. I appreciate the links and will read them to get a better sense of what is going on.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-48736209763709103122008-06-16T03:06:00.000-04:002008-06-16T03:06:00.000-04:00That's an excellent response Douglas.You've inspir...That's an excellent response Douglas.<BR/><BR/>You've inspired me to learn more about the history of Enclosure. It seems that the myths about land ownership and farming are very pervasive...<BR/><BR/>Ken Elwood has recently written about how in Japan there is a government-driven move away from family farms and towards (partly) subsidized Farm Management Companies, an <A HREF="http://kenelwood.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/japan-agriculture-land-grab/" REL="nofollow">"agriculture land-grab"</A>. I have made some comments on this on my blog <A HREF="http://elfael.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/danger-for-family-farmers-in-japan/" REL="nofollow">Elfael</A>.<BR/><BR/>Raj Patel also has an excellent blog on these and other related matters, called <A HREF="http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/blog/1" REL="nofollow">Stuffed and Starved</A>.<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>Freddy GreavesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-46932702634315834952008-06-13T13:05:00.000-04:002008-06-13T13:05:00.000-04:00I just want to provide the link to Roxanne's site:...I just want to provide the link to Roxanne's site: <A HREF="http://www.spinfarming.com/" REL="nofollow">http://www.spinfarming.com/</A>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-25173539735426662502008-06-13T13:02:00.000-04:002008-06-13T13:02:00.000-04:00Thank you for your comments, Roxanne!Spin farming ...Thank you for your comments, Roxanne!<BR/><BR/>Spin farming is also taking hold in Canada as well. I know of a couple in Saskatoon making a very respectable earing in that difficult climate via this method.<BR/><BR/>It is also interesting to note that many of the most successful farmers are new farmers who have only been in the business for a short while.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05690861764394531319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10384046.post-64083511802464391512008-06-13T10:17:00.000-04:002008-06-13T10:17:00.000-04:00Following on Mr. Barnes comments,what I see every ...Following on Mr. Barnes comments,what I see every day as co-author of SPIN-Farming is more and more people taking food production, literally, into their own hands. Entrepreneurial first generation farmers from all over the U.S., Canada, Australia, the UK and recently, South Africa are using SPIN’s sub-acre, franchise-ready farming system as an entry point into the profession. They are using front lawns and backyards and neighborhood lots as their land base. Most importantly, it is happening without significant policy changes or government supports. No one on either end of the status quo - large scale or small scale farming - is seeing this coming. This is not subsistence farming a la Cuba. This is recasting farming as a small business in cities and towns, "right sizing" agriculture for an urbanized century and making local food production a viable business proposition once again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com