squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Yeowtch. I'm zone 5 I think.
alternatives in land use
- Thread starter DMc
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Surely you remember Jimbo's pic of his huge combine and the text which read - I cannot abide a porcupine.
Maybe something like this would work- Earth Optimism Summit
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smith...akes-walk-bright-side-conservation-180962731/
Maybe it will help counteract news like this from the amazon. The fourth picture in is epic in it's surrealness. I never have been to the amazon and I never pictured it to look like that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/...edCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/...edCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article
Limbrat
TreeHouser
Makes you wonder what a lot of the southeastern U.S. used to look like. I've never been to Bolivia Cory but thankfully the Amazon basin in Peru still seems pretty much untouched.
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Funny he would not remember that.
Porcupines are a menace!
Porcupines are a menace!
I guess this link belongs here given that it has to do with food production in an alternative way- there is a movement on in Louisiana where there is a bad wild hog problems, to get hunted wild hog into supermarket availability which would lessen the # of hogs out there, give people high nutrition wild harvested food, and eliminate animal cruelty of poisoning hogs which could also create food chain poisoning problems.
Also there are links to the pros and cons of organic farming.
http://newfoodeconomy.com/love-wild-boar-eat-seriously/
Also there are links to the pros and cons of organic farming.
http://newfoodeconomy.com/love-wild-boar-eat-seriously/
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Hope it works.
The alternative will be poison if not.
Might as well try it.
The alternative will be poison if not.
Might as well try it.
Steve Mack
Life Member.
He is a salesman, Steve. Says some good things and lots of partial truths but for the wrong reasons. The good news is he will sell you what is needed to fix it all.
That's what I thought. Looks like quite a few others thought that way as well, no response as far as I know.
This bloke is coming to the Landcare Field Day though. Colin Seis, I think he's got a bit better idea about things. http://www.pasturecropping.com/pasture-cropping
Here's a PDF about him and his Pasture Cropping. http://www.soilsforlife.org.au/downloads/12 Winona.pdf
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The PDF that you linked was excellent, Steve! Colin definitely has a handle on how things work. It is nice that he named the specific species and their attributes that have been successful for the land that he works. Global diversity will necessitate that each area will require an understanding of just what will work for them and at what level of production can be reached in a sustainable system.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
I wish I could send my father in law to that class.
Hell, I wish I could go!
Hell, I wish I could go!
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
He gets twice the annual precip that I do, but it would be fun to try.
Still need that stoopid disc drill.
Still need that stoopid disc drill.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
It was not hard to draw comparisons.
The trick with farming is to change before they get all your equity. I would bet that most people wait too long.
The trick with farming is to change before they get all your equity. I would bet that most people wait too long.
Whats your take on this article about crop insurance helping soil health?
http://civileats.com/2017/05/02/wan...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
http://civileats.com/2017/05/02/wan...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Some decent ideas, and some not so good.
What people dont understand is the fact that Federal Crop is designed for only one purpose. The over production of a certain few crops. Thats all its good for, all its intended to do.
When you buy insurance on your car they dont stipulate that you have to change the oil every 7 miles do they? They dont require you to only buy a certain brand of tires from a certain store? Only allowed to buy gas from one supplier?
To qualify for federal crop, which is the law if you have a mortgage, you have to farm exactly they way they want you to. That is monocultures, fallow years, and astronomical inputs.
To do otherwise you fall into the "high risk" category, and are charged triple for less coverage.....coverage you are required to carry.
I dont think that the USDA and RMA need any more information at all, in fact, they should receive less information.
All they would have to do to effect HUGE changes would be to stop penalizing farmers for trying to conserve resources, building soil health, and for improving air and water quality.
What people dont understand is the fact that Federal Crop is designed for only one purpose. The over production of a certain few crops. Thats all its good for, all its intended to do.
When you buy insurance on your car they dont stipulate that you have to change the oil every 7 miles do they? They dont require you to only buy a certain brand of tires from a certain store? Only allowed to buy gas from one supplier?
To qualify for federal crop, which is the law if you have a mortgage, you have to farm exactly they way they want you to. That is monocultures, fallow years, and astronomical inputs.
To do otherwise you fall into the "high risk" category, and are charged triple for less coverage.....coverage you are required to carry.
I dont think that the USDA and RMA need any more information at all, in fact, they should receive less information.
All they would have to do to effect HUGE changes would be to stop penalizing farmers for trying to conserve resources, building soil health, and for improving air and water quality.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
I guess my point is that I dont think that it would matter to include soil data in Federal Crop information.
It is VERY difficult to improve your soils while farming the way that Federal Crop wants you to.
It is VERY difficult to improve your soils while farming the way that Federal Crop wants you to.
Still wondering about your crop ins issues, ffz.
Another soil health article, pretty much hits all the basic points- cover crops and soil taking up carbon, artificially high yields resulting in low farmer profits, the understanding of soil biology that was occurring in the 20's and 30's just prior to the intro of synthetic ferts which nuked the soil over time, agribusiness dragging their feet re changes that will lower the need for chemicals.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/why-i...hing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals
Another soil health article, pretty much hits all the basic points- cover crops and soil taking up carbon, artificially high yields resulting in low farmer profits, the understanding of soil biology that was occurring in the 20's and 30's just prior to the intro of synthetic ferts which nuked the soil over time, agribusiness dragging their feet re changes that will lower the need for chemicals.
http://e360.yale.edu/features/why-i...hing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Sorry Cory, I did not see your post.
Basically, we are doing what we want, and saying to hell with the insurance, well, sorta.
We are still required to carry Federal Crop because we have a mortgage. Not so much that it protects us as it protects the bank.
Federal Crop is really a big deal, and farmers work very hard to keep their yields up so that they have good coverage and low premiums. Same sorta idea as auto insurance. You try and drive safely so that your coverage stays high and your premiums stay low.
In order to keep everyone happy you have to fallow half your ground every year. In fact, they just shit canned a rule that allowed you to have a cover crop in the ground, but terminated by sometime in June....all the while keeping your "fallow" status. That is now a thing of the past, no cover crop, no matter when it is killed is allowed while being able to stay away from "re crop".
Once you get into the re-crop category your premiums at least double, while your coverage drops in half.
That may not seem like a big deal, but once you are in "re-crop" you cant even cover your expenses with crop insurance.
That means the 550,000 dollars we borrow to farm each year can not be covered with insurance if you have a disaster.......which was what happened to us last year.
So, you can farm "safely" and keep your yields high, and your profits in the red....and go broke. Or you can outlaw farm like us and have lower yields, initially anyway, but HOPE for profits.....and go broke!
We are effectively off the reservation now. No safety net, make it or break it time.
Thats why I think it is so hard for people to make the changes, they just dont have any support. And when you can lose everything with one good wreck, that support really helps you sleep at night.
I was not willing to farm the "proper" way any more. I was not willing to triple my fertilizer rates, fallow half my farm, buy bigger machinery, farm more acres, buy more chemical, keep fighting salinity, erosion, and fertility issues any longer.
I am an outlaw farmer now.
Basically, we are doing what we want, and saying to hell with the insurance, well, sorta.
We are still required to carry Federal Crop because we have a mortgage. Not so much that it protects us as it protects the bank.
Federal Crop is really a big deal, and farmers work very hard to keep their yields up so that they have good coverage and low premiums. Same sorta idea as auto insurance. You try and drive safely so that your coverage stays high and your premiums stay low.
In order to keep everyone happy you have to fallow half your ground every year. In fact, they just shit canned a rule that allowed you to have a cover crop in the ground, but terminated by sometime in June....all the while keeping your "fallow" status. That is now a thing of the past, no cover crop, no matter when it is killed is allowed while being able to stay away from "re crop".
Once you get into the re-crop category your premiums at least double, while your coverage drops in half.
That may not seem like a big deal, but once you are in "re-crop" you cant even cover your expenses with crop insurance.
That means the 550,000 dollars we borrow to farm each year can not be covered with insurance if you have a disaster.......which was what happened to us last year.
So, you can farm "safely" and keep your yields high, and your profits in the red....and go broke. Or you can outlaw farm like us and have lower yields, initially anyway, but HOPE for profits.....and go broke!
We are effectively off the reservation now. No safety net, make it or break it time.
Thats why I think it is so hard for people to make the changes, they just dont have any support. And when you can lose everything with one good wreck, that support really helps you sleep at night.
I was not willing to farm the "proper" way any more. I was not willing to triple my fertilizer rates, fallow half my farm, buy bigger machinery, farm more acres, buy more chemical, keep fighting salinity, erosion, and fertility issues any longer.
I am an outlaw farmer now.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
That was a good article Cory. I could go on forever about this stuff....and often do.
We need to go back to a profit model of farming, not a production model.
I did get a chuckle about how Haney talked about baby steps. Bah! Headlong plunging! No idea where we are going, but there is no sense in being late.
One thing to consider. The majority of farmers are not farming to flood the market and have low or no profits. If farmers did not need to triple fertilizer rates they would not have done so.
If they would not have needed bigger tractors, more land, less diviersity, less rotation, they would not have done so. 60 years ago this county was covered up with small operators. They did not leave because they got sick of making so much money with super high yields.
These bad practices have crept in and taken the life out of this land, literally.
You would not believe what a farmer will do to stay on the land. Operate at a loss until it is all gone.
I did learn one fun fact the other day. Went to get a load of seed cleaned at a place I had never been before. Got into a 2 hour conversation with the owner of the joint about sustainability and cover crops.
He showed me a list of the lobbyists and supporters of the farm bill and crop insurance regulations. 75 percent of them were chemical and fertilizer companies. Outfits like Bayer, BASF and Monsanto.
We need to go back to a profit model of farming, not a production model.
I did get a chuckle about how Haney talked about baby steps. Bah! Headlong plunging! No idea where we are going, but there is no sense in being late.
One thing to consider. The majority of farmers are not farming to flood the market and have low or no profits. If farmers did not need to triple fertilizer rates they would not have done so.
If they would not have needed bigger tractors, more land, less diviersity, less rotation, they would not have done so. 60 years ago this county was covered up with small operators. They did not leave because they got sick of making so much money with super high yields.
These bad practices have crept in and taken the life out of this land, literally.
You would not believe what a farmer will do to stay on the land. Operate at a loss until it is all gone.
I did learn one fun fact the other day. Went to get a load of seed cleaned at a place I had never been before. Got into a 2 hour conversation with the owner of the joint about sustainability and cover crops.
He showed me a list of the lobbyists and supporters of the farm bill and crop insurance regulations. 75 percent of them were chemical and fertilizer companies. Outfits like Bayer, BASF and Monsanto.
Breakin the law, breakin the law!!
The Good notion is spreading strongly, it sounds like.
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