Anita wrote:
> Victoria, how about addressing the major pollution problem of
> nitrogen runoff? Much of this *is* from commercial fertilizers, but
> there is a lot that also comes from livestock operations. Why is it
> that "waste disposal" of N-rich manures is such a big problem for
> many dairies and other livestock operations at the same time that
> people are paying big bucks for synthetic nitrogen? I think that
> Avery's assumptions only make sense assuming that we continue this
> assinine custom of leaving major breaks in the nutrient cycle.
I think that the problem for today's dairies, et al, of waste disposal, is
the concentration of livestock in increasingly confinement-style farming
situations. If you jump on Graze-r, you will see that even the smaller dairy
farmers are musing about expansion to at least 350 cows to support a single
family in the future. Right now, less than 100 is barely getting by, but
land is being snapped up by developers, suburbs, etc. There is less land,
but more animals "required". Expansion has simply become the only perceived
way out of a desperate situation.
The pollution comes back to the economic situation...yeah, everyone's
screaming about run-off, while they're running to the 7-11 for their cheap
gallon of milk. That milk comes from big dairies, with lots of cows & lots
of manure with less land to spread it on. We were recently asked by our
dairy to donate a day's worth of milk for export to 3rd world countries, as
a sort of gimmicky-protest sort
of move (yeah, us with our measly 40-cow herd). Also, get this...to cull
(read, send to slaughter) 4 cows from my herd (this was asked of all
producers...what sort of lunacy is THAT?!) to put a "dent" in the supposed
surplus of milk, which drove the prices to a lousy $11-per hundred lbs. for
us here on the farm (minus the fed.& state's cut, marketing fees & milk
hauling, right off the top, then feed, electricity, vet, etc.)
BTW, you can figure out the math...a gallon of milk weighs 8.6 lbs., so
SOMEONE'S doing ok. I asked the solicitor of this donation how the heck
could I afford this, and mostly WHY should I do it...if there's a surplus
why not ask the consumers to buy TWO gallons of milk at the 7-11 & have them
dump one!? I could keep my cows and my milk!
So perhaps instead of pointing the finger at farmers, we should look to our
own individual consumer habits. I remember you saying that you buy organic &
that's a great start...but I've come to feel that more connection with one's
source of sustenance is really the next step. People devote so little
energy/time to their most basic of needs...food.
When we lived in the far west suburbs of Chicago, we sought out a dairy
farmer in the outlying farm area...in Oswego, IL, who sold raw milk to
whoever would line up with their gallon jugs at milking time. It was amusing
actually. Some of the local Hispanic folk would come too, for cheesemaking
milk...but you know what? We were the only suburbanites there getting our
raw milk (it did come to be a fun family-outing sort of thing, and we
learned how to make cheese, despite the language barrier, with lime & salt).
I think its illegal now, to sell raw milk. Another choice we as consumers
have allowed to be taken from us. But I don't really think many have even
noticed.
> Certainly cover cropping in a crop rotation is critical, but if this
> isn't sufficient, maybe organic ag needs to take a clue from the
> biodynamics people and give some consideration to making their
> operations into "farm organisms." The first part of this having
> livestock on the land -- the natural source of high quality
> nutrients, including the precious nitrogen. One last comment,
> manures need to be properly handled (composted) for ultimate nutrient
> value and food safety.
As you know, I'm a BD fan & student. I can't think of anything more
perfect than spiritual agriculture. It is an honor to be a caretaker of the
land.
But again, a family farmer who's milking 100 cows hardly has time to grow
the feed, harvest the hay, etc. and keep his off-farm job too. The
"organism" being multi-faceted requires additional time & energy to develop
& maintain. Many farmers today aren't
even raising their own young stock...they ship out the calves to heifer
farms, where they're raised & sent back bred & ready to freshen! Like
factory piecework. This little picture in our minds of the dairy farm you
see on the milk cartons is rapidly becoming the only place that such farm
"organisms" exists. It's the ideal...but I'd sure like to see the faces of
the corporate execs at, for example Horizon, or other mega-organic
organizations, when the biodynamic suggestion is made at the board meeting.
It really lies in lap of the consumer. Do you really think you will get big
financially-driven groups, organic cooperatives, & companies to recognize
that food carries more than the basic vitamins & minerals (and a nice price
tag) that it
actually carries a VIBE? This is going to have to come from the person
consuming the
food. You should be working on the consumers...that's when I became involved
with my food, as a consumer...seeing that old farmer handle those cows
kindly...I just knew the milk was better. I rec'd confirmation from "The
Secret Life of
Plants" that plants respond to human emotion (both negative & positive)
and have seen that a happy cow produces better, the hormones produced by a
frightened,
confined, or mistreated animal are bound to be in her milk, etc. This is a
bit far-out for Sanet, I know...but my point is...the farmer only supplies
what
the public demands...so energy is best directed at the the demand end of the
chain. Unfortunately, $ speaks louder than words....
Sorry for the rant...
Julie
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