We would all help each other if we promoted use of excess milk for spraying
crops and watering the ground/soil organisms.
Julie wrote:
> Dear Anita & friends
>
> 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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