>I echo Rich Alderfer and to some extent Jim Bronson's thoughts in that I
>would like to hear from some farmers on what they are doing to cut
>pesticides, cut costs/raise profits, and what else they are doing that
>they deem as sustainable practices.
====
Sounds good to me, also. I just heard Malcolm Beck in San Antonio (maybe
the compost king of all time?) "obliging" contractors who haul at no cost
to him old toilets out to his place, Gardenville Nursery. They remove the
metal and plastic parts, and Malcolm grinds them up and sells them back for
decorative landscaping "gravel"! Pretty good way of making money from
trash.
I wish here were amongst us in cyberspace, since he's a great source of
experience at cutting costs, raising profits, and eliminating pesticides.
For example, I have a friend who buys diatomacious earth by the ton from
Malcolm, feeds it to his cattle free choice, and eliminates internal
parasites (or at least keeps them low enough they're not a problem). This
is in connection with a planned grazing scheme that helps break the life
cycle also, with the help of dung beetles in the summer and earthworms in
the winter burying the dung and parasites with it.
=========================================================================
R. H. (Dick) Richardson * (512) 471-4128 (w)
Zoology Department * (512) 471-9651 (FAX)
University of Texas * (512) 476-5131 (h)
Austin, TX 78712 * dickr@utxvm.cc.utexas.edu