I for one would would be interested in knowing if the following was
written on government time (i.e at the tax payers expense) or is that
just from a govt. pension.
I also wonder why the dominant tone is that of ridicule. Is that
because the problem was handed over to an agency that was neither
prepared nor very interested in providing a congruent direction?
Lastly, it doesn't seem to me the any attempt is made to point toward
where agriculture *should* be heading. While the contributions made by
Howard, Steiner, Rodale, Albrect and Balfour still have meaning, the
job is far from done and must be shouldered by those still active ion
the field.
Douglas Hinds
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
Friday, April 14, 2000, 9:42:26 AM, Ted Rogers of the USDA wrote:
TR> Steve, please don't start using the term organic in any way to describe
TR> what you are about. I know that you share some aspects of soil and
TR> systems management with what organic should be but I think that
TR> organic is quickly becoming meaningless. I think that those working,
TR> seriously, as you are have a future, I think that the organic community, or
TR> industry or what ever they are calling themselves this week, do not.
TR> Since I have been working with real agriculture (that's the other 99.8% of
TR> agriculture in this country that do not call themselves organic) for the
TR> past two years I find the organic discussions, all five of them, to be a
TR> continuous source of amusement. Indeed as I tell my colleagues
TR> particularly those who are fellow ex-organic bureaucrats, this has got to
TR> be the best spectator sport ever, I mean like since the Romans...
TR> By the way those five organic discussions are the same ones that have
TR> been going on for the past twenty years, over and over and over. They
TR> are like classic sitcoms, but I'm always watching for new twists.
TR> Semi-organic, quasi-organic, sort of-organic, almost-organic, kind
TR> of-organic, organic when I get around to it, organic when the inspector is
TR> here, organic when I feel like it.
TR> I figure that Al Howard, Rudy Steiner, JI Rodale, Bill Albrect and Eve
TR> Balfour get together every now and again to have a good laugh and cry
TR> together... But then again they are probably so busy with really
TR> important work that they don't even bother. No use crying over spilt milk
TR> or lost causes.
TR> Best,
TR> Ted
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