>source of good cropping information. I've used info from you as well. I agree
>that philisophically Roundup has no place in organics, but does have a place
>in the context of sustainability. No, I am no more a fan of Monsanto then you
I find it difficult to understand how herbicides like RoundUp can be
part of a sustainable farm. Maybe you can explain... I've always
suspected the "no-till" rhetoric of Monsanto as a way of marketing
herbicides, quite unlike ecological no-tillage systems such as
Nasanobu Fukuoka's.
Fukuoka controlled weeds with a properly-timed flooding of his rice
fields, weakening the weeds enough to give a head start for healthy
rice plants. Then he let competition for sunlight take its course, the
healthy rice plants beating the weakened weeds, and the weeds beating
the weaker rice stalks. The weeds and pests in effect served as
quality control that took out the poorer seeds.
I know another farmer who used ducks for weed control: weeds that grow
between the neatly-lined rows of rice stalks become duck feed. The
ducks at the same time fertilize the soil.
There seem to be enough cultural practices for weed control that makes
herbicide applications unnecessary.
Roberto Verzola
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