But, with these tools and specialists such as crop consultants and soil
scientests, I can better understand how to operate than if I had to
depend only on my eyes in the field and then trying to get several
degrees in cropping using my eyes in the journals during the night.
And, I certainly can not say that I am better at hedging my commodities.
So I would depend on the best ilnformation possible. That is from the
experts whether I am growing certified organic crops, minimum input or
covnetional farming- in fact, with the first two, the knoweldge base is
more critical. So to buy the best eyes and brains to couple to my own
limited bio/physicaal person, i need the acres optimized to my management
capabilities
That is the same as the communiuty mind when farmers come into the coffee
shop to compare notes and ideas and experience- but, while this is
helpful, one can not expect that the body of knowledge must reside in the
farmer in toto or in his/her immediate peers- rather there is much to
learn from the world- natural products from the neem, natural preditors
and other management practices which farmers seek where ever they can-
When this knowledge does not reside in the public sector- after all ag
extension is not known for its progressive vision and the universities
have been a long time in coming to some of the less chemically oriented
practices- then one has to pay for it and that takes cashflow
So, if i have a child, i seek the best that I can afford. if I am to
husband the land and survive to husband that land, then i seek the best
tools to work with be they my brain, thebrains of others, a new planting
tool or the best ilnformation technology for extending my limited capbilities
tom abeles
tabeles@tmn.com