Re:Big corporations

[Guest guest]

Of course there's a pattern!  DUH!  Who would want to buy $$$$$$ of

chemical fertilizers if a crop doesn't need a lot of it?  (Corn does!  We

like to plant acres and acres of CORN in the US to soak up the products

of those huge conglomerate corporations that make the chemicals!)

 

If the crop is good for the soil, can produce DURABLE products, and

doesn't have to be doused repeatedly with poisnonous chemicals to keep

bugs away, why, that crop must be " un-American " !  Of COURSE we

have to grow crops that make a ready market to suck up the $$$$$$$

of chemicals made just for that purpose by huge, greedy producers...

the same companies that " own " a lot of the FOOD product producing

" farms " and (of course!) a lot of the meat, poultry and dairy industry!

 

The worst part of that is that chemicals used in agriculture of all sorts

are generally derived from petroleum (and coal products, to a lesser

degree).  We do NOT " lessen " dependence on petroleum or other " fossil

fuels " by insisting on crop production that is dependent on petroleum

for the fertilizers, the insecticides, the herbicides, AND the fuel for the

machinery...If the few " biggie " crops grown in the US aren't being touted

for alternative fuel, they are certainly grown (wastefully so!) to be fed to

" food " animals.  At the very LEAST, vegetarians make this less " necessary " .

 

I do wonder if the trend can ever be reversed in the western world.  I don't

know if that's possible.  When the smaller farmers are bought out, where

can one be sure there is really GOOD, clean (organic) produce?  At least

it is still " legal " to have a home garden!

 

      Sorry to get on my soapbox!  I think a grassroots movement for home

gardening, even when I find in my own locale it is almost non-existant as a

possibility, would be a great thing for so many people!  RISE UP AND GROW!

 

Peace!

--Laura B., in Illinois (Land of big farms and lots of pesticides!)

 

 

 

Re: Herbs/big Corporations

    Posted by: " irene " irene lireneb

    Mon Dec 1, 2008 2:43 pm ((PST))

 

It's especially ironic as hemp was a standard crop on the farms of 

the Founding Fathers. It produces amazing fibers for rope and for 

linen-like fabric that wears like iron. Hemps requires no irrigation, 

no fertilizer, no pest control, grows well on land not rich enough 

for food production, and produces prodigous amounts of biomass that 

could be used for producing alternative energy, as well as for 

mineral-rich compost for organic farming.

 

See a pattern here?

 

~ irene

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I am not going to start up on how disturbing it is to have a person in this

group 'Soap box' about Corporate farms.

 

I don't like it, but, then you have to vent.

 

My stance is that education is the key to solving all the problems in this

world of ours.

 

The idea of home gardens makes sense in Illinois, (Where I got my education

and did my apprentice for Chef).

 

I have been from coast to coast and border to border, then half way around

the world.

 

Simply put, Home gardens will not feed the world. I am in the Desert

Southwest now, and having a home garden is expensive with time and money,

not to mention the water.We tend to lose our world view when confronted with

greed.

 

Yeah, there is a lot of improvement to be made.Awareness will help, but,

Awareness will not feed the world.

 

I am a Baha'I, we believe in Independent Investigation of all things. One of

things that we embrace is a world view and

 

We tend to think that human kind will gravitate toward Vegetarian and vegan

Menus.

 

We also think that the key to solving the problems this ol' earth has is by

education.

 

WE, You and I, need to make efforts to educate the Virtues of working the

earth, we can do this, not by standing on a soap box and screaming, rather,

by hard work and example.

 

 

 

I also have a comment about HEMP,

 

There is a book, (I wish I could find my copy) called, 'The Emperor wears no

cloths, " it is about the way that 4 greedy men shut down Hemp production in

this county. A newspaper man, (Paper) an oil man (fuel) a petro-chemical man

(Drugs) and a senator.

 

 

 

Take care,,,

 

Chef

 

There is more than one answer to these questions.