tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951078.post6457897696904745935..comments2024-02-02T05:45:33.724-06:00Comments on Incoming: John Phippshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03245790061133614986noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951078.post-12157473233931916242009-03-14T07:03:00.000-06:002009-03-14T07:03:00.000-06:00anon:I've tried to be clear about my position, but...anon:<BR/><BR/>I've tried to be clear about my position, but let me rephrase. The market can sort this out.<BR/><BR/>The points you make are valid, but IMHO non-scalable. For one, there are NO livestock farms anywhere near our 2100 acres.<BR/><BR/>Second, corn yields do not average 140 if you divide by the years of rotation to use clover for nitrogen. <BR/><BR/>Finally, here in first-year rootworm country we would need very long rotations to even touch the problem.<BR/><BR/>That said, what we have is a simple disagreement much like I have with ethanol supporters. It does not prompt me to scoff at your attempt to supply a market that values the process of production. <BR/><BR/>The crucial test for me is the premium needed to make organic farms profitable. I think it is an accurate measure of the difference in productivity.<BR/><BR/>We serve different customers, who want different products. And mine want huge quantities at low prices.<BR/><BR/>brian:<BR/><BR/>Roberts? You lost me.John Phippshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03245790061133614986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951078.post-63336488352826397932009-03-14T06:35:00.000-06:002009-03-14T06:35:00.000-06:00I usually try to stay out of these arguments. I h...I usually try to stay out of these arguments. I have seen commercial organic corn and soybean with yields that are 80 - 90% of conventional or better (this year it was 140 bu on corn and 42 on beans). <BR/><BR/>Yes it takes more equipment, manpower, timing. There are organic fertilizers available from your nearest animal farm. Clover is a good nitrogen source. Rotation solves a lot of insect challenges. Maybe everyone can't do it, but you should be open to the possibility. <BR/><BR/>Everyone who enjoys spraying raise their hand!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951078.post-23279936920013629942009-03-11T08:23:00.000-06:002009-03-11T08:23:00.000-06:00Joh, There are two mags which I can only stand t...Joh,<BR/><BR/> There are two mags which I can only stand to pick up occasionally, but, on that basis, never fail to intrigue - Wired, and Mother Jones. MJ is where I first heard of Michael Pollen, Joel Salatin, etc. <BR/><BR/> This past Sunday in the Washington Post, George Will regurgitated Pollen's anti-corn jeremiad in uncharacteristicly uncritical fashion. The column echoes an essential feature of your men Roberts, Yglesias, and especially their commentors (I hope you read some) - cluelessness about modern farming. My favorite example of same is their treatment of no-till as if it were some avant garde farming method.<BR/><BR/> Why is it that any reasonable critique (and yes, there are many things about modern ag of which one can be reasonably critical) turns into nonsense squared when the critic starts to gain notoriety?<BR/><BR/> By the way, do you remember that Roberts was at the Top Producer Seminar in Chicago a couple of years ago? Apparently the end of oil thing isn't working so well for him, so he's moved on to the end of food.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951078.post-73117625186679546082009-03-10T15:57:00.000-06:002009-03-10T15:57:00.000-06:00A book by Dennis Avery - 'Saving the Planet with P...A book by Dennis Avery - 'Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastics' is a great book on this particular subject. I have always found this subject interesting, how organis and 'gardners' look down on modern large scale production agriculture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com