Re: Observation on the GMO arguement:

Posted by WellWorn on May 22, 2016 at 11:09:19 from (75.213.111.24):

In Reply to: Observation on the GMO arguement: posted by oldtanker on May 20, 2016 at 07:29:06:

Quoting Removed, click Modern View to seeCoonie minnie, I hope I didn't imply that the microcrobes "create" nutrients. There is no 'alchemy' going on in the soil, and exactly as you say, the microbes can only make available what is already there. Fortunately for most, those 'trace' minerals are available in many (but not all) soils, and native plants are well adapted to living with what's available. I wouldn't expect Iowa corn to do well in Georgia clay, nor Saskatoon wheat to do well in Virginia, nor vise-versa in either case.

However, you did bring up a good point - that there is a difference between farming and mining (or extracting gas). Unlike getting as much gas as possible from (what microbes made) anaerobically digested carbon buried ages ago, the topsoil is alive and with proper care and feeding (green and animal manures), can sustain a moderate yield for a very, very long time. "Wearing out" a farm is the result of taking off more than the land can support long term, and/or mono or short rotation cropping. Why did "farmers" (more like miners) wear out their farms way back when? Far more often than not because economics dictated what was planted rather than what was best for the soil.

As an analogy, I have a '44 Farmall H, which after 72 years of chugging along at 'factory specs', still works quite well. I suppose I could make it produce 150hp, but it won't do that for very long. Same way with soil and crops. Our soil is heavy, tends to be wet, and in ordinary years isn't suitable for row crops. We mostly pasture critters and raise hay. I don't expect record breaking tons per acre of hay, nor animals that finish as fast as on a feedlot. When the weather cooperates, I get a bit more production every year from our fields. When the weather doesn't cooperate, it gets mowed and mulched. Is it sustainable? As long as fuel is available, I suppose. The additional labor and hay cost to do this with horses would be a real challenge.

Coonie, I deeply appreciate your 6th generation farm, that you obviously care about how you treat your soil, and that you are very thoughtful about how you pick the tools available to you to insure your continued success there. You (and some others here) are a good example.

And FTR, I'm a 4th generation farmer, though from my mother's side. Unfortunately, the family farm was lost when it had to be sold to settle a family split. Even if I could get it back, it was the last working farm in a village with house, barn and most of the open land in the village, and they years ago prohibited the keeping of livestock within village limits. The grandfathered exemption expired the day the last cow was shipped back in 1997.

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