I've been wondering about this on a personal note, Art. We built an Energy Star home, into a hill to protect from West winds, in 2010. I'm considering a controlled burn of the woods near the house to protect from fire, but when it rains for days, the walls in the dirt start seeping. We're growing fruits and nuts, but the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is affecting that too, so no matter what we do with the soil, air doesn't respect property boundaries. There really is nowhere to hide. I wish more people would realize that sooner rather than later.
The Domino effect of the power of Nature and climate change. "As insurance is key to obtaining a mortgage, properties affected by surging premiums (due to climate change) or left without coverage by fleeing insurers "will become unmortgageable," ... As a result of the increased difficulty of getting a mortgage, property values are likely to drop—with dangerous consequences for the entire U.S. housing market.
Newsweek. Insurance Crisis Could Spark Housing Market Crash Worse Than 2008: Reporthttps://www.newsweek.com/insurance-crisis-could-spark-housing-market-crash-worse-2008-report-2003540
AI, Crypto, vanity flights into outer space --such unforced errors in a world that is warming...no, is too hot. We should be investing in providing technical assistance on how to grow/harvest hemp as raw material for hempcrete, and how to use hempcrete to build houses. As a building material, it is relatively resistant to fire, can have an r value of 30, and would transform this state as an agricultural third crop. 110 - 115 days to harvest (for fiber). Doesn't need large amounts of N. Does good things to the soil. Local hempcrete manufacturing facilities could rejuvenate rural areas. Imagine that as a transitional third crop on the journey towards re-diversifying Iowa farming. It does ok in drought, which we seem to have a lot these days.
I think hemp could be part of a diversified operation but let's not substitute one monocrop for another. I could be wrong, but I understand hemp still requires tillage and its success will cause it to get commodified, putting farmers on the same debt treadmill of price takers, not price makers, as our beloved Fred Kirschenmann taught me years ago.
I look at these thousands and thousands of acres, and I think of the stories of our neighbors (and even ourselves) --even providing a third crop, especially one that doesn't require a lot of inputs, and which has a good root structure, and which breaks up pest cycles, thereby cutting the need for pesticides in succeeding crops --that is a win, and will help farmers who feel trapped in a system. No, it doesn't transform the whole system, and yes, we need major trust busting in all aspects of agriculture.
I am not afraid of tillage --I was thrilled we got the sustainable ag award this year, because I am so sick of the religious fervor over no-till. We till, but we till shallowly with a rotovator, and it allows us to incorporate vast amount of green manure and to plant diversities of crops and terminate them without poisons. Our soil organic matter keeps going up. The soil smells earthy and we find more and more earth worms.
In my mind, I have a hard time trying to find a scenario where local hempcrete factories don't get bought out and consolidated by avaricious multinationals, who always let the small businesses do the risk taking. But to change that, I think we need to have an awakening of people --realizing who's doing what to whom, and for people to correctly locate where they sit on the food chain. (That's why they are going after education.) When I was teaching at community college, many students would identify with the profit side of the equation, and rationalize the calculation firms make, minimizing labor costs to maximize profits, because these students imagined some day that they would be able to maximize profits by minimizing someone else's labor. In my head, I would just think a) where's your ethics? but also b) you are at community college; you are far more likely to spend your life over here in the minimized wage side of the equation. And the real kicker? Even if they did, they would get squished like an ant by larger corporations who control the system.
Sooo, yes, adding a third crop that allows existing farmers to use their existing equipment and knowhow and which means that 1 out of 3 years there won't be so much N going into our streams, that really excites me. Barney and I see generational change in our neighbors --the children of our generation are willing to try some new things. That gives us some hope. It'd be great to have some environmental parameters that everyone has to abide by -if everyone has to abide by them, it helps the little "guy." But first we have to kick out Kim and all her feckless followers.
This is all good info, Suzanne, thank you. I don't believe most farmers till like you do, and wouldn't even consider that tilling. I've heard good things about that method.
But the same equipment? I've heard hemp getting all twisted up in corn equipment and wrecking it. Not your experience?
But I agree with you on all these fronts - my opinion is that the only way to win is not to play. Get out of the debt and commodity game if possible, build cooperatives like the Iowa and National Farmers Union used to do, instead of corporations and yes, get back to the ideals of Wendell Berry and others that farming is about "husbandry" not "science" or "business."
In addition to hemp, perennial wheat (kernza) is another option to diversify as well as tree and bush crops on rough ground. The markets are getting easier and easier to access as they get rebuilt.
If you haven't looked at videos made by More Perfect Union check them out. Lots on corporate control of many different aspects of our lives and what people are doing about it. It includes one on Koch buying the fertilizer plant built with public money to diversify ownership in fertilizer plants! Argh.
Woodbury County was able to stop a bitcoin mining operation in Wolf Creek township after many people showed up to voice their concerns in September at a Board of Adjustment meeting.
I've been wondering about this on a personal note, Art. We built an Energy Star home, into a hill to protect from West winds, in 2010. I'm considering a controlled burn of the woods near the house to protect from fire, but when it rains for days, the walls in the dirt start seeping. We're growing fruits and nuts, but the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is affecting that too, so no matter what we do with the soil, air doesn't respect property boundaries. There really is nowhere to hide. I wish more people would realize that sooner rather than later.
Hi Suzan, I am so sorry to hear that. Wonder what you think of my comment above.
Mother Nature always wins. Always.
The Domino effect of the power of Nature and climate change. "As insurance is key to obtaining a mortgage, properties affected by surging premiums (due to climate change) or left without coverage by fleeing insurers "will become unmortgageable," ... As a result of the increased difficulty of getting a mortgage, property values are likely to drop—with dangerous consequences for the entire U.S. housing market.
Newsweek. Insurance Crisis Could Spark Housing Market Crash Worse Than 2008: Reporthttps://www.newsweek.com/insurance-crisis-could-spark-housing-market-crash-worse-2008-report-2003540
AI, Crypto, vanity flights into outer space --such unforced errors in a world that is warming...no, is too hot. We should be investing in providing technical assistance on how to grow/harvest hemp as raw material for hempcrete, and how to use hempcrete to build houses. As a building material, it is relatively resistant to fire, can have an r value of 30, and would transform this state as an agricultural third crop. 110 - 115 days to harvest (for fiber). Doesn't need large amounts of N. Does good things to the soil. Local hempcrete manufacturing facilities could rejuvenate rural areas. Imagine that as a transitional third crop on the journey towards re-diversifying Iowa farming. It does ok in drought, which we seem to have a lot these days.
Yes, the Lower Sioux Indian Community is pioneering hemp construction in Morton, Minn
Thank you for letting people know. I didn't know that. That is wonderful!
I think hemp could be part of a diversified operation but let's not substitute one monocrop for another. I could be wrong, but I understand hemp still requires tillage and its success will cause it to get commodified, putting farmers on the same debt treadmill of price takers, not price makers, as our beloved Fred Kirschenmann taught me years ago.
Hi, here's where I'm coming from:
I look at these thousands and thousands of acres, and I think of the stories of our neighbors (and even ourselves) --even providing a third crop, especially one that doesn't require a lot of inputs, and which has a good root structure, and which breaks up pest cycles, thereby cutting the need for pesticides in succeeding crops --that is a win, and will help farmers who feel trapped in a system. No, it doesn't transform the whole system, and yes, we need major trust busting in all aspects of agriculture.
I am not afraid of tillage --I was thrilled we got the sustainable ag award this year, because I am so sick of the religious fervor over no-till. We till, but we till shallowly with a rotovator, and it allows us to incorporate vast amount of green manure and to plant diversities of crops and terminate them without poisons. Our soil organic matter keeps going up. The soil smells earthy and we find more and more earth worms.
In my mind, I have a hard time trying to find a scenario where local hempcrete factories don't get bought out and consolidated by avaricious multinationals, who always let the small businesses do the risk taking. But to change that, I think we need to have an awakening of people --realizing who's doing what to whom, and for people to correctly locate where they sit on the food chain. (That's why they are going after education.) When I was teaching at community college, many students would identify with the profit side of the equation, and rationalize the calculation firms make, minimizing labor costs to maximize profits, because these students imagined some day that they would be able to maximize profits by minimizing someone else's labor. In my head, I would just think a) where's your ethics? but also b) you are at community college; you are far more likely to spend your life over here in the minimized wage side of the equation. And the real kicker? Even if they did, they would get squished like an ant by larger corporations who control the system.
Sooo, yes, adding a third crop that allows existing farmers to use their existing equipment and knowhow and which means that 1 out of 3 years there won't be so much N going into our streams, that really excites me. Barney and I see generational change in our neighbors --the children of our generation are willing to try some new things. That gives us some hope. It'd be great to have some environmental parameters that everyone has to abide by -if everyone has to abide by them, it helps the little "guy." But first we have to kick out Kim and all her feckless followers.
This is all good info, Suzanne, thank you. I don't believe most farmers till like you do, and wouldn't even consider that tilling. I've heard good things about that method.
But the same equipment? I've heard hemp getting all twisted up in corn equipment and wrecking it. Not your experience?
But I agree with you on all these fronts - my opinion is that the only way to win is not to play. Get out of the debt and commodity game if possible, build cooperatives like the Iowa and National Farmers Union used to do, instead of corporations and yes, get back to the ideals of Wendell Berry and others that farming is about "husbandry" not "science" or "business."
In addition to hemp, perennial wheat (kernza) is another option to diversify as well as tree and bush crops on rough ground. The markets are getting easier and easier to access as they get rebuilt.
If you haven't looked at videos made by More Perfect Union check them out. Lots on corporate control of many different aspects of our lives and what people are doing about it. It includes one on Koch buying the fertilizer plant built with public money to diversify ownership in fertilizer plants! Argh.
I saw a meme on this site yesterday that read “Don’t Believe In Climate Change? Your Insurance Company Does”
Woodbury County was able to stop a bitcoin mining operation in Wolf Creek township after many people showed up to voice their concerns in September at a Board of Adjustment meeting.
Was considering moving back to Sibley from Texas to survive the heat and Hurricanes. With a slump in Housing, maybe I can afford a roof