http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm Finding enduring solutions to today's problems Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:50:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-184 New Year, New Food « Monschable Melbourne Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:50:44 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-184 [...] you can shop at markets, buy organic (or not), change the way you shop (nice graph), get more sustainable (polyculture farming), get local (CSA), as well as be realistic at the same [...] [...] you can shop at markets, buy organic (or not), change the way you shop (nice graph), get more sustainable (polyculture farming), get local (CSA), as well as be realistic at the same [...]

]]> http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-125 Reflections | Trout Lily Farm Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:38:34 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-125 [...] proper soil health and fertility, using organic methods. These methods include permaculture, polyculture, and biodynamics.  Permaculture, which means “permanent agriculture”, is perhaps the [...] [...] proper soil health and fertility, using organic methods. These methods include permaculture, polyculture, and biodynamics.  Permaculture, which means “permanent agriculture”, is perhaps the [...]

]]> http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-57 Food for thought « Seven Trees Farm Sat, 02 Jul 2011 04:16:06 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-57 [...] Modern farming systems focus on uniformity for ease of cultivating, harvesting and processing. But this comes at a cost in chemical inputs and soil depletion, not to mention loss of potential disease and pest immunity. The main benefit of industrial farming has been, pure and simple, cheap fodder. Quantity over quality. Now that the climate is acting up and fuel prices are steadily rising, even mass-produced food costs are rising, negating what benefits there might have been from this unnatural way of growing food. Many communities are turning to local diversified farmers for quality food, and our neck of the woods, Bellingham/Whatcom WA is in the forefront of this resurgence of domestic farming – Life in a Local Living Economy [...] [...] Modern farming systems focus on uniformity for ease of cultivating, harvesting and processing. But this comes at a cost in chemical inputs and soil depletion, not to mention loss of potential disease and pest immunity. The main benefit of industrial farming has been, pure and simple, cheap fodder. Quantity over quality. Now that the climate is acting up and fuel prices are steadily rising, even mass-produced food costs are rising, negating what benefits there might have been from this unnatural way of growing food. Many communities are turning to local diversified farmers for quality food, and our neck of the woods, Bellingham/Whatcom WA is in the forefront of this resurgence of domestic farming – Life in a Local Living Economy [...]

]]> http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-55 House of Hope’s new community garden: a Design and Demonstration project | Permaculture Musings for Cold Climates Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:37:16 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-55 [...] are planted with petunias, bush beans with pansies, mustard greens with marigolds. In these polycultures, the edible flowers provide habitat for beneficial insects and in some cases keep pests away. Their [...] [...] are planted with petunias, bush beans with pansies, mustard greens with marigolds. In these polycultures, the edible flowers provide habitat for beneficial insects and in some cases keep pests away. Their [...]

]]> http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-49 The Days of the Old. « Eat simple, Live simple. Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:33:28 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-49 [...] Throughout this process, I’ve become much more aware. Aware of the social and economic impact I have as a consumer, aware of the process through which my food is grown and cared for, and aware of the people I’m entrusting to provide this food to me. In a sense, I feel much more connected. Connected to the community I’m a part of, and to all of the lives and occupations that on a daily basis intertwine with mine. Part of whom I share this connection with is my family. As I’ve mentioned previously, my grandparents and a few of my close relatives are corn and soybean farmers out in rural, western Minnesota. They land they own out there dates back several generations, and the stories they share are rich in history. I recently took a mini road-trip out there to catch up, and ask questions concerning my new-found experiment. Let me start out by saying, there is nothing like Minnesotan hospitality. I mention to my grandma, (the day of, at 8am already in my car), that I’m deciding to sporadically take a road trip out there, and the first thing she says back is, “Can you be here by noon? I’ll have dinner ready.”  You just can’t beat that! I walk in the door to smiling faces and warm hugs, and soon I sit down to a fresh cooked meal of pork roast, home grown mashed potatoes and sweet corn, salad, bread and jam, and homemade sweet pickles. Talk about a FEAST! I soon began to start asking questions, and the more I asked, the more I was fascinated! There isn’t enough time or space to write down everything I could learn from them, but I can certainly try. I asked my grandpa what he thought of modern day industrialized farming as opposed to the days of the old, and it was a tough answer. I think in some respects he definitely agrees that the new way of farming is easier in terms of physical labor and how many people it takes to run a farm, but at the same time some of the history and self-sustainability has been lost. It used to be where one single farm could be producing multiple crops and raising multiple varieties of livestock at one time, partially due to the large families who helped run them, but also in part because the times have changed and it’s not always possible anymore financially. It’s a rare thing to find a farm like this nowadays. My grandparents and my grandma’s parents, (from whom they bought the farm), used to plant oats, flax, wheat, soybeans, sweet corn, (and more), all the while raising chickens, hogs, and cattle. My grandpa’s parents used to raise dairy cows and sell their cream to the local creamery to make butter. That thought just blew my mind! Here I am, circa 2010, trying my hardest to find Minnesota made sweet cream butter from pasture raised cows, (the best of which I can find is one brand at Kowalski’s, for a pretty penny…), while back in the day technically you could buy Rheingans’ Sweet Cream Butter out in rural Minnesota like it was no big deal! The idea just killed me! What I would give to live in those days, where self-sustainability and smaller-scale farming was the norm. Now, I am not saying that large-scale farming is bad in any way, it’s just the times have changed and things are different now. The larger companies from whom we can buy seed for crops have patented genetically modified seeds so you can’t save them for planting the next year. And due to the large distributors and companies who buy the majority of the crops grown in the US today, we are primarily farming thousands of acres of monocultures. Monocultures meaning only one variety of plant grown within a certain plot of land, which in turn cancels out the opportunity for natural pest and weed control to take place. Planting monocultures leaves us no choice but to use chemical insecticides and pesticides, which as I’m beginning to learn can leave consequences for both the environment and the consumer. (For a great website on monocultures vs polycultures, here is a great resource!) http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm [...] [...] Throughout this process, I’ve become much more aware. Aware of the social and economic impact I have as a consumer, aware of the process through which my food is grown and cared for, and aware of the people I’m entrusting to provide this food to me. In a sense, I feel much more connected. Connected to the community I’m a part of, and to all of the lives and occupations that on a daily basis intertwine with mine. Part of whom I share this connection with is my family. As I’ve mentioned previously, my grandparents and a few of my close relatives are corn and soybean farmers out in rural, western Minnesota. They land they own out there dates back several generations, and the stories they share are rich in history. I recently took a mini road-trip out there to catch up, and ask questions concerning my new-found experiment. Let me start out by saying, there is nothing like Minnesotan hospitality. I mention to my grandma, (the day of, at 8am already in my car), that I’m deciding to sporadically take a road trip out there, and the first thing she says back is, “Can you be here by noon? I’ll have dinner ready.”  You just can’t beat that! I walk in the door to smiling faces and warm hugs, and soon I sit down to a fresh cooked meal of pork roast, home grown mashed potatoes and sweet corn, salad, bread and jam, and homemade sweet pickles. Talk about a FEAST! I soon began to start asking questions, and the more I asked, the more I was fascinated! There isn’t enough time or space to write down everything I could learn from them, but I can certainly try. I asked my grandpa what he thought of modern day industrialized farming as opposed to the days of the old, and it was a tough answer. I think in some respects he definitely agrees that the new way of farming is easier in terms of physical labor and how many people it takes to run a farm, but at the same time some of the history and self-sustainability has been lost. It used to be where one single farm could be producing multiple crops and raising multiple varieties of livestock at one time, partially due to the large families who helped run them, but also in part because the times have changed and it’s not always possible anymore financially. It’s a rare thing to find a farm like this nowadays. My grandparents and my grandma’s parents, (from whom they bought the farm), used to plant oats, flax, wheat, soybeans, sweet corn, (and more), all the while raising chickens, hogs, and cattle. My grandpa’s parents used to raise dairy cows and sell their cream to the local creamery to make butter. That thought just blew my mind! Here I am, circa 2010, trying my hardest to find Minnesota made sweet cream butter from pasture raised cows, (the best of which I can find is one brand at Kowalski’s, for a pretty penny…), while back in the day technically you could buy Rheingans’ Sweet Cream Butter out in rural Minnesota like it was no big deal! The idea just killed me! What I would give to live in those days, where self-sustainability and smaller-scale farming was the norm. Now, I am not saying that large-scale farming is bad in any way, it’s just the times have changed and things are different now. The larger companies from whom we can buy seed for crops have patented genetically modified seeds so you can’t save them for planting the next year. And due to the large distributors and companies who buy the majority of the crops grown in the US today, we are primarily farming thousands of acres of monocultures. Monocultures meaning only one variety of plant grown within a certain plot of land, which in turn cancels out the opportunity for natural pest and weed control to take place. Planting monocultures leaves us no choice but to use chemical insecticides and pesticides, which as I’m beginning to learn can leave consequences for both the environment and the consumer. (For a great website on monocultures vs polycultures, here is a great resource!) http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm [...]

]]> http://true-progress.com/monoculture-vs-polyculture-farming-methods-84.htm/comment-page-1#comment-44 Recent Faves Tagged With "ecosystem" : MyNetFaves Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:35:21 +0000 http://true-progress.com/?p=84#comment-44 [...] public links >> ecosystem Monoculture vs. Polyculture Farming Methods First saved by profeel | 9 days ago The ecosystem is a mess First saved by mcilrath | 27 days [...] [...] public links >> ecosystem Monoculture vs. Polyculture Farming Methods First saved by profeel | 9 days ago The ecosystem is a mess First saved by mcilrath | 27 days [...]

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