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#Post#: 6234--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: January 10, 2017, 7:48 pm
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[center]Regenerative Agriculture Can Help Solve Many of Our
Problems[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/laG0lS8ChYI[/center]
SNIPPET:
Around the world, farmers are waking up to the many adverse
effects of industrialized agriculture. While chemicals and
machines have allowed farms to expand and increase production,
there's growing awareness about how these strategies harm the
soil, ecology and, ultimately, human health.
As a result, a growing number of farmers are transitioning over
to more sustainable and regenerative methods that do not rely so
heavily on chemical and technological means. While regenerative
strategies may appear "novel" to born-and-raised city slickers,
it's really more of a revival of ancestral knowledge. In the
video above, Dr. Joel Gruver demonstrates sustainable
agriculture techniques taking place at Allison Farm, the largest
organic research farm in Illinois.
Regenerative agriculture — which includes strategies such as
crop rotation, diversification, cover crops, no-till,
agroforestry and integrated herd management — can help
rehabilitate land turned to desert, improve water management and
protect water quality. It also eliminates the need for toxic
fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals, and reduces
greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide and nitrous
oxide.15 Importantly, by improving soil quality, regenerative
farmers can produce more nutrient-dense foods.
You can also consider attending a Regeneration International
event of webinar. Regeneration International is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to improving soil fertility and
biodiversity through regenerative agriculture techniques. Click
below for a list of upcoming events.
Lengthy article:
[center]Industrial Farming Threatens Food Security in the US
[/center]
January 10, 2017 | 72,055 views
HTML http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/01/10/industrialization-versus-regenerative-agriculture.aspx
#Post#: 6286--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: January 17, 2017, 5:36 pm
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[center]World’s Last Intact Forests Are Becoming Increasingly
Fragmented
[/center]
by Susan Minnemeyer Susan Minnemeyer, Peter Potapov and Lars
Laestadius - January 17, 2017
HTML http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/01/world%E2%80%99s-last-intact-forests-are-becoming-increasingly-fragmented
#Post#: 6498--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: February 17, 2017, 3:44 pm
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[center]Argentina’s Rising Grains Production Strands Vessels in
River Traffic[/center]
February 16, 2017 by Reuters
[center]Ships used to carry grains for export are seen next to a
dredging boat (L) on the Parana river near Rosario, Argentina,
January 31, 2017. Picture taken January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Marcos
Brindicci (at article link)[/center]
Reuters By Hugh Bronstein
ROSARIO, Argentina, Feb 16 (Reuters) – When a boat carrying soy
oil destined for India ran aground on the Parana River near
Buenos Aires in late January, ships loaded with most of
Argentina’s grains exports were blocked for hours.
It was the latest accident on one of the world’s great food
highways, which is straining to carry rising volumes of
Argentine agricultural products embarking on the first leg of
the journey from the fields of the Pampas to the feeding troughs
of cattle, pigs and chickens worldwide.
Increasing congestion on the Parana, which carries 80 percent of
Argentina’s grains exports, could hamper President Mauricio
Macri’s efforts to expand farm output and pull the country out
of recession.
Macri wants Argentina to grow 25 percent more grains to boost
rural income and has cut export taxes to attract more investment
in the sector. But to haul all that grain to market, Macri needs
the log jams on the river to end.
The government is studying how to accommodate the growing
flotilla plying the waterway without driving up shipping costs –
which could cancel out the benefits of the export tax cut to
farmers and agricultural businesses.
“The entire river system is at its current limit,” said Koen
Robijns, Argentine operations manager for Jan De Nul, the
privately-owned, Luxemburg-based company that operates the
Parana and is responsible for dredging.
The grounding in January made commerce grind to a halt, Robijns
said in an interview aboard one of the company’s dredging
vessels near Argentina’s main grains hub of Rosario, some 300
kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires.
“Every ship behind it, all the way up to Rosario, had to stop or
slow down for more than an hour,” he said.
Efforts to develop the waterway to carry more of Argentina’s
burgeoning exports, however, could be delayed by negotiations
between the channel’s operator and the traders that ship grain
along it.
Jan De Nul favors dredging the channel deeper. The firm declined
to provide an estimate on how much that would cost, but the
shippers say the bill would be billions of dollars. That would
likely mean an increase in the toll, currently $3 per net tonne,
which the shippers would pass on by paying the farmers less for
their grains.
The world’s largest bulk grains traders Bunge, Cargill, Louis
Dreyfus Company and ADM – who together ship much of the grain
exported via the Parana – would prefer the less expensive option
of widening the river at trouble spots, said two industry groups
representing the shippers and traders using the waterway.
The industry groups declined to give an estimate on how much
cheaper it would be to widen rather than deepen the river.
“Rather than dredging deeper, we need wider curves in places
where vessels have run aground,” said Guillermo Wade, a
spokesman for the Rosario-based maritime chamber.
Macri’s government says it aims to cut the cost of exporting
grains by 30 percent, including lowering tolls on waterways. But
the government has not said yet which option it favors, and is
unlikely to do so until a report on the project is completed.
Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus declined to comment. ADM, in a
statement, said it “supports the expansion of the Parana River
and Paraguay-Parana waterway to meet the growth needs of the
entire region.”
The company did not specify how the river should be expanded.
PUSHING THE LIMIT
Argentina is the world’s top exporter of soymeal feed for
animals :o, key to global meat production and meeting the
protein needs of a global population growing toward 9 billion.
The South American country is also the world’s third-largest
supplier of corn and soybeans and the seventh largest supplier
of wheat.
Macri’s government expects farm output of 130 million tonnes
this season, up from 123 million before he took office. Macri is
targeting 150 million tonnes by the end of his first term in
late 2019.
Groundings are becoming more common as exporters, under pressure
to haul as much grain as possible, often overload vessels. There
were 15 groundings on the waterway last year, up from 12 in 2015
and nine the previous year, according to port data.
The January accident took place in the Mitre section of the
Parana, just north of the capital city Buenos Aires.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.shipspotting.com/photos/middle/4/4/1/2492144.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Theresa Success[/center]
The same vessel, the Theresa Success, ran aground near Rosario
several days earlier. That time, it took longer for tug boats to
pry the vessel loose, but traffic was able to move around the
blockage as the river was wider there.
Baltzer, the vessel’s Rosario-based shipping agency, declined to
comment on the groundings.
Other incidents have seen ships stuck for days while floating
cranes arrive to unload cargo until vessels are light enough to
float.
TOLLS AND TOP OFFS
Jan De Nul has had the Parana concession since 1995. The
contract ends in 2021, and the company wants to renew it.
The toll it charges for plying the waterway is negotiated by Jan
De Nul, the port terminal owners and the government.
The Parana’s shipping canal is maintained at 34 feet from the
ocean to the port of San Martin, 35 kilometers north of Rosario,
said Pieter Jan De Nul, an area manager for the company and son
of its owner.
The firm could easily dredge to 36 feet, he said.
The additional two feet of depth would allow larger vessels
carrying several thousand tonnes more cargo to load in Rosario
before heading out to sea, he said. Larger cargoes would reduce
shipping costs.
Currently, traders have to load part of their cargo in Rosario
and then stop to add more in deep-water Atlantic ports before
heading into international waters. That means additional port
and loading costs, as well as longer shipping times.
The privately-owned Rosario Grains Exchange favors deepening,
because larger ships could load and therefore fewer vessels
would be needed to carry the rising volume of grains.
“Everyone wins with the deepening of the Parana River,” analysts
for the exchange said in a report.
Deputy Transport Secretary Jorge Metz said the service on the
river needs to improve, as delays can cost shippers $40,000 to
$50,000 a day, a cost that is eventually passed on to farmers.
Decades of underinvestment in roads and rail have made
transportation one of the biggest costs faced by growers, said
Martin Fraguio, executive director of the Maizar corn industry
chamber.
“Argentina has the possibility of increasing its farm production
enormously,” he said. “We need the Parana to be as competitive
as possible, as soon as possible.” (Additional reporting by
Caroline Stauffer; editing by Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017
HTML http://gcaptain.com/argentinas-rising-grains-production-strands-vessels-in-river-traffic/
#Post#: 6537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: February 21, 2017, 6:54 pm
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[center]What You Didn't Know About Soil...But Should [img
width=100]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/earthhug.gif[/img]
[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/i0L_yQFRyws[/center]
[center][img
width=400]
HTML https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/37/82/6a/37826aa177ded9f7c8a0d019177efcc0.jpg[/img][/center]
#Post#: 7054--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: May 5, 2017, 1:00 pm
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[quote author=AGelbert link=topic=55.msg319#msg319
date=1384407206]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://oecotextiles.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/bioplastic4.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]BIOPLASTICS are REPLACING PETROCHEMICAL-BASED
PLASTICS
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/maniac.gif[/center]
In the years 2000 to 2008, worldwide consumption of
biodegradable plastics based on starch, sugar, and cellulose –
so far the three most important raw materials – has increased by
600%.[32] The NNFCC predicted global annual capacity would grow
more than six-fold to 2.1 million tonnes by 2013.[30] BCC
Research forecasts the global market for biodegradable polymers
to grow at a compound average growth rate of more than 17
percent through 2012. Even so, bioplastics will encompass a
small niche of the overall plastic market, which is forecast to
reach 500 billion pounds (220 million tonnes) globally by
2010.[33]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Agelbert NOTE:The "NICHE" that bioplastics are occupying will
grow to destroy the fossil fuel based plastics plastic poisons
simply because bioplastics are sustainable AND cheaper now.
Cost
At one time bioplastics were too expensive for consideration as
a replacement for petroleum-based plastics.The lower
temperatures needed to process bioplastics and the more stable
supply of biomass combined with the increasing cost of crude oil
make bioplastics price [34] more competitive with regular
plastics.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/19.gif
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Applications
Biodegradable bioplastics are used for disposable items, such as
packaging and catering items (crockery, cutlery, pots, bowls,
straws). They are also often used for bags, trays, containers
for fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, bottles for soft drinks
and dairy products, and blister foils for fruit and vegetables.
Nondisposable applications include mobile phone casings, carpet
fibres, and car interiors, fuel line and plastic pipe
applications, and new electroactive bioplastics are being
developed that can be used to carry electrical current.[5] In
these areas, the goal is not biodegradability, but to create
items from sustainable resources.
Medical implants made of PLA, which dissolve in the body, save
patients a second operation. Compostable mulch films for
agriculture, already often produced from starch polymers, do not
have to be collected after use and can be left on the fields.[6]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Bioplastic Car Parts
In constructing the Prius, Toyota used a new range of
plant-derived ecological bioplastics, made out of cellulose
derived from wood or grass instead of petroleum. The two
principal crops used are kenaf and ramie. Kenaf is a member of
the hibiscus family, a relative to cotton and okra; ramie,
commonly known as China grass, is a member of the nettle family
and one of the strongest natural fibres, with a density and
absorbency comparable to flax.
Toyota says this is a particularly timely breakthrough for
plant-based eco-plastics because 2009 is the United Nations’
International Year of Natural Fibres, which spotlights kenaf and
ramie among others.[56]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://blog.toyota.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bio-plastics-in-prius.png[/img][/center]
[center]Prius bioplastic parts[/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0719/1989/files/PLA_Printable.png?6544284772577929250[/img][/center]
[center]Polylactic acid (PLA) plastics can replace
petrochemical-based mass plastics (e.g. PET, PS or PE)[/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://www.grandviewresearch.com/static/img/research/lactic-acid-and-poly-lactic-acid-market.png[/img][/center]
[center]Global PLA market by application, 2012 – 2020, (Kilo
Tons) [/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Mulch_Film_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Mulch film made of polylactic acid (PLA)-blend bio-flex
[/center]
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a transparent plastic produced from
corn[12] or dextrose. It not only resembles conventional
petrochemical-based mass plastics (like PET, PS or PE) in its
characteristics, but it can also be processed on standard
equipment that already exists for the production of some
conventional plastics. PLA and PLA blends generally come in the
form of granulates with various properties, and are used in the
plastic processing industry for the production of films, fibers,
plastic containers, cups and bottles.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/PLA-Kugelschreiber_NatureWorks_CG.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]A pen made with bioplastics (Polylactide, PLA)
[/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Teebeutel_Polylactid_2009.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Tea bags made from PLA[/center]
[center][img width=640
height=680]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Air_Pillow_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]Packaging air pillow made of PLA-blend bio-flex[/center]
[center][img
width=340]
HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Shampoo_Bottle_made_of_PLA-Blend_Bio-Flex.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]A bioplastic shampoo bottle made of PLA-blend
bio-flex[/center]
[url=
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lactic-acid-and-poly-lactic-acid-market
[center]
Biopolymer BHP can replace petroplastic polypropylene[/center]
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)
The biopolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a polyester
produced by certain bacteria processing glucose, corn starch[13]
or wastewater.[14] Its characteristics are similar to those of
the petroplastic polypropylene. The South American sugar
industry, for example, has decided to expand PHB production to
an industrial scale. PHB is distinguished primarily by its
physical characteristics. It produces transparent film at a
melting point higher than 130 degrees Celsius, and is
biodegradable without residue.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are linear polyesters produced in
nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. They are
produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. In
industrial production, the polyester is extracted and purified
from the bacteria by optimizing the conditions for the
fermentation of sugar. More than 150 different monomers can be
combined within this family to give materials with extremely
different properties. PHA is more ductile and less elastic than
other plastics, and it is also biodegradable. These plastics are
being widely used in the medical industry.
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
[center]
How to tell if plastic was made from fossil fuels or plants:
Fossil fuel derived plastic has NO carbon-14![/center]
Biobased – ASTM D6866
The ASTM D6866 method has been developed to certify the
biologically derived content of bioplastics. Cosmic rays
colliding with the atmosphere mean that some of the carbon is
the radioactive isotope carbon-14. CO2 from the atmosphere is
used by plants in photosynthesis, so new plant material will
contain both carbon-14 and carbon-12. Under the right
conditions, and over geological timescales, the remains of
living organisms can be transformed into fossil fuels. After
~100,000 years all the carbon-14 present in the original organic
material will have undergone radioactive decay leaving only
carbon-12. A product made from biomass will have a relatively
high level of carbon-14, while a product made from
petrochemicals will have no carbon-14. The percentage of
renewable carbon in a material (solid or liquid) can be measured
with an accelerator mass spectrometer.[41][42]
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Plastic made from plants is NOT a guarantee of biodegradability
There is an important difference between biodegradability and
biobased content. A bioplastic such as high density polyethylene
(HDPE)[43] can be 100% biobased (i.e. contain 100% renewable
carbon), yet be non-biodegradable. These bioplastics such as
HDPE nonetheless play an important role in greenhouse gas
abatement, particularly when they are combusted for energy
production. The biobased component of these bioplastics is
considered carbon-neutral since their origin is from biomass.
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic
Agelbert NOTE: As I've said before, products from corn for
plastics or biofuel are a bad deal. At the end of the wikipeda
bioplastics article, a "study" from scientists in 2010 cautions
against corn based bioplastics because they are so polluting
from the pesticide and CO2 releasing properties
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif(as
if petrochemical
fuels and plastics weren't measurably MORE polluting... ??? ).
Sure. That's why BIG OIL wants us to keep using that corn for
ethanol and bioplastics! ;) It's never going to be competitive!
Corn uses pesticides and plowing. The plastics made from the
corn starch will have pesticide residue. Growing corn is an
excellent way to ruin top soil and is second only to fossil
fuels (because it uses so much of them) in biosphere damage. :P
>:(
This is stupid when, duckweed, hemp, sugar cane, switchgrass,
Kenaf , a member of the hibiscus family, a relative to cotton
and okra and Ramie, commonly known as China grass, a member of
the nettle family and one of the strongest natural fibres, with
a density and absorbency comparable to flax are all available,
easier to grow WITHOUT PESTICIDES and provide a much higher
EROEI.
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/301.gif
[/quote]
#Post#: 7430--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: July 3, 2017, 7:45 pm
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[center]German Nonprofit Creates New Open Source License for
Seeds [img width=40
height=40]
HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png[/img][/center]
Friday, June 30, 2017
By Nithin Coca, Shareable | Interview
SNIPPET:
Why is having a special license with definable rights so
important to protecting seeds and promoting diversity in global
agriculture?
Our license is quite radical. It says that if a seed is
licensed, this seed, and all further developments and
modifications [of that seed] fall under this license. So this
means you start a chain of contracts -- if the person who has
got the seed is giving further developments of this seed to a
third person, he becomes a licenser, which means he or she is
licensing a new variety
In theory, this can be indefinite. There is no way back to
private domain. [Our license] does not allow any seed company to
take the seed, use it for breeding, and put a patent on it. You
can work with us, you can earn your money with it, but you have
no exclusivity.
This is important because we are living in a time of not only
privatization of genetic resources, but the monopolization of
genetic resources. Big companies, they are interested in
producing few varieties and extending and distributing these
varieties for large acreages -- the larger the acreage, the
larger their return through royalties.
But what we need is diversity in production, diversity in
genetic resources, and we need diversity in breeders. It is a
danger if you are depending on a few companies -- because they
tend towards uniformity, their energy for creating innovation is
decreasing because competition is getting less and less. They
are also producing variety that do not respond to the needs we
have. For example, these big seed companies do not provide what
is needed for adaptation to climate change.
Monsanto and Bayer, for example, you will have a concentration
of a company which has dominating position in producing
pesticides and herbicides, and dominating the seed sector --
they will link these two businesses together. They will produce
seeds that correspondent with sales of agrochemicals. But in
agriculture we need less pesticides, more agroecology. We need
genetic resources and plants that fight pest and diseases by
resistance, not by chemicals.
Can you tell me a bit about what it means if a farmer uses an
open-source seed rather than a private, or corporate
alternative?
License, first all of all says, there is no limitation to the
use of this seed by the farmer. The only limitation is to
refrain from privatization. Commercial seeds have become
extremely costly, but the other point which is more important,
the characteristics of a variety are not fully meeting the needs
farmers have today.
And this applies, in particular, to small farmers in the world
who are not able to pay the high costs of seeds for seeds from
the big companies, or who may not need the varieties which are
offered.
Full interview: [img
width=75]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914180936.jpeg[/img]
HTML http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/41118-german-nonprofit-creates-new-open-source-license-for-seeds
#Post#: 7610--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: August 1, 2017, 6:28 pm
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[move]The Future of Food[/move]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/jNezTsrCY0Q[/center]
[center]Have they really patented nature? ???[/center]
For 200 years, congress and the patent office did not allow for
the patenting of life, for any part of nature. Food crops were
deliberately excluded from patenting on moral grounds. In 1978 a
patent on a genetically engineered microbe did go through for
the first time-- because the corporation (General Electric) took
it all the way to the Supreme Court after it was denied by the
patent office. It passed by a majority of one vote.
This opened the floodgates for genetic engineering. Andrew
Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety
explains that companies like Monsanto now have the power to own
and control the species of the earth. They have patented genes-
and this means they legally "own" for example, the animals being
modified. They own the patents on seeds which of course means
that they control the food.
This video puts a spotlight on all the surrounding issues- for
ex:, the government has a seed bank, that is kept for the
purpose of insuring the continuation of all our plant species.
Whatever seeds are not patented- Monsanto goes in and patents
them! Then they can control that crop in perpetuity. Now
Monsanto has spent 8 billion dollars buying up the seed
companies.
Much to learn here-- and much to fight for. Nothing less than
the future of our food.... and the genes of ALL plant and animal
species, including, yes, humans...
--Bibi Farber
HTML http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/what-isnt-working-1/the-future-of-food-.html
#Post#: 7630--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: August 4, 2017, 5:51 pm
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[center] [img
width=640]
HTML https://img1.etsystatic.com/001/0/6716952/il_570xN.373578577_ju8j.jpg[/img]<br
/>[/center]
[center]Why Sunflowers [img
width=70]
HTML http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130730115824/plantsvszombies/images/5/59/Sunflower_Free_Promo.jpg[/img]<br
/>
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/170fs799081.gifAre
So Green for
the Garden
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif[/center]
Jonathon Engels
August 4, 2017
Sunflowers are not the typical crop that newbie gardeners think
of growing, but this might be a mistake.
HTML http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_0293.gif
The fact
of the matter is that sunflowers are really easy to care for,
and they can also lend a notable hand in the garden. Then, of
course, there are all those sunflower seeds that make a
delicious snack and quickly nullify the need to ever buy
sunflower seeds (to sow) again.
Since long before chemical fertilizers and GMO seeds, sunflowers
have been a part of agriculture, dating back to at least 3000
BC, and they have been used for all sorts of handy stuff: seeds,
oil, medicine, fiber, as well as beauty. Amazingly, sunflowers
can sprout up to six feet high in a matter of three months, and
seeds are usually harvestable around the same time, possibly
extending on to four months.
Besides being a valuable crop in and of themselves, the
Helianthus — or sunflower — family is also used to help out the
garden as a whole.
Easy-Growing
Any time a productive plant requires little to no inputs and
virtually no care, it’s got to make it into the garden somehow.
Sunflowers are prairie plants, which has made them very tough,
not greatly affected by pests or by drought. They grow in just
about any type of soil, and they can survive in both acidic and
mildly alkaline pH levels. Once they get themselves established,
they are likely there for the long haul, so gardeners won’t be
using resources to get (and keep) those sunflowers up. Now that
is green gardening.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://img.wikisailor.com/upload/4/97/49796d1a471cc8b0cc95155f24da36ab.jpg[/img][/center]
Living Fences
Many people choose to grow living fences. This is sometimes done
with cane berries or nitrogen-fixing trees, but sunflowers are
another viable option. The great thing about living fences is
that they don’t require milled, often virgin wood and steel
production. They are just plants, providing more beauty for the
garden while defining borders and providing protection.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://www.redwormcomposting.com/images/sunflower-fence2.JPG[/img][/center]
Just remember not to completely block the sun from the other
crops. Putting tall sunflowers on the south side of the garden
might not be a great idea. Otherwise, planting them about six
inches apart will supply a living fence around the garden or
even between beds.
Free Garden Stake ;D
Another popular sunflower function is acting as a free garden
stake for climbing vines, such as cucumbers and tomatoes.
Unfortunately, sunflowers and green beans — the original garden
stake dweller — are known to not be so great of friends.
Regardless, sunflowers, like corn, are tall and spindly, so they
make great garden stakes for other plants, and they don’t
require any extra material. In fact, they can just be composted
after the harvest. On the flip side, lettuce likes to grow in
the shade of the towering sunflowers.
Natural Repellent
Beloved (and recently departed) permaculturist, Toby Hemenway,
authored a great book — Gaia’s Garden — in which he recommended
using Helianthus maximaliani, or Maximilian sunflower, as a deer
repellent. Otherwise, despite being beautiful animals and
welcomed by many into their yards, deer will gladly ransack a
garden and strip it down to nearly nothing.
Pest Distraction
More than a repellent, sunflowers are often grown for the
quality of distracting pests, specifically aphids, away from
other, more tender crops, like tomatoes.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://blog.growingwithscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sunflower-aphids.jpg[/img][/center]
[center]APHIDS These small (1/6-inch) pear-shaped, soft bodied
insects cluster in tight groups on juicy new growth. Aphids may
be green, black, brown, gray, red, pink, or yellow.
HTML http://blog.growingwithscience.com/bug-of-the-week-insect-archive/[/center]
Ants [img
width=40]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-280614160021.gif[/img]<br
/>, which feed on the aphid-produced honeydew, will encourage an
d
protect aphid colonies to live on sunflowers. It’s one of
nature’s outstanding things. No pesticides required. [img
width=25
height=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]<br
/>
Beneficial Attraction
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3320/3521471328_979c9ec69b.jpg[/img][/center]
Sunflowers are also a new green option because they are
particularly attractive to bees and other beneficial,
pollen-collecting insects and hummingbirds.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://whats4dinnersolutions.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/dsc_9945.jpg[/img][/center]
As most of us are aware by now, the bees need all the help they
can get, so if planting sunflowers did nothing more than that,
it’d be worth it. Of course, we know that they do much, much
more.
[center][img
width=445]
HTML https://rebeccarodriguez333.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/ladybug-on-single-sunflower.jpg[/img][img<br
/>width=195]
HTML http://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/sunflower-covered-in-ladybugs-garry-gay.jpg[/img][/center]
[right] Lady Bug Convention
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-040817183318.gif[/right]
Soil Cleansing
Sunflowers are noted as being allelopathic
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/cowboypistol.gif,
which means
that they emit a chemical that prevents other plants from
propagating nearby. In the garden, potatoes and beans are
particularly susceptible, so be aware of that. But, this is what
makes them so good for garden borders, as they’ll block weeds
from growing in. Sunflowers also aid phytoremediation, which is
a process that cleans contaminated soils. It’s even been used as
an effective soil cleaner in really damaged sites like Chernobyl
and post-Katrina New Orleans.
Of course, many people grow sunflowers for the simple fact that
they are stunning, massive flowers that brighten up the scene.
Whatever your reason, get them in the garden after the last
spring frost and expect to harvest into the fall. Lots of
people, especially in areas with long frost-free seasons, will
plant a new crop every two weeks to have continuous blooms in
the fall. Ain’t it grand when being green just works out so
well. [img
width=60]
HTML http://cliparts.co/cliparts/Big/Egq/BigEgqBMT.png[/img]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://dncache-mauganscorp.netdna-ssl.com/thumbseg/1848/1848332-bigthumbnail.jpg[/img][/center]
HTML http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/sunflowers-are-food-for-garden/
#Post#: 7738--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: August 21, 2017, 2:27 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/eH6hf6M_7a8[/center]
[center][color=green]Solar Plants Are Cropping Up On Farms [img
width=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png[/img]<br
/> [/color][/center]
August 19th, 2017 by Guest Contributor
Originally published on Nexus Media.
By Jeremy Deaton
If the United States wants to kick its coal habit, it will need
to install a lot more solar power. That raises an important
question: Where should all those panels reside?
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714191404.bmp
They could always go live on a farm upstate.
[center] [img
width=200]
HTML http://media.giphy.com/media/HjPbLbmep2aJO/giphy.gif[/img][/center]
Full article: [img width=75
height=50]
HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/reading.gif[/img]
HTML https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/19/solar-plants-cropping-farms/
#Post#: 8122--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: October 15, 2017, 3:18 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Agelbert NOTE: Yes, a large part of US wine country is toast due
to fires. But that does not detract from the value of Biodynamic
Farming.
[center][b]Biodynamic Certification is a Step Aboves Organic in
food quality[/b][/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/ZrRKxVoYl04[/center]
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/vaf1Ntd-XvI[/center]
Story at-a-glance
Food quality is determined by how it was grown. Certified
organic food helps you avoid pesticides. But even organic foods
may be lacking in important nutrients if grown in nutrient-poor
soils
Biodynamic farming is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to
agriculture initially developed by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s.
It’s an approach that can provide far superior harvests while
simultaneously healing the Earth
The Biodynamic view is that a farm is a living organism —
self-contained, self-sustaining, following the cycles of nature,
and able to create its own health and vitality out of the living
dynamics of the farm
The organic standard is the base of the Demeter standard, which
then goes much further, taking into account the core idea of the
farm as a closed system; solutions to disease, pest and weed
control comes out of the farm system itself
Demeter is a global Biodynamic certification agency. Formed in
1928 in Germany, it’s the oldest ecological certification
organization in the world. In Germany, 10 percent of the organic
farmland is Biodynamic
Full article with eye opening historical information:
HTML https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/10/15/biodynamic-farming-effects.aspx
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