David, This is exactly what we're trying to do. Last year, the county put the mowers under the direction of the Weed Supervisor instead of the Road Supervisor and our weed taxes that we pay every year went into a rotary mower mowing twice on the paved part of the road--3 miles. But it was late in the season when they got that all together and we were into drought season. You can't use a rotary mower on a dirt road during drought season. It's too dusty. We had a man volunteer his sickle bar mower to us and just asked the county to pay his diesel fuel. Two people went out with him with "Men working" signs and they did the other 5 miles. Then with our new professional Stihl 085 weedwhacker, my husband and some other men with their own weedwhackers, went along the right-of-way and did everything that hadn't been done--the goldbricking ranchers, the 50 absentee properties and by the bridges and mailboxes and the part away from the road that the mower couldn't reach. We wrote a good report with a whole bunch of pictures every .4 mile to prove that we had actually done it. We could have have done it without that professional Stihl 085 that the state bought us.
This was the first year, that we had actually contained the weeds. We have enough support now to finish the job. Maybe we should just use methods that most people understand--allelopathic plants, mulching, Biocontrols, handwork, restoration seeding. I just wanted to add my own touch of BD weed control to the mix. I just feel in my heart that the BD would help so much. We already fabricated a sprayer with a Shurflo pump and a professional trigger nozzle with adjustable heads to go on the top of 50 gallon plastic barrels on the back of a pick-up. They are wasting a lot of money by not letting us use the Pfeiffer field spray and the spray rig. We could still spray the weed peppers because they were not bought. They were either donated or I made them myself. It's ashamed that the Farm Bureau people would rather waste that money than see us succeed. It's terribly political to challenge the ole boy network in a small conservative rural town in the state of Idaho. They're jealous. The Farm Bureau is now funding a demonstration project at CENEX, the local coop store, with plots of "herbicide", "do nothing", etc, to show that they too can do what we're doing. It's so obvious. The Weed Committee should support both groups...and they are. On March7, they voted to continue our moratorium on herbicide spraying. The important change would be for the Weed Committee to do some serious research on holistic management--and not spend all the weed budget on herbicide. We are now meeting monthly instead of twice a year. Political work is very slow and painful. Merla D & S Chamberlain wrote: > Merla: I thought if I tell you what happens here it might help. The > roadsides are the responsibility of the local council ( your county I think) > they slash the roadsides about twice a year. If this done when the weeds > have just flowered it cuts down the weed establishment. It can be done by > the council using it's own tractor and slasher or they can contract out the > job to someone else. This has the benefit of making the roadside look neat > and maintains a nice green ground cover that protects the soil. It also > reduces the danger of animals running out of long grass in front of cars. > This way the weeds are put to good use. It also reduces the fire risk. > > The offshoot to this is that once landowners see the roadway in front of > their property looking good, some not all, then start to take responsibility > for slashing their section more regularly. Once you have the slasher on the > tractor it only takes a couple of hours extra to do the roadside after > you've done your own job. > > This is not the perfect answer, the council has cut backs and reduces the > area slashed, not all property owners participate and weather can spoil > programs and plans but it is better and cheaper than spaying large areas. > > Hope this helps > David C > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Merla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, 10 March 2002 9:59 PM > Subject: Re: Official BD in Brazil > > > Jose, Hedleys, anybody, > > > > When I read all this about Brazil BD not working, it makes me wonder > > about what I am doing on the road right-of-way. It sounds like it might > not > > work to just spray Pfeiffer Field Spray on very sandy, dry soil. Right > > now, my ability to use it is in question and I'm waiting for a resolution. > > Should I actually get a soil test of the road right-of-way and try to add > > soil amendments? We are trying to grow native plants and grasses and > > discourage plants that have been named "noxious" by the state and county > > so they won't spray us with 2,4-D and Clopyralid. You wouldn't want to > > have garden soil, would you? Anyway, how could you accomplish > > this on 8 miles of road? We wanted to use the Pfeiffer Field Spray > > so that we wouldn't have to make all those trips down the road with BC, > > 500, 501, 508, Horn clay. I need to learn how to make preps myself so > > no one has to pay the state a fee to register a BD prep as a soil > amendment. > > We have peppers for all the weeds and wanted to spray them in BD preps. > > The Hedleys suggested three sprayings a long time ago when I first > > started on this list. I still haven't firmed down what we're going to do, > > but I feel we should do something to help the soil, especially since the > > county sprayed it in 1999. > > > > We are planning to plant allelopathic plants--rye and oats--to compete > > with the weeds and then eventually seed native plants we do want. > > > > Merla > > > > > > Jose Luiz Moreira Garcia wrote: > > > > > >From what I have seen there was very little > > > Composting operation with regard to the size of > > > the whole farm. > > > Secondly, one can enhance natureīs way by adding > > > some key minerals that are in short supply in our > > > geologically old and eroded tropical soils. Lack of nodulation > > > in legumes could very well be a lack of Molybdenum, > > > as I have noticed there. > > > In a soil without a good microbial life one can expect little to > > > no transmutation and therefore I see no chance to correct > > > any defficiency without adding what is missing. > > > This strategy is highly criticized as being " non sustainable" > > > by those fanatics and the situation goes on and on. They regard > > > adding outside farm supplies almost like a sin. They want to free > > > themselves from the "system" and so do I but in a situation like > > > that I donīt think it is intelligent to condemn your soil to > > > starvation simply because they decided that this is "non-sustainable" > > > In my oppinion there should be a another way to face the situation. > > > Some criteria has to be found like level of microbial activity, level > > > of nutrients, etc... > > > Finally, BD is a proven system worldwide and if it does not work in > > > a particular farm or particular region it should be seen simply as > > > incompetence from those who are running those places and in our > > > particular case the official Demeter people. > > > > > > Jose > > > > > > > > > > > On Friday, March 8, 2002, at 07:07 AM, Rural Center for Responsible > > > > Living wrote: > > > > > > > > > Dear Bonnie, > > > > > > > > > > Rudolf Steiner made it very clear in the lectures to farmers that > the > > > > > preparations were meant to enhance a sound animal based compost > > > > > fertility > > > > > management program. > > > > > > > > Thanks Christy. Yes. This was my understanding. > > > > > I am a little confused at the Brazilian practices described by > > > > > Jose, since most of the preparations are to be added to compost, and > to > > > > > think of adding compost for 27 years and see no results? Were they > even > > > > > composting? > > > > > > > > That is why I was confused about him telling of folks using the preps > > > > alone. It sounded like they might not even be making compost. > > > > > > > > Bonnie York > > > > > > > >
