Re: Spring news
Very well said Lloyd. Peter. - Original Message - From: Lloyd Charles [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 1:12 PM Subject: Re: Spring news From: The Korrows Christy wrote our latest revelation is that the small percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, Its a shame more people in organic and biodynamic agriculture dont realise this - certification is the problem! It infers an all or nothing situation - either you go organic and become certified or you remain (in the eyes of the certified) a chemical farmer. The greatest benefit to agriculture will come from integration of biodynamic and organic practices on conventional (chemical) farms, after all if you eliminate entirely the use of chemicals on a small area say ten or twenty acres of certified land, in the overall scheme of things thats not much chemical. A reduction in the rate applied on one normal scale commercial farm would make a far more significant reduction in amount of chemical used and it is easy to do. We just have to get the farmers attention and show that these things work on normal commercial farms. Greg Willis is doing this, Glen Atkinson in new Zealand has trial results supporting his use of bdpreps on chemical farms replacing toxic chemical applications with potentised preps, we are seeing these things, and other non toxic tactics working on our own farm. There is a huge opportunity here for serious reductions in toxic chemical usage without the attendant reductions in crop yield and financial pain. But I still cop a fair amount of flack along the lines of ' when are you going to do things properly and get certified' from some people within the bd movement - I admit its got more friendly as time goes on (or am I less sensitive to it). I realise we need some of the purist approach or the whole thing will get watered down to mediocrity but I also think that many people dont consider the first step because they are under the impression that they have to go the whole way or there will be no result. Painless transition should be our aim! Cheers Lloyd Charles
Re: Spring news
Title: Re: Spring news Chris Christy, Thanks for the advice. Do you have the latin names for these clovers? Christy, you wrote: and the fact that we don't quite have the interest in managing a staff, our latest revelation is that the small percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, its really going to take everyone raising a garden AND buying from the farms. Hugh Lovel said this many years ago to his customers 'Please! Go ahead and put me out of business'. The reality of this is, (from the perspective of someone who is learning how to garden, grow plants for medicinal and culinary use, emphasis on Learning) is that it would take a huge sea change for this culture to grow into one of family subsistence farms urban cooperative farms. First of all, the price of land alone would stop many from realizing this dream. However, I also think even if we were all landowners, thered be a lot of education needed to help folks like me realize a dream of growing all their own food. So there really is a need more than ever, for small community based farms to feed most of the population, even as they learn to grow some of their own food. I think, ideally, we would expand on the csa concept and urban gardening concepts to guild out many of the needs of the community from dairy to clothing to medicine so that communities eventually could become more self sufficient, changing the very markets themselves. Its a good thing there are already good folks out there like you and Chris, to offer the educational opportunities to see how these ideals can be realized. Or like Jean-Paul Courtens, who consistently turns out not only great food, but great farmers who go off and continue bd or organic farms of their own for over a dozen years. Must be a huge change for you and the farm. Keep us updated on your progress. Because we are still going to need the Hugh Lovels with market gardens, the large csas like Roxbury Farm and the small self sufficient homestead providing educational outreach (on whatever scale) for quite some time in the future, or forums like Bdnow, I find it hard to imagine that a surge in home gardens will put Hugh out of business. (or you guys!) Gardening is already Americas number one hobby, (I just read that somewhere last week!) so now if we can only change the food distribution system by getting more folks to grow their own! Blessings, Jane From: The Korrows [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 16:44:21 -0600 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Spring news For a ground cover Chris suggests Strawberry clover, or New Zealand white clover. Add some calcium or rock phosphate since the clovers will really thrive in this. Plus violets might indicate some soil acidity.
Re: Spring news
Title: Re: Spring news Hey Jane, Here's a link for some clovers info, http://www.groworganic.com/a/a.html?sCategory=101On some of the clovers. Happy planting. Chris Chris Christy, Thanks for the advice. Do you have the latin names for these clovers? For a ground cover Chris suggests Strawberry clover, or New Zealand white clover. Add some calcium or rock phosphate since the clovers will really thrive in this. Plus violets might indicate some soil acidity.
Re: Spring news
Title: Re: Spring news Thanks for posting this Christy! I went to your site to see whats growing already and got a bit jealous, as I look out over our thick ice snow cover. My winter frame weeks ago covered in ice snow crushed a bit under the weight and I wonder whether anything still grows under there. I hope youll keep us updated at your site. The birds have been busy for weeks now, singing away, in spite of the continuous winter storms we keep getting here in the NE of the US. Our drought has certainly ended! I dream of eating wild spring greens soon and of digging and composting my expanded garden. Do you have any recommendations for good ground cover that would have several functions: low to the ground so it can be walked on, nutritious for land that had grass and violet cover, easy to turn under if I want to later, maybe even fragrant? I was thinking of using roman chamomile (chamaemelum nobile). Blessings, Jane From: The Korrows [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you to the many who have given generous financial support to assist our efforts. As always, grow a garden and support your local farmer! Christy Korrow Rural Center for Responsible Living Social renewal through sustainable agriculture 2000 Bullridge Road Burkesville, KY 42717 270-864-4167 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.theruralcenter.org http://www.theruralcenter.org
Re: Spring news
Title: Re: Spring news Hi Jane, For a ground cover Chris suggests Strawberry clover, or New Zealand white clover. Add some calcium or rock phosphate since the clovers will really thrive in this. Plus violets might indicate some soil acidity. I will try to keep up with the planting calendar. Its something I've always wanted to do, but could never find the time. Chris and I have gone through a big transition this year, where we are not going to try to generate any farm income this year. For the first time in 14 years. The last 12 years we have lived off of 90% farm income. I am working for LILIPOH now, and then Chris has his free lance film projects that he is in the beginning stages of developing. So what's happening is we are growing huge gardens, and instead of putting energy into selling the produce, we are going to do more intensive work with the biodynamic preparations, more seed saving. We also have 3 cows and 10 chicks. So everything is very family scale. Aside from Chris back problems, and the fact that we don't quite have the interest in managing a staff, our latest revelation is that the small percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, its really going to take everyone raising a garden AND buying from the farms. Hugh Lovel said this many years ago to his customers 'Please! Go ahead and put me out of business'. Wendell Berry says 'Farm to the farm'. Our farm is small, and not reallyset up for off farm production. The productivity is highest when we are producing for ourselves. Does that make sense? So we feel that our energy is going to be best spent nurturing our own family scene, and having more fun with it! For instance I just emailed a few friends to invite them over to make Barrel Compost. Best regards, Christy - Original Message - From: Jane Sherry To: Bdnow Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2003 6:33 AM Subject: Re: Spring news Thanks for posting this Christy! I went to your site to see whats growing already and got a bit jealous, as I look out over our thick ice snow cover. My winter frame weeks ago covered in ice snow crushed a bit under the weight and I wonder whether anything still grows under there. I hope youll keep us updated at your site. The birds have been busy for weeks now, singing away, in spite of the continuous winter storms we keep getting here in the NE of the US. Our drought has certainly ended!I dream of eating wild spring greens soon and of digging and composting my expanded garden. Do you have any recommendations for good ground cover that would have several functions: low to the ground so it can be walked on, nutritious for land that had grass and violet cover, easy to turn under if I want to later, maybe even fragrant? I was thinking of using roman chamomile (chamaemelum nobile). Blessings,Jane From: "The Korrows" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Thank you to the many who have given generous financial support to assist our efforts.As always, grow a garden and support your local farmer!Christy KorrowRural Center for Responsible LivingSocial renewal through sustainable agriculture2000 Bullridge RoadBurkesville, KY 42717270-864-4167[EMAIL PROTECTED]www.theruralcenter.org http://www.theruralcenter.org
Re: Spring news
On Sunday, March 9, 2003, at 02:44 PM, The Korrows wrote: percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, its really going to take everyone raising a garden That's why in my garden design business, besides working with the Devas for plant placement, I attempt to guide clients into filling their yards with food producing plants. There are just multiples of reasons this is beneficial for everyone. Bonnie
Re: Spring news
From: The Korrows Christy wrote our latest revelation is that the small percentage of organic farms (8000 certified farms in the US- 90,000 farms in Kentucky alone) is not going to turn around agriculture, Its a shame more people in organic and biodynamic agriculture dont realise this - certification is the problem! It infers an all or nothing situation - either you go organic and become certified or you remain (in the eyes of the certified) a chemical farmer. The greatest benefit to agriculture will come from integration of biodynamic and organic practices on conventional (chemical) farms, after all if you eliminate entirely the use of chemicals on a small area say ten or twenty acres of certified land, in the overall scheme of things thats not much chemical. A reduction in the rate applied on one normal scale commercial farm would make a far more significant reduction in amount of chemical used and it is easy to do. We just have to get the farmers attention and show that these things work on normal commercial farms. Greg Willis is doing this, Glen Atkinson in new Zealand has trial results supporting his use of bdpreps on chemical farms replacing toxic chemical applications with potentised preps, we are seeing these things, and other non toxic tactics working on our own farm. There is a huge opportunity here for serious reductions in toxic chemical usage without the attendant reductions in crop yield and financial pain. But I still cop a fair amount of flack along the lines of ' when are you going to do things properly and get certified' from some people within the bd movement - I admit its got more friendly as time goes on (or am I less sensitive to it). I realise we need some of the purist approach or the whole thing will get watered down to mediocrity but I also think that many people dont consider the first step because they are under the impression that they have to go the whole way or there will be no result. Painless transition should be our aim! Cheers Lloyd Charles
Fw: Spring news
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2003 8:09 PM Subject: Spring news Hi Friends of Rural Center for Responsible Living, Well, spring is almost here and we are making some plans for the new growing season. A Spring Gardening Class is planned for April 26. Join us and learn about highly productive biodynamic food production and animal husbandry on a small scale.We are more certain than ever that to turn around our food system, it is going to take a combination of gardening and supporting our local sustainable farms. So we are more excited than ever about these hands -on classes. Visit our website for a complete class description. We are willing to bring the spring gardening class to your community. Call or email if you want to discuss it. Community Farm Alliance put together an excellent forum Is Biotechnology Right for Kentucky? We are offering a video of the forum for purchase, the cost is $15 includes shipping. The 6 panelists included Wendell Berry and Dan McGuire, the policy chair of the American Corn Growers Association. The information exchange between the panelists in the video will give you an excellent current over view of this issue.A portion of the proceeds help to further our educational efforts to promote biodynamic and organic food, farming and gardening. Once again visit the website for details. Please request our free fact sheet on GMO's. Take a minute and visit the web site. You'll find our new planting diary, a simple documentation of the spring growing activities at Dogwood Spring Farm. The important lessons are learned in the day to day gardening work. Thank you to the many who have given generous financial support to assist our efforts. As always, grow a garden and support your local farmer! Christy Korrow Rural Center for Responsible Living Social renewal through sustainable agriculture 2000 Bullridge Road Burkesville, KY 42717270-864-4167 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.theruralcenter.org
