|
Thimerosol, the Ethyl Mercury based preservative used in many vaccines and opthalmic phrmaceutical (Including Contact Lense Cleaning Solution) is toxic to human cells at 10 PPB.
Getting back to farming, I remember visiting Big Farms in the Central Valley of California in the mid eighties. I recall seeing huge piles of 5 empty 5 gallon containers of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals just laying out in the open. I took note of it then, and just imagined how toxic these areas must be, and it was no wonder that the yards were deserted most of the time.
100's of acres without a single tree, or shade for that matter. Ditches full of pea soup green water. Not a frog to be seen, and on rare occasions, some flies. It was interesting to see the number of bugs at night, attracted from miles away to the Lamps used in the harvesting operations, and watching the bats feasting on these pesticide laden insects.
It was that experience in the 80's that turned my stomach away from modern "Generally Recognized Agricultural Practices" which are the only methods that are able to get any sort of Agricultural Loan from the USDA and other lenders. I decided in 1998 to move toward organic production, Integrated Pest Management, manual and natural weed control, cover crops, and most of all, trees.
I never use fire to burn debris anymore. I prune and drop the branches at the base of the trees, and then grow crops on them as a natural, trellis, which shades the soil, prevents the growth of weeds, and ultimately breaks down a returns to the soil. I don't till the soil anymore, except for when I transplant something, and only in the immediate root bowl. I have not used any fertilizers or chemicals of any kind, other than Yellow Jacket lure in the traps for the meat bee's, or Fruit Fly Pheromone to trap Fruit Flies. I monocrop in small groves, widely dispersed wmong other groves, just like you would find in a forest, with the grandfather and grandmother trees sheltering their offspring.
I have no dust, except for pollen from the canopy overhead.
In today's society, food seems so plentiful, that it has lost it's value, forcing farmers into this false idea that more crops will earn more money. What a complete fallacy. All they do is create more crops without increased demand, which is the definition of INFLATION of the supply of their product. They INFLATE the availability of the crops they produce, forcing the price down and creating a greater loss. This is basic supply and demand.
They no longer question whether their product is worth anything, or is as nutritious as the Wormy Apples, or the reduced yield of a field of corn with reduced yield.
I am surrounded by farmers that still use the "Modern" methods of agriculture. They are now "Registered Pesticide Applicators", because they have been invaded with new weeps that are immune to RoundUp. They have graduated to Paraquat and 2,4-D, and Atrazine. Surprisingly, they complain that The Patriot Act forced them to become registered due to the extreme toxic compounds they are able to purchase.
Fortunately, I am surrounded by a huge buffer zone of native forest so I am at least somewhat protected from pesticide drift, but I have to assume that the groundwater is pretty much contaminated, as well as rainwater catchment.
These chemicals are a sham. What's wrong with a little labor intensive crop production? Although Farming can be hard work, farmers make it harder through the dependance on Monocrop production, forcing brief periods of forced labor. You won't get rich farming.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
