1 million lbs of food a year on 3 acres.

[matt44644]

http://www.groworganic.com/
This is where i get my heirlooms .

 

[lazy gardener]

Yep. And took lots of time/labor as well as a huge capital investment. Also, $116,900 is the gross, the net is very different. He also can't eat all that corn himself. He's gotta trade it for other goods that he needs. He has thus specialized. If everyone chose to raise corn or the 10,000 fish things would not end well.

To the second poster... The reason current ag practices are so heavily dependent on herbicides, pesticides, heavy equipment, tech, etc, is because that is what it takes to raise the massive quantities of food needed to feed the current worlds population without putting prices through the roof or making lots more people work in ag. With the population we have and the percent of that population that is in ag, there simply aren't enough people in ag to produce enough food via other methods nor are there enough people in ag to work the land that is currently in production if other methods are used. With current methods one person can farm a huge amount of land. Using other methods they simply couldn't make use of that much land. So, you'd either have less food produced driving up prices or you'd have to get more people into ag again driving up prices because the costs would go up.

I respectfully choose to disagree. Our current mega farm practice is based on practices which deplete the soil of it's ability to sustain life. It only makes sense that mono-culture, or growing a single crop over a vast amount of land would deplete certain minerals, and encourage a build up of crop specific pests. Simply throwing some chemical fertilizer on the ground, and pesticides at the crops in prescribed intervals does NOTHING to ensure continued productivity. Where the top soil in the mid west grain belt used to be measured in feet, it is now measured in inches due to modern farming practices. While I'm not advocating a return to spade and pick axe, I will say to my last dying breath: Just because our country embraces the mega farm model, including vegetable and meat production, that doesn't mean that it is the most profitable, or best way to do it. I don't have any answers, but will raise the question: What are we as a nation trading in terms of our health to continue the current status quo.

I further concede that not every American is motivated to grow a portion of their own food. BUT, I believe that we as a country have become complacent, buying the corporate mantra that it's so very much work to grow your own food. I was having a conversation with someone about supplying home grown produce to the local WIC program. A client who was sitting there with her child inserted herself into the conversation, and started asking the most basic gardening questions. She asked with awe, "You have a garden?" She lived in one of the local low income duplex houses... tiny little strip of flower garden in front of each entry way. I explained to her that it would be as simple as spading up a bit of ground and buying a packet of lettuce seed. Then she could sprinkle the seed, and water it with Miracle-gro, (since her soil was most likely barren). I went on to explain that she could have a tomato or cucumber plant at the edge of her "flower bed" or in a large plant pot. Her reply, which is epic for this current population: "I've never grown a plant in my life. I'd love to grow some lettuce." Did she follow through? Doubtful, because there will be a dozen people telling her she can't, to my one tiny little conversation of encouragement.

But my point was that it can be done, regardless of work or time. If everyone (or even a small percentage of people) could do this it would greatly cut down on the reliance to commercial industries. What they don't want you to know is that you don't have to rely on anyone for anything if you don't want to. That's how they keep you where they want you. I.E. under them on the ladder. And the lower on the rung you are, the more you rely. Basic capitalism in a nutshell. They want it this way because if it wasn't everyone would realize we don't need them in the first place. Did you know that 99% of the nation's wealth is held in the pockets of the top 1% of the population? Guess who that is, that's right, the people that supply the seeds, fertilizer, and insecticide that's used in commercial farming. On top of that they tax for every seed used by the small town farmer, and if you don't use their seeds, they sue! Not to mention with the pollination rate of most of them, if your neighbors have GMO corn, so do you.

An other consideration: HELLO America. Look at the unemployment rate. Look at the numbers swelling our welfare roles. Move away from the mega-farm model into more sustainable agriculture. Put some of those folks to work earning an honest living. Then take the time to teach everyone who has access to even the tiniest foot print of land how to do something even as simple as grow their own summer time salads, like the lady I mentioned above. Start with baby steps. Replace the "I can't"s with the "I'll try it", and "I can"! Success breeds success, and leads to increased confidence to take the next step.

 

[The Colonel]

http://www.groworganic.com/
This is where i get my heirlooms .

That's awesome thanks Matt. Bookmarked both of them. Sorry about rambling, I get carried away sometimes

 

[The Colonel]

I respectfully choose to disagree.  Our current mega farm practice is based on practices which deplete the soil of it's ability to sustain life.  It only makes sense that mono-culture, or growing a single crop over a vast amount of land would deplete certain minerals, and encourage a build up of crop specific pests.  Simply throwing some chemical fertilizer on the ground, and pesticides at the crops in prescribed intervals does NOTHING to ensure continued productivity.  Where the top soil in the mid west grain belt used to be measured in feet, it is now measured in inches due to modern farming practices.  While I'm not advocating a return to spade and pick axe, I will say to my last dying breath:  Just because our country embraces the mega farm model, including vegetable and meat production, that doesn't mean that it is the most profitable, or best way to do it.  I don't have any answers, but will raise the question:  What are we as a nation trading in terms of our health to continue the current status quo.  

I further concede that not every American is motivated to grow a portion of their own food.  BUT, I believe that we as a country have become complacent, buying the corporate mantra that it's so very much work to grow your own food.  I was having a conversation with someone about supplying home grown produce to the local WIC program.  A client who was sitting there with her child inserted herself into the conversation, and started asking the most basic gardening questions.  She asked with awe, "You have a garden?"  She lived in one of the local low income duplex houses... tiny little strip of flower garden in front of each entry way.  I explained to her that it would be as simple as spading up a bit of ground and buying a packet of lettuce seed.  Then she could sprinkle the seed, and water it with Miracle-gro, (since her soil was most likely barren).  I went on to explain that she could have a tomato or cucumber plant at the edge of her "flower bed" or in a large plant pot.  Her reply, which is epic for this current population:  "I've never grown a plant in my life.  I'd love to grow some lettuce."  Did she follow through?  Doubtful, because there will be a dozen people telling her she can't, to my one tiny little conversation of encouragement.

An other consideration:  HELLO America.  Look at the unemployment rate.  Look at the numbers swelling our welfare roles.  Move away from the mega-farm model into more sustainable agriculture.  Put some of those folks to work earning an honest living.  Then take the time to teach everyone who has access to even the tiniest foot print of land how to do something even as simple as grow their own summer time salads, like the lady I mentioned above.  Start with baby steps.  Replace the "I can't"s with the "I'll try it", and "I can"!  Success breeds success, and leads to increased confidence to take the next step.

^^^^ This!!! 100% agree. It's like having someone tell you they can't find your house without a GPS. But won't get a map to try without it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Oh, BTW, the response from the WIC program staff person: "We wouldn't allow fresh produce donations to our program." Let the country continue down the same old same old path, and let us all don our blinders.

 

[The Colonel]

Oh, BTW, the response from the WIC program staff person:  "We wouldn't allow fresh produce donations to our program."  Let the country continue down the same old same old path, and let us all don our blinders.

Amen, like we can't see what's going on.

 

[WYNot]

I'm not saying it isn't a good idea (and lots of fun) to raise what you can yourself. But it is unrealistic to expect everyone to raise everything they need. Simply isn't possible. If everyone is busy raising food, then all the other aspects of what we enjoy as modern life vanish. Not shilling for big Ag but it is simply not reasonable to expect to raise enough food for ourselves and the rest of the world using such methods. This is one of those times when the economy of scale does play a huge role. To gather produce and other food from thousands of small farms and get them into the supply chain would result in rather large increases in price as the cost of doing so goes up.

As I said, I grew up on a small beef cattle farm. We had about 20-30 head at any given time. We managed pastures and grew hay to feed them. We raised grain (corn, soybeans, wheat, hay rotation) to generate additional revenue and to help maintain the soil. We had a garden. We managed the woodlot on our farm and our family (my grandparents') farm for our own use and to sell for firewood and lumber. Parents still have the farm. I've got a small place so I raise a small garden and chickens and go deer hunting to supplement (and for fun). We do the heirloom crops in the garden where possible. Heck, I'm even preparing to start in on beekeeping this spring. We do what we can and we do it because we enjoy it. It is simply more efficient to work my regular job and stick to the homesteading stuff as a hobby.

Also, Colonel... You could switch away from the "mega-farm" model and you would still have tons of people on unemployment and welfare simply because they will refuse to do such work. There are plenty of such jobs out there already that go unfilled. You can't force people into such jobs. Doing away with the "mega-farms" would simply raise the price of food and produce. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

As for all the calls against the so called 1%ers here and elsewhere... I'm sorry I refuse to buy into such class warfare. I will never begrudge someone else what they have earned nor demand that they give me any of it other than as a fair exchange of value for value. I work ****** hard for what I have and it is mine to provide for me and my family. If someone needs help, I'll gladly help... if asked or if I see a need. If you (or government as your proxy) comes to me and demands I give to someone else I will fight you tooth and nail. When charity is no longer voluntary it is then theft. Theft is theft regardless of scale.

In the end it comes down to freedom. People are free to choose and for the moment they have chosen to support the big ag method. All we can do is make our own choices, educate others, and provide alternatives. What we can not do however is demand or force others to do as we wish.

 

[RichnSteph]

http://www.groworganic.com/
This is where i get my heirlooms .

Bookmarked for use. Thank you Matt for posting that link!

RichnSteph