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  1. #11
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    Yes, and believe me, the broken system really angers me. I am a guy that longs to be a full time farmer, but the economics make it nearly impossible for a small scale, organically based farm to make it. You can either pay for the land, or pay a salary, it is very difficult to do both. Agribusiness has lowered the cost of food so much that it has all but driven the family farm out of the market. They are over. Within a couple generations it will all be agribusiness. This has in turn caused the American consumer to expect cheap food. I was in a supermarket yesterday, and was amazed. You can buy a whole chicken for less than 4 bucks here in Ohio. How do they do that? In our home produced birds, we have that in feed alone. Then I saw the fall favorite, Indian corn. Dried, and nothing but a decoration, 5 bucks for 4 ears. We will pay more for useless gimmicks and decorations than we will for good food. We have a good customer base, and produce a decent amount of income in our little system, but we are one more piece of bad economic news from losing many of our customers to the local grocery store for $3.49 whole chickens.

  2. #12
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    Quote Originally Posted by rfeiller
    You are absolutely correct brier which brings us back to maybe this earth can not support as many people as some would like to believe. The cost of mass produced food may be in the long run the most expensive.
    It sounds like you want a seat on my space colony

    Quote Originally Posted by Brier
    Yes, and believe me, the broken system really angers me. I am a guy that longs to be a full time farmer, but the economics make it nearly impossible for a small scale, organically based farm to make it. You can either pay for the land, or pay a salary, it is very difficult to do both. Agribusiness has lowered the cost of food so much that it has all but driven the family farm out of the market. They are over.
    I don't completely agree with that, and I plan to start a small farm myself. I am still doing the research, but a small farm (especially one integrating aquaponics to lower costs), seems surprisingly feasible. Perhaps we need to have a discussion in the coming months about this

  3. #13
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    I wish you the best of luck. You might want to look into selling your fish for pond stocking, and aquatic vegetation control. Will give you a leg up on trying to sell fish into the food market.

  4. #14
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    i will be using KOI fry in hopes that i can sell them at the end of a year to suppliment the cost of my wonderful tasting $10 tomatos.

    take care
    rich

  5. #15
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    sounds like a plan.
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  6. #16
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    Hi all,

    In my area, in the Pacific NW, there is a strong and growing trend towards locally produced food, including organic meats and produce, coming from an increasing number of small family farms. Sustainable agriculture seems to be taking off like wildfire and the local growers face stiff competition in finding space in the increasing numbers of farmer's markets and organic co-ops. All of the supermarkets are adding fairly well-stocked, though somewhat expensive, organic produce sections. Many of the farms are also participating in "subscription" farming, where urban customers can order weekly packages of assorted produce via the internet. Waiting lists for organic farming internship programs are long, indicating a marked interest by others wanting to learn the techniques.

    A couple of commercial methane plants have opened up as well, using manure from dairies to make electricity which is then sold to the local power grid. The spent manure is then sold to local organic growers. In one case, several dairies formed a methane co-op to provide renewable electric power to run their operations. Working with the local utility, PSE, methane-generated electricity is fed into the grid and the participating dairies are given kw-hour credits according to their share of the raw material. Excess electricity is purchased by the utility and the spent manure is used on nearby raspberry farms also owned by the co-op members. This is not a small operation, lending credence to the idea that sustainable practices can readily be adopted at a commercial scale.

    As an aside, since hydrogen gas is typically extracted from methane, local dairies could play an important role in providing fuel for a new generation of non-polluting fuel-cell vehicles, lowering dependence on foreign oil while providing local "green" jobs. You could top off your tank and a get a gallon of fresh organic milk and a flat of raspberries at the same time.

    It seems to me that organic farming can have a viable future in America once a local market and infrastructure is created. Dairy waste and fertilizer run-off has been killing off local rivers and streams and having a devastating impact on the salt water ecology of Puget Sound and it's diverse fishery, including NW salmon and shellfish. Increasing public pressure and new regulations have forced local dairies and farms to look for alternatives to doing business as usual. Although traditionally slow to change their ways, many local farmers have come to embrace sustainable agriculture once they came to the realization that it could make their businesses more profitable. I believe that it is also creating a fair amount of local pride in the sense of stewardship it engenders.

    Having said all that, sustainable practices are still far from universal in this area. However, I do remain optimistic that positive changes will continue to improve the situation as more and more consumers and producers come on board. It's easy to forget that we have a 10,000 year history of "organic" farming practice and tradition, while the 100 year-old petro-farming industry is, in a very real sense, a modern experiment that simply may not stand up to the test of time. If we, as a society, were to invest as heavily into modernizing organic and sustainable agriculture as we have into "traditional" chemical farming, it may be possible to actually keep our food affordable as petroleum prices continue to rise. Not to mention providing our children with an opportunity to live healthier lives.

    Gary

  7. #17
    Members 15mules's Avatar
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    Re: Could Organic Produce Be the New Ritalin?

    Well, This has been an interesting read for someone new to the forum, a lot to think about. Can Organic farming and small scale farming be a sustainable business?? I would like to think so, but I do not see it just yet, where I live anyway! The truth is in my area minimum wage jobs is the norm. Quality, seems to matter less and less in our society, people just want something NOW, that is cheap (or so it seems). Much of the problem is people do not fully understand the cost of many of the food choices they make. Like putting money on a credit card, eating unhealthy food does not hurt immediately. Consumers have to be educated as to the benefits of an Organic or Local product, so they can fully understand and appreciate, why they should pay more for your product over the processed product in the store, that in all honesty $$ wise is probably cheaper.
    Big business such as Walmart and Con-Agri and a whole list of other Big Agribusiness everyone loves to hate, have become what they are today, because we (that is right you and me have to take some of the credit) just like everyone else, stopped buying locally when they came to town and started shopping there, because it was cheaper, we could buy MORE. Now years later when they are the only ones left, The true cost of our choices really show. They price what they want and they sell what they can make the most profit selling, no mater if it is healthy or not. We as individuals must buy it, because they have squeezed everyone else out of business. Or, by our choices( that is right you and me) did we do that???
    We as individuals, as small Mom and Pop stores and small farms have lost our place at the economic table and it will not be easy to get it back. The truth is, some of us or all of us will have to work long hours, get by on small profits, and spend years barely making it, if small farms are going to regain their place as local providers. We will have to do it, not for the reasons the Big Agribusiness does it, because there are millions to be made, but because we BELIEVE in what we are doing. Because we believe our efforts will benefit others. Because we Believe our children's future depends on it. We will need the help and support of our neighbors and communities to succeed. Please, do not expect help from your local grocery stores, they will not appreciate the competition, it is bad for their business.
    I will be honest, I am a Christian and I believe a certain way, and I make no apology for that, but please hear me out. The Bible says in the end days men will become lovers of themselves. Many people think this is talking about homosexuality? I beg to differ. I believe it is referring to what we see everywhere now in our society. People both men and women, becoming lovers of themselves, caring only for what is best for ME, not what is best for us as a society. People no longer care what is best for their friends, family and community. When the Walmarts and big Agribusiness started squeezing out the Mom and Pop operations we did not care what happened to them, we were saving money, and now we are seeing the real cost of our choices. When we start to care about our community, we will again start to support local small farms and local organic farming operations, and we will force Big Agribusiness out of OUR communities. But we all must think of what is best for us. We must not only want to eat healthy ourselves, but we must educate our consumers on how we can help them eat healthier also. We must quit thinking what is best for ME. Our communities used to provide local food and there is no real reason, why it could not be possible today.
    Never show your ignorance, by thinking you know it all

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