Put on a little eyeliner, maybe some rouge, and when you encounter the TSA goon, say with a wink “See anything you like, sexy?”

Voodoo?

Jumped over from TreyGarrison.com.

Oh, and I didn’t know Salatin had a blog. I have so much reading to do…

here in Nashville we’ve had a critical mass of users for a few years now, and even the part of rural Ohio where i’m from is hopping. if you have anything halfway decent to sell, it can be gone in minutes with no cost for the ads.

of course, because it’s such a wonderful, open marketplace, it’s driving the nanny-staters mad.

clueless collectivists pueden irse al infierno…actually the last time i said this at home it was “al influenza”…i’ve got a 3-year old.

GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK
USA: TX, MS, FL, CA, AR, WA; Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, Côté d’Ivoire, Nigeria,Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India, Uzbekistan
minifarms@gmail.com

Organic, No-Till Farming

These are based on the internet, US & international agriculture magazines, experiences teaching agriculture in many countries, research and farmer experiences in those countries and a demonstration garden. They are ecologically sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially just and economically viable. There is unlimited, documented proof. On mini-farms the following can double the yields and reduce the labor by half compared to traditional methods. There are 200,000,000 no-till acres and 85,000,000 acres organic worldwide. As of 2008, 4,000,000 acres [USA] organic farm land. ¡It works!

Organic, no-till, whether gardening or mini-farming by hand and/or using hand power tools or with equipment, is the proven way to produce food. [onestrawrevolution.net] It can feed the world’s population regardless of how high it goes.

Mini-farms: Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years [onestrawrevolution.net]. At the time of my visit, an Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years; a Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years; a Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 10 years; a PA farmer [corn, vegetables] for 30 years. In 2006 a Cal urban mini-farm of 1/10 acre produced 6,000# of vegetables [not organic; not no-till]. OSU/OARDC: gross $90,000 acre [Not organic; not no-till].

No technique yet devised by mankind has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion
and making food production truly sustainable as No-till (Baker)

1. Willing to make changes [in the mind; in the field]
2. Financial: Little funds are needed. No tractor, no equipment, no fertilizers, no chemicals.
3. Restore the soil to its natural health. Contaminations: inorganic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers
4. Maintain healthy soil: Healthy soil produces healthy plants, to have healthy people.
5. Feed the soil; not the crop: Inorganics feed the plants and poisons the soil. Organics feed the soil which feeds the plants.
6. Increase soil organic matter every year
7. Soil always covered.
8. Use mulch/green manure/cover crops.
9. Little or no external inputs. Not necessary to buy anything, from anybody. Certain things are recommended [seed?]
10. Manage for highest profit per acre [not the highest yield per acre].
11. Leave all crop residues on top of the soil
12. No-till – no digging, no plowing, no cultivating: Saves fuel, labor, no weeds, no erosion, high yields, highest profits. Nature will till the soil using roots and worms.
13. Permanent beds with permanent paths
14. Hand tools, power-hand tools and pedal-power.
15. All year production: DIY hoophouses, high tunnels, shade cloth, row covers, stakes, etc.
16. Organic fertilizers [16-18 probably not needed after the soil is healthy]
17. Organic disease control
18. Organic herbicides & pesticides
19. Biological pest control.
20. Organic matter [Free? Delivered free? When economically feasible, transport to the mini-farm. Use as mulch]
21. Compost [Do not make; requires too much time and labor except for special use. Pile surplus OM to use later as mulch.
22. Vermiculture [Worms will be in the beds]
23. Muscovies and Guineas should be on every minifarm
24. Maintain crop diversity
25. Crop rotation
26. Inter-cropping
27. Feed the soil through the mulch.
28. Drip irrigation [Purchase or DIY drip lines]
29. Orchards, vineyards, etc
30. Labor: students interested in mini-farming [Future Organic Farmers of America is in planning stage for high schools and youth gardening groups. One TX chapter is already formed.]
31. Organic certification [Selling locally? Not needed]
32. Transportation–bicycle and bicycle trailer [DIY] with various units for harvesting, selling, cargo and/or a small pickup/trailer.
33. Protect nature and the environment
34. Imitate nature. Most farmers fight nature. ¡Nature always wins!

Ken Hargesheimer

When Soil is Plowed
Dr. Elaine Ingham, describes an undisturbed grassland—where a wide diversity of plants grow, their roots mingling with a wide diversity of soil organisms—and how it changes when it is plowed.

A typical teaspoon of native grassland soil contains between 600 million and 800 million individual bacteria that are members of perhaps 10,000 species. Several miles of fungi are in that teaspoon of soil, as well as 10,000 individual protozoa. There are 20 to 30 beneficial nematodes from as many as 100 species. Root-feeding nematodes are quite scarce in truly healthy soils. They are present, but in numbers so low that it is rare to find them.

After only one plowing, a few species of bacteria and fungi disappear because the food they need is no longer put back in the system. But for the most part, all the suppressive organisms, all the nutrient cyclers, all the decomposers, all the soil organisms that rebuild good soil structure are still present and trying to do their jobs.

But tillage continues to deplete soil organic matter and kill fungi. The larger predators are crushed, their homes destroyed. The bacteria go through a bloom and blow off huge amounts of that savings-account organic matter. With continued tillage, the “policemen” (organisms) that compete with and inhibit disease are lost. The “architects” that build soil aggregates are lost. So are the “engineers”—the larger organisms that design and form the larger pores in soil. The predators that keep bacteria, fungi, and root-feeding organisms in check are lost. Disease suppression declines, soil structure erodes, and water infiltration decreases because mineral crusts form. Dr. Elaine Ingham, BioCycle, December 1998. (From ATTRA News, July 06)

Tue, Dec 30, 2008

Dear Ken,

Thank you for all the info. I am applying it in my own vegetable patch. It is working. Got half a pocket of potatoes off a square metre. So would imagine about 10 pounds per square yard. This off previously dead low, carbon soil. Sure next crop will be better. Got yams coming up on same spot already. Want to plant herbs and spices. I will send photos.

Your advise is so simple. People do not believe me when I tell them. I am so excited about growing things now. This coming from a commercial plum farmer. May you be blessed this holy season a thousand times more than you blessed me with you help. Jeremy Karsen, middagkrans@mwebbiz.co.za

Project room: Kyomya, Uganda
We have been working on improving farming techniques for almost a year. Unfortunately, the farmers are planting small plots of land that only feed their family. There is no other choice but to try new techniques to improve the output of their plot. Ken Hargesheimer suggested the “no till” farming techniques as well as the “drip system”. Both have proven effective at increasing produc-tion by at least 5 fold. The time is now for Kyomya to become a model agricultural village. [nabuur.com]