Lime in forest soils
Someone wrote to someone and someone replied : Robin Duchesneau Wrote in reply to Daniel, " In forest, we often find low quantities of assimilable forms of nitrogen," Q I take it you mean water soluble nitrogen forms (nitrate and ammonia) ? with the high load of organic matter and active decay there is a lot of nitrogen available to the forest system "and slow growth rates." Q do you have figures on this? I dont, but my gut feeling is that a healthy forest system would have a high yield in total biomass produced per year? Cheers Lloyd Charles -- In forest system you do have a high load of Organic Matter but this OM has a very high Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. That means you have plenty of carbon but actually small amount of nitrogen in relation to that carbon. This is basically what a fungi will like. This environment is highly acidic because fungi thrive better on that sort of environment. OM with a C:N ratio of 80:1 to even 200 or 300:1 can be found on forest environment. Bacteria will have a hard time trying to get that small amount of N out of the woody debris. Bacteria likes a better C:N ratio like you have in agricultural soils. They also grow better in pH close to neutrality. This is why you have more bacteria on agricultural soil than fungi. So it is not a matter of absolute Nitrogen but relative nitrogen. Everything in the soil should be seeing on a relative basis rather than on an absolute basis. This is what Dr Albrecht have taught us. Jose
RES: Lime and Humus
In a message dated 8/6/02 4:54:52 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << << How does lime do this? Why would destroying the humus-building complex be a problem in forest soils but not agricultural soils? Any ideas? >> It is a problem in agricultural soils. As CaCO3 breaks down under various conditions it uses up many nutrients in the process. In soil it is very complex beecause of the diversity of available minerals...will need further research to adequately answer your question. Sstorch - Not So. Lime or any other source of carbonates will release Calcium ( or Magnesium) that will electromagnetically attach to clay colloids raising thereby the pH. This pH shift to neutrality will favour bacterial growth that likes Nitrogen as I said before. This bacterial burst will demand Nitrogen. If they don´t find it in the soil guess where they are going to get it ? Right. In the humus fraction that has plenty of nitrogen. This is what they say in Europe when they see a grower liming their soils : "Rich father, poor sons " meaning that lime will definitely destroy humus and make the soil poorer as well as their owners. At the beginning you get a calcium release and increase of production ( Rich fathers) but then humus will be depleted leading to soil degradation ( poor sons). This is not a reason to avoid applying limes to your soil in any way. We can increase soil pH but can also grow green manure and increase carbon fixation and carbon levels in the soil increasing thereby soil microbial activity that will improve humus fraction over time. Any other thoughts ? Jose
Joel Salatin, Loudoun Co, VA, Sept 4
ACRES USA coverboy and regular poster to BD Now! Robert "Chile Man"
Farr and I are hosting a presentation in Lovettsville, VA, by Bioneer
Joel Salatin on Wednesday, September 4.
As you are probably aware, Joel is the prime mover behind both the
pastured poulty and the grassfed ("Salad Bar") beef movements and a
long time champion of the right of small farmers to make a living by
selling to their neighbors. Joel's methods are so economical and so
well designed that they are now being taught in permaculture design
courses.
Joel is very concerned that current trends in public health are
interfering with the publics ability to purchase and enjoy locally
grown meat. Joel is in the process of organizing a producer/consumer
group that will respond in appropriate ways to attempts by local
health departments to interfere with grower's right-to-sell or
consumers right-to-buy healthy, clean, products from local pastures.
A likely successor to Wendell Berry's seat as cheif agrarian
philsopher, Joel's fifth book is scheduled to be a collection of
essay about farm, church, government, and family.
Come on out to Northern Virginia and meet Joel and catch his
motivating and information-packed slide-show. On top of all that,
enjoy a hefty plate of samples (sausage and eggs) from Joel's farm
and the garden and kitchen of Robert Farr, the Chile Man.
-Allan
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2002
Contact: Allan Balliett (540) 668-6165
Joel Salatin, Entrepreneurial Farmer and Author, to Speak on the
Value of Local Food
One of America's most dynamic and innovative farmers will address the
anyone concerned about the future of food and farming in Loudoun
County at the Lovettsville Game Club at 6pm on Wednesday, September
4. Anyone who appreciates fresh, healthful, locally grown food or
who is interested in producing it for local markets should attend.
Promoting food production that is environmentally,emotionally,and
economically enhancing for both producer and consumer,Joel Salatin is
a third generation clean food farmer.His presentations about the
family's 550-acre Virginia farm have received standing ovations.
He has authored four books:Pastured Poultry Profits:Net 25,00 in 6
Months on 20 Acres,Salad Bar Beef,You Can Farm:The Entrepreneur's
Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise,and Family
Friendly Farming:A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business
Testament.His columns appear in ACRES USA and Stockman Grass Farmer
magazines.
A wordsmith,Salatin describes his diverse farm enterprises with
ear-catching pharses:salad bar beef,pasture poultry,pigerator
pork,pastured rabbits,lambrigini lambs,feathernet eggs.And what he
calls "relationship marketing" to 400 "cheerleaders"gives him full
retail dollars for everything the farm produces.
Although his message is a decidedly positive one,it draws clear
distinctions between food produced in "inhumane,factory farms"and
food produced in "pasture based,animal friendly farms"
His presentations carry several themes: "let animals do the work;"
"Value adding through marketing;" "diversity and multiple-use;"
"organic matter;" "fully utilizing resources before buying anything."
Woven through his talk is a strong consumer thrust : "If you want an
agriculture that does not pump animals full of drugs and
hormones,pollute the water,erode the soil,and stink up the air,vote
with with your pocketbook and quit patronizing the conventional food
industry--seek out and support your local alternative farmer."
A truly innovative farmer;he has received numerous conservation
awards.In addition,the farm has been featured in National Geographic
and Smithsonian Magazine.He and his wife,Teresa,have two
childern:Daniel,20 and RAchel,15.His mother,Lucille,still lives on
the family farm.
Joel is providing hardy meal-sized samples of his pastured pork
sausage and his free-range eggs to attendees. Please RSVP to be
assured of receiving your share. Contact Maura Balliett at (540 668
6165 or email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This program is being presented by the Mid-Atlantic Biodynamic Food
and Farming Confernece Committee and Gardening for the Future.
More Information on Joel is at http://www.gardeningforthefuture.com
(coming soon!)
Re: Biodynamic Spaghetti
>The spaghetti is made by Eden in Clinton, Michigan. Even DEMETER certified!!! > >Does anyone know of this product? I guess some farmers out there >are growing BD wheat for pasta. Good job. I've spoken with Eden about their BD efforts in the past. (They provided Demeter certified rye spirals for a Mid-Atlantic Conference a few years back) They would use more BD stuff - - they find the quality impeccable - - but they need to be guaranteed a supply greater than most North American BD growers can promise. I can't speak for your spaghetti, but like the rye shells, the source grain is probably from Fred K of the Dakotas. Enjoy! -Allan
Fwd: re:lime and humus
>Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 12:55:16 -0700 (PDT) >From: Michael Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: re:lime and humus >To: Allan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Dear Allan, > >Please Fwd: > >Dear Lance, et. al, > >As matter of fact, I had this same question a few >weeks ago; does lime eat humus? > >First, I don't think RS was addressing the types of >type we have offered to us today; bagged and rated. >It struck me as odd, but in the lectures he seems to >be addressing different forms of calcium. > >This morning I was reading and just happened to come >across the definition. Industry produces the bagged >lime we get today by the heating process; taking rock >CaCo3 and turns it into CA-Co in powdered form. > >Viktor Schaubeger, who was a bit more radical in his >approach, states that we never want to put anything >on the soil that has been through an extreme heat >process. He also states that this destroys the soil >mechanism. > >Lance, your remarks on the fires in the west do seem >to have some validity. However, I don't think we are >getting the entire picture. It took me years of hard >study to understand what was going on. Bear with me >please. > >As probably everyone on this list knows, both the >Egyptian and Mayan Calendars end in the year 2012. The >problem is trying to figure out, from a Macro point of >view, exactly what is going on. Well, the Polonesians >did a lot of Island hopping across the Pacific; >following Islands along a volcanic ridge. Some of >them ended up in the Hawaiian Isles. Then, somewhere >in the 14 to 1500s these extremely active volcanoes >went dormant. > >I came across an article a little while back stating >that Geologists had been able to track a plume of >volcanic silica traveling all the way from the east >coast of Africa, across central America, down to the >Hawaiian Isles. However, all this doesn't help >understand the western fires does it. > >Well, every now and then I check the USGS site for >lists of current earthquakes. I found out later >though that some of the activity is not being reported >there. Specifically, Mt Hood in Oregon is rising. >Some believe that a giant magma deposit is pushing >upward. > >So if magma has once again began to move within the >western states, this could well help trigger the >drying of the soils and subsequent fires there. > >This is not the ultimate answer though; just another >cause/effect. The real question is how an ancient >culture had a clock or calendar that would predict >when these phenomena would again take place to change >the face of the earth. This is quite a bit of a >different change as opposed to those who use >depreciation accounting to change the balance line to >make themselves look better. > >Michael. > > > > >__ >Do You Yahoo!? >HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs >http://www.hotjobs.com
Re: wider use of bd remedies
Hi! James. Thank. The knowledge is mainly from Frank Moody and some who worked with him, as I think you would realise. The challenge is to identify the best tree types. I have a "Phil Callahan PICRAM Antenna" built by Hugh Sangster. I use this mounted on a fibre glass fishing rod and coupled with coaxial cable to a digital muli-meter. With this one can see the low voltage A.C. anomalies. Supported with dowsing, this can be a help. I had a great five weeks of mainly study in the UK, with a few visits to megalithic sites and like places of interest. I still have more case studies to finish to get to the point where I can start training others. Gil James Hedley wrote: > Very well described. How is your School of Radionics going? > Sincere regards > James > > - Original Message - > From: "Gil Robertson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 11:42 AM > Subject: Re: wider use of bd remedies > > > Hi! Jane, > > Does any one have experience "using a tree as a Cosmic Pipe"? > > > > My suggestion: A tree has a "front Door" into which energy enters the > tree. > > > > This is easily dowsable. It is situated on the Eastern side, about 400 or > 500 > > millimetres above ground level. It is around the size of a playing card. > One > > can easily dowse the outline of the front door and for our experiment mark > it > > on the bark with chalk. > > > > There is an energy that flows around the Earth, flowing East to West and > is > > strongest in the first hour after dawn. > > > > I suggest this is the point where the Preps. should be placed to allow the > > energy from the Preps, to be taken into the tree and hopefully projected . > > > > I suggest that a little wooden box, (about the size of the front door!), > is > > placed in a manner not to damage the tree, should be installed to hold the > > Preps. My preference would be to use no metal and feel it would be better > to > > have it supported on stakes and not on the tree. It could be a little way > > clear of the tree. > > > > I also suggest that if grazing animals and possibly pets have access, it > may > > be necessary to build a post and rail barrier, as if the tree works as a > > Broadcaster, animals will be attracted by the energy and tend to want to > get > > close and sheep and cattle will want to rub on it. > > > > One will also need to select trees suited to the desired task out of those > > available. > > > > Those familiar with the several generations of "Towers of Power", "Cosmic > > Pipes" and more recently, Hugh's "Field Broadcaster", will know that some > of > > these were intended to pick up "Cosmic Energy (s?) and use it to project > into > > the earth. Others, such as some Towers of Power, specifically use Earth > Energy > > (s?) to project into the atmosphere. Some, such as Hugh's current models > are > > intended to do both. > > > > Those who have studied Earth Energies, will know of places where there is > an > > up flowing of energy, best suited to placing an upward projecting "Tower" > and > > also of downward energies used for the other type of tower. There are also > > some places where there is a cyclic reversing energy flow, on which a two > way > > device can be sited, but in my part of the Earth, these are quite rare and > > seldom available. (There is a great one in a key part of Wells Cathedral, > but > > I don't think they would let us put a Tower there.) > > > > Among types of trees, some work as upward projecting antennas and others > as > > collecting antennas and one assumes these may be used to carry the energy > from > > the Preps. into the soil. (Also most trees do neither). > > > > Thus we need to lean all we can about the trees in our local area and > their > > characteristics as an antenna. (It is worth reading some of Phil > Callahan's > > work on this.) We then need to find suitable trees on a suitable energy > site. > > > > This may sound complex, but will undoubtedly lead to more satisfactory and > > more consistent results. > > > > Gil > > > > Jane Sherry wrote: > > > > > I think it makes more sense to use the tree as cosmic pipe iif y'all are > > > going to just start getting them 'out there'. Snip > > > >
Re: Biodynamic Spaghetti
It comes from Fred Kirschmann's farm in North Dakota, 3000 acres, great rotation...sstorch
Biodynamic Spaghetti
Hello, Yesterday I found biodynamic spaghetti at my local grocery store in Montreal. Not the organic type of store, but the super big corporate mega food store. Perhaps a sign of encouragement! The spaghetti is made by Eden in Clinton, Michigan. Even DEMETER certified!!! Does anyone know of this product? I guess some farmers out there are growing BD wheat for pasta. Good job. . BD spaghetti is a first for me and I can't wait to taste! Cheers, Robin
