Go Go, Jack you are starting. I'm reading and have much to learn. Per Garp/NH
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Wendell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 10:39 AM Subject: Re: What is Magic? > Hello- > I am new here and writing on this site makes my palms sweat, but I would > like to say that I came from Nebraska to go to Allan's BD Conference in > October. I felt pulled to it from the time I saw it offered in Acres USA > and it was wonderful. I come from a "checkered past" of very conventional > production agriculture and until 6 years ago believed this was the only way. > When our field no longer grew decent crops even with massive doses of > chemical inputs, we began our "quest" for a better way. It has been the > most wonderful and difficult thing I have ever been involved with and we > have fought an uphill battle all the way-personally and economically. I > personally feel that my brains have been put in a Waring Blender and > thoroughly scrambled. Nothing that I believed in belongs anymore. What I > find is that I believe with all my heart and soul there is a better way. I > am pulled so very hard towards the spirituality and connectedness of the bd > concepts. But how to get there?!?!? I came home from the conference and > made my own batch of barrel compost. I am on my way out now to our small > greenhouse to stir a batch of bc using the preps that I bought at the > conference for my own vegetables. Most everyone here thinks I have short > circuited somewhere. I guess what I wanted to say here is thank you for all > of your thoughts on this site. I feel so strongly that I am supposed to be > learning these things. Allan spoke in a recent post about creating "sparks" > from your thoughts and I think you have helped me here. Much goes right > over my head, but some I grasp on a deeper level than even I can really > understand or explain. I am on a journey to find and support my intuitive > nature (which is the real me) and disconnect from the logical side that I > have had to learn to function in in my role here. Hard to do. My dream > is to be able to bring our farm to a place that you can just feel the > positive beautiful growing energy on when you come here. We like to call it > "regenerational" farming. Then to be able to share that with anyone that is > interested to help them make changes and avoid some of the mistakes we have > made. There isn't much room for mistakes economically any more. Is there a > place for bd concepts in larger scale agriculture?? or do those two concepts > totally oppose one another? See, here again confusion reigns. I agree with > all of you that our earth desperately needs healing. Is it possible to use > bd on larger operations? I am thinking of use of preps in our compost tea > brewing process. We made and put on about 90000 gallons of tea this past > summer. I feel it could be a wonderful way to address larger operations. > Not that I feel large operations are necessarily the correct approach, but > to face the facts, that is what is going on in our world. And if there is a > way to bring even a fraction of those folks towards healing the soil instead > of destroying it, then there has to be someone to help show them that it can > work. Well, once again thank you for your thoughts. I hope the spiritual > world understands and helps those that struggle and are confused, because > then there is hope for me! > Michelle Wendell > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Allan Balliett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 6:18 AM > Subject: Re: What is Magic? > > > > > > >"Have a meeting for farmer on how to organize cooperative markets & > > >2 people will come. > > >Have a "class" on how to get 2 blades of grass instead of one & you > > >had better rent a huge hall." > > > > Maybe I missed the point of the above, Markess, but in our area, tell > > farmers how to make money fast (Joel Salatin, for example) and you'll > > fill the hall. Offer to tell people how to heal the earth and create > > foods of higher quality at the same time and very few are interested. > > Take the BIODYNAMIC CONFERENCE for example: right down the road from > > the BD Conference were TWO of the most famous organic farms in > > northern Virginia. Both heavily attended Salatin (i.e. one has 5 > > interns, the other 14 interns- almost all came for Joel), NONE > > attended the BD Conference. Like Merla, these folks were offered free > > passes so there would be no easy excuse to not attend at least > > portions of the conference. Although they all implied that they would > > be at the conference (heaven's - they didn't even have to cross the > > street!), none attended. We had a similar response to the Sustainable > > Ag video/discussion series. Very few interested in the philosophy and > > principles behind growing food in cooperation with Nature. A few of > > the big market people attended one of the presentations, but clearly > > just so they could find out who I was and what I could do for them in > > the short run. > > > > We got excellent exposure to the local farm community for all of > > these events. We have a N. VA farmer's discussion list, to which > > invitations and reminders were posted. I know the big mouths in local > > fruit and vegetable growing. No one attended, although the head of > > the market did make a reservation but eventually backed out. > > > > I'm talking market gardeners in the US' 3rd richest county. Little > > interest in a larger crop. Little interest in better produce but a > > lot of interest in selling more at better prices. > > > > My remarks above are in no way intended to malign Joel Salatin. His > > is the great synthesis: a way of farming that makes the land better > > and makes people more healthy while making more money for the farmer > > in a 9month work year. Catch him at ACRES this year, if you can. > > > > Later > > > > -Allan > > > > >
