Hi Peter >Hi Keith ; > > > So we just can't farm without Monsanto, right. > >Sensible question. Unfortunately the article does not >propose reducing the use of herbicides but only >increasing their use.
As usual. GMOs increase herbicide use anyway, even without superweeds to contend with, as intended I guess, contrary to the promises they'd reduce its use. Or at least Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" (glypohosate) GMOs do. All their promises have brought the opposite realities. >Don't they understand that it >is only a matter of time before another weed becomes >resistant to the new cocktail and even worse than the >first? Seems not, and that's been going on much longer than just with GMOs, right from the start of chemicalised agriculture. Let alone that fighting weeds is a waste of time anyway, it's just the wrong approach. >Where does it end? The logical conclusion is the >creation of wide variety of superweeds which will >create havoc for all farmers. Don't they see this >coming??? Apparently not. I suppose they'll make a GMO a fix for it, upon which "all farmers" will then become dependent, to the greater glory of Monsanto's bottom line, and the new "solution" will have similarly havoc-causing runaway "unforeseeable side-effects", so they'll make a GMO fix for it... The idea that you have to fight weeds seems to be as endemic as the weeds are. Rodale's "New Farm Newsletter" of December 15, 2006 has this yarn: http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/2006/1206/witchweed/vanm ourik.shtml Kaata is making our millet plants wilt - Scientists and West African farmers learn together how to manage a devastating weed - and how to integrate agricultural science into a treacherous farming environment. It's striga, witchweed. "De-mystifying the witchweed mystery" says one headline. Seems the good folks at Rodale's haven't read their Albert Howard, nor those at Wageningen University. More re which here: http://journeytoforever.org/farm_pest.html#striga Controlling weeds and pests: striga It says "Striga thrives under conditions of low soil fertility and decreasing plant diversity." (ECHO Development Notes, Issue 59, February 1998) Er, maybe it's trying to tell us something? > > How is your patch of forest getting along, Peter? > >Lots of things are doing really well, thanks. But it >is a big project for me. I'm pretty tired. :-) I can say just the same for my patch, and me. >Anyone interested in my energy farm project can see >progress pics at : > >www.cresard.com/pr01 > >The plan for this year is (budget permitting) : > >1) Biogas from pig s**t. >2) Set up the ethanol still. >3) Get the wind turbine working. >4) 10K more teak seeds arriving Friday. >5) More of pigs, cattle, chickens, rabbits. >6) Plant about 10K oil palms this rainy season. >7) Dry season farming. >8) Breadfruit (for ethanol) and diesel tree (for >diesel). Good stuff Peter, strength to your arm Have you thought of using Muscovy ducks? http://journeytoforever.org/farm_poultry.html#muscovy We're using chickens,. Muscovies and geese, doing this: http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg62619.html Re: [Biofuel] More Gardening News - micro ley farming Keith Addison Fri, 12 May 2006 It's advanced a lot since then. Main reason I've been so scarce around here, and such a really lousy correspondent. :-( I didn't manage to reply to Pannirselvam's message about sustainable farming because I was too busy doing it, nor to Robert's and others' messages on Closing the garden. Oh well. All best Keith the sporadic > > Best > >And Best to you Keith. > >Peter G. >Thailand (and Cambodia) _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
