-----Original Message----- From: Jed Rothwell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2006 3:21 PM To: vortex-L@eskimo.com Subject: RE: Message from D. Pimentel
Zell, Chris wrote: >I think US farmers can handle this without a return to slavery. Absolutely! They do this by replacing human labor with machinery, energy intense production methods, fertilizer and pesticides. All that matters is the price per BTU, without subsidy for either gasoline or ethanol. That is the valid determinant, not the pessimism of prejudiced academics. As to efficiency, studies done of Amish farming showed good profitability during the '70s, when farm failures were commonly reported - despite little use of pesticides or energy intensive methods. Nor does the growth of cellulose necessarily need lots of fertilizer or pesticides compared to other products. - and tractors can run on ethanol, too.
