In a message dated 97-03-26 15:22:58 EST, [log in to unmask]
(Sharon Mesick x7665) writes:
 
                   Hello Sharon:-)  : In reply
 
<< In my opinion, a 'showcase farm' does not necessarily need to show off
chemical usage.  While looking trim may be great for the human eye or
someone's expectations, the chemicals are not good for mother earth, the
animals or for the bees for that matter.>>
 
1.    This strikes me as a kneejerk reaction to a very small use of an
herbicide. Roundup is made to break up after six months and is broken down by
soil microbes into carbon, carbon dioide, oxygen and nitrogen, if my memory
serves me these are natural elements. Mother earth has not been harmed in the
least here, we have more bugs, rodents and wild life than ever before. With
the removal of truly bad stuff from the market and with the advance of
science,we on mother earth are better off for it.
 
 <<Think about the ecological impact of spraying a deadly 4-6 inch strip
around avery building, tree or other object you do not want to hit with your
mower.  It is not minimal.  The insects poisoned either poison the whole food
chain from a low level or die, thus affecting the food chain in another,
equally negative way.>>
 
2.     The area involved comes to 250sq.ft. or .000009565% of the total area
involved. I would say that constitutes as minimal. The insects are not
poisoned nor is the whole food chain poisoned, there just no evidence here to
show that. From the time I was a child to now we have had a great increase in
all forms of wild life and bugs. The only thing that has suffered here is the
bees. And this is not from the use of pesticides or herbicides, but from very
hard winters the last two years and mites. We still have plenty of flies,
yellow jackets,wasps,bumble bees, carpenter bees, ect. ect. I for one refuse
to live in fear of modern technology and become a Luddite. I do believe in
the prudent use of herbicides, pesticides and medicines. They are too
expensive to use liberaly,and should not be used that way.
 
 <<I would love to see a 'showcase farm' such as yours showcase techniques
for land management that are not dereterious to any living thing, including
grasses and weeds.  Have you heard of permaculture?  You might want to look
into some low tech, low impact, low maintenance techniques that actually turn
problems into advantages.  Why not try some techniques such as planting green
manure crops and/or stacking crops?  We also have a farm; total 400+ acres,
although much in woodlands.  About 170 acres in pasture/orchard/garden etc -
higher maintenance than trees.  Have just recently introduced bees to a field
planted in clover and established nut trees.  We run goats in there to
control overgrowth (Kudzu is our big thing).  This is an example of stacking,
and so far so good.>>
 
3.    We have four hundred acres in soybeans and corn and wheat. One hundred
acres in hay and one hundred acres in perminent pasture We use no till on the
crop land and minimum till, chisel plowed on old hay fields covered with
brown manure. Green manure crops do not work well here due to crop rotation
and growing season and dry fall season. The green manure we grow ( hay ) is
put through four hundred head of cattle and turned into brown manure. I think
what we do is called conservation farming, least wise that is what our local
conservation club calls it.
 
 <<Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Does "neat and trim" really weigh
in as more important than 'alive'?  I don't want rot, and it is real humid
here so that is a concern for us, but I don't think roundup (read death) is
the best alternative...>>
 
4.    I think you can have neat and trim and alive, while still useing modern
aids to make life easier and better with out killing off our enviroment.
Least wise we do here.
I have digressed long enough, back to talking about bees.
 
                                                       With best regards
                                                             Dennis
        Dennis Scott
             Ohio