>Like could you name some specific widely grown crops where you

> know the farmers themselves are deeply worried they may soon
> have to accept lower yields due to serious and unsolvable
> problems caused by "mega-ag" practices?


Paul, I think that question should be pretty easy to answer even if we
simply stick to corn.
But first we should clarify what we mean by "sustainable."  How about
defining it as a practice that will still be successful five human
generations from now (~100 years).

So let's list a few:

1.  The use of RoundupReady crops and the massive use of glyphosate.
 Unsustainable because weeds are becoming resistant.

2.  The use of Bt crops--it won't be long until the targeted insect pests
are all resistant.

3.  Growing corn for fuel when it takes a calorie of petroleum energy to
produce a calorie of harvested corn grain.

4.  Growing corn on corn on corn...Not only do corn phytotoxins and corn
pests build up, but also specific weeds.  Plus, expensive fossil
hydrocarbons must be used to supply the nitrogen fertilizer, and to mine
and transport depleting supplies of phosphorous and potassium.

5.  Overdrafting of our aquifers--when the water level gets too deep, it
won't be worth pumping it.

6.  The depletion of soil carbon by current practices.

7.  The massive dependence of the current system upon the continual
development of new classes of pesticides.  Nature always bats last, and we
will need to shift to more IPM to control pests.

8.   The dependence of current mega-ag on cheap fossil fuels.  Some day
they won't be so cheap!



-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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