Record crops from organic farming

SuperstringTheory said:
And they all involve various costs which in turn reduce efficiency.
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Perhaps someone should say what 'organic' farming is... and which might be more important what supermarkets TELL us it really is.
Organic farming is not necessarily hand planted stuff in natural composted soil. It is not necessarily produce grown free of pesticides and weedkillers.
There is no reason, as far as I know, why 'organic' produce should not be planted and harvested by machine.
Once again we are being conned.
 
Banned said:
Organic foods cost quite a bit more in the grocery stores.
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It need not. Supermarkets are always looking for a USP or a sales story. The word 'organic' came to them as a magic answer to enable them to increase prices and we stupid people BELIEVE what they tell us and spend double what we should.
 
Lowaicue said:
It need not. Supermarkets are always looking for a USP or a sales story. The word 'organic' came to them as a magic answer to enable them to increase prices and we stupid people BELIEVE what they tell us and spend double what we should.
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Our local supermarket was selling Chinese button mushrooms at $10.00 a pack (our $$ not yours). about six feet away were packs of 'organic' button mushrooms selling for $30.00!!!
WTF is an INORGANIC mushroom?
(price differential has now been drastically reduced. Well well well, quelle surprise!)
 
btw there is not enough compost stuff out there to enrich all the farm soil in the USA.

I agree with the bsic concept of reasonable organic farming, but it is not possible to replace all of our agriculture with it.
 
Banned said:
btw there is not enough compost stuff out there to enrich all the farm soil in the USA.

I agree with the bsic concept of reasonable organic farming, but it is not possible to replace all of our agriculture with it.
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Referring back to what I was saying before. It may not be necessary to enrich all soil in the US. Perhaps, like the UK, you just need better logistics and product management.
 
Lowaicue said:
Referring back to what I was saying before. It may not be necessary to enrich all soil in the US. Perhaps, like the UK, you just need better logistics and product management.
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Here is an extract from a BBC report quoting 'a researcher'. I don't know the validity of the researcher so take it as you wish'

I had not found this before I posted previously. Nice to see I'm not alone!

"The reasons for this situation range from poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure through to supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one-free offers."
He told the BBC's Today programme: "If you're in the developing world, then the losses are in the early part of the food supply chain, so between the field and the marketplace.
"In the mature, developed economies the waste is really down to poor marketing practices and consumer behaviour."
 
PostmodernProphet said:
dude....one person driving a machine versus dozens working by hand isn't something that requires agreement......it merely requires thought.......
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Something you are not very good at. There is more to consider than planting alone. This method requires less seeds, less water and no pesticides. All of those factor in to the use of labor and other costs. Further, there is no reason they can't plant with machines and there are new innovations being devolped to further reduce labor costs as the SRI method gains wider acceptance.

http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/nepal/extmats/nepsrigpengex.pdf
http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/malaysia/index.html
 
Lowaicue said:

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the waste was being caused by poor storage, strict sell-by dates, bulk offers and consumer fussiness.
The British Retail Consortium said supermarkets have "adopted a range of approaches" to combat waste.
They also lobbied the EU to relax laws stopping the sale of misshaped produce.

We are growing the wrong stuff in the wrong places and dumbing down users to accept only what the supermarkets tell them is 'perfect' food.
You might like to check out the TED talk, 'Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal'
This waste is as a direct result of supermarket policy. If the apples or tomatoes are of odd shapes and sizes they cannot be handled by machine and computer, but the supermarkets maintain that customers demand 'perfectly shaped' food. That, as even you must agree, is total bollocks.
.
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It does not appear that it is just the choice of the supermarkets.
 
SuperstringTheory said:
Something you are not very good at. There is more to consider than planting alone. This method requires less seeds, less water and no pesticides. All of those factor in to the use of labor and other costs. Further, there is no reason they can't plant with machines and there are new innovations being devolped to further reduce labor costs as the SRI method gains wider acceptance.

http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/nepal/extmats/nepsrigpengex.pdf
http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/malaysia/index.html
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No pesticides?

I recall when they sprayed most all of south FL to control an outbreak of Medflies.
 
Banned said:
btw there is not enough compost stuff out there to enrich all the farm soil in the USA.

I agree with the bsic concept of reasonable organic farming, but it is not possible to replace all of our agriculture with it.
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Of course their is. You plant a crop of nutrient rich, fast growing ground cover, and then plow it under. My grandfather did it every year.
 
Banned said:
so more government control of the farmlands?
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Where I come from 'management' and 'government' are not necessarily synonymous. In this case it would be management by the supply chain and if those involved repeatedly squandered a nations resources then government might have to step in. It is government's job to enable its people and to prevent the sabotaging of that enablement.
 
SuperstringTheory said:
It does not appear that it is just the choice of the supermarkets.
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The supermarkets are the final profit takers in the chain. They are in direct contact with the consumer's cash. They dictate under the guise of help. Check you local butcher's and ask how he makes his profit and what percentage he makes. Then ask the same questions at the local branch of your national supermarket. Ask your butcher about recipes and best cuts then ask your supermarket.
Many people are not aware of the power these companies have. If I wished to supply a product to my local supermarket I would have to guarantee to keep stocks for them, their warehousing has now been reduced to a small room! - storage costs at the supermarket reduced. I would have to negotiate shelf space and guarantee to keep that space stocked at all times. My deliveries would have to be at scheduled times, my invoices might be settled in 60 or 90 days. I would be subject to arbitary price reductions dictated by the supermarket. I would probably go out of business in a few weeks.
So the only people who can supply are the huge wholesalers with fleets of wagons and contra cyclic products that subsidise diffent products as the supply changes.
The supermarket will pay the minimum or less than the minimum legal wage for its totally unskilled workforce. It will not stock. It will not check its quality... BUT

In the last 30 years it has nearly doubled the mark-up it adds across the board.

Horsemeat, schmorse meat they dont give a shit until they are found out! Organic, schmorgannic, same applies.
They have you by the bollocks and only national, concerted action will ever make food and drink safe and affordable again.
You have been warned.
 
SuperstringTheory said:
Something you are not very good at. There is more to consider than planting alone. This method requires less seeds, less water and no pesticides. All of those factor in to the use of labor and other costs. Further, there is no reason they can't plant with machines and there are new innovations being devolped to further reduce labor costs as the SRI method gains wider acceptance.

http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/nepal/extmats/nepsrigpengex.pdf
http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/malaysia/index.html
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you realize as well that SRI could be done without being organic, right?.......
 
PostmodernProphet said:
I'm sorry.....I never would have gotten into this argument if I had realized you didn't know what "efficiency" meant......
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Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose.

You don't know what efficiency means. You are apparently trying to define it in some narrow way just like you did with government service.

If a farmer expends resources repairing the soil then that will reduce his efficiency no less than if he takes care not to damage the soil in the first place.
 
SuperstringTheory said:
Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose.

You don't know what efficiency means. You are apparently trying to define it in some narrow way just like you did with government service.

If a farmer expends resources repairing the soil then that will reduce his efficiency no less than if he takes care not to damage the soil in the first place.
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it's really quite simple, String....you have decided incorrectly that this SRI system is "organic" farming......you have tried to justify the claim that organic farming is efficient because SRI is effective.....you can argue all you want that SRI is efficient, but it has nothing at all to do with organic farming.....when you realize that, come back....
 
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