Posted on 05/13/2017 10:18:55 AM PDT by TimeofReason
I'm sure this has been going on for some time. Nobody drove by this land, saw a few weeds and immediately threatened to spray his fields. The Roundup threat is likely the last resort of a fed up community and a noxious member of the community that doesn't care about the community he lives in. That has nothing to do with being organic.
You should take a look at a farm where they actually care and love the land that feeds them. It is a beautiful thing, in contrast, I'd like to see a picture of this farm.
Going organic doesn't mean you plant crops and do nothing but wait until harvest. Letting noxious weeds flourish is stupid and detrimental land stewardship that negatively impacts crop returns and family income. The issue is poor land management not the choice of eating Roundup, or not.
True statement. The clover also fixes nitrogen in the soil for other plants to use so you don’t need fertilizer. Much more to going organic than buying land and watering it in the hope that something grows.
“Ever eaten a thistle?”
Milk Thistle seeds have a compound in them that actually repairs liver damage in humans. People who would’ve otherwise died from some form of severe liver damage, when placed on a treatment utilizing an extract of the active ingredients found in Milk Thistle, have had their livers rejuvenated back to fully functioning healthy organs. It’s definitely a ‘miracle’ herb, and works better than any pharmaceutical.
What's it like? Mini artichokes?
You have to remove them by hand or hoe/rototill the crops and use mulch to keep them from coming back.
if that doesn't work, you plow them under and replant.
we grow organic rice here in the Philippines... you know all those wet rice paddies? It was for weed control.
an organic farmer should already know,
1. you keep weeds cut below 6 inches height for fire prevention and to eliminate pollen spread, and
2. you get rid of weeds by spraying them with vinegar when the ambient temp outside is between 70-90degrees, and
3. to prevent anything at all growing for a year or two on fallow fields, you add salt to the vinegar
organic farming doesn’t mean you get to pollute your neighbor’s fields with weed pollen and seeds
So you meant to write “an additional clover ground crop” then, rather than a “close” ground crop, right? That makes more sense. Non-organic farmers often practice crop rotation and grow various crops that are then plowed under in the spring to augment soil nutrients.
I’m aware that a lot goes into organic gardening, but it does sound like that 2000 acre farm is creating some issues with their current practices. Sometimes the truth lies in the middle somewhere, but discussions nowadays don’t seem to gravitate toward the middle ground. Everything is all or none, it seems.
Yeah, It is tilled in.
I would like to have seen the actual farm in question in the video.
I haven’t tried the flowers. I hear that they are like artichokes.
Tiger’s Eye said it already, so I can’t add much. If you get the stalk before the bloom opens and strip it of thorns with a knife and heavy gloves, it’s crisp but not stringy like celery and has a slightly sweetish taste. They can also be peeled, which does away with the thorns but also the whitish skin that tastes OK. I’d hate to injest one of those thistle thorns, so I usually just peel the stalk for safety’s sake.
It’s a shocker. But if I wait until the flower opens, then the stalk will be stringier and stronger tasting - more like stew ingredients. I suppose if a person waits too long then the plant might be good for cordage...
That tells me all I need to know about your agenda. This company is the third largest producer of organic produce in the country.
I know many organic farms and they are more concerned about weeds than traditional farms. Not only for themselves but for their neighbors.
In the rural environment, good fences make good neighbors and good weed control makes good neighbors.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.