At the end of the day ( which will come to us all ) I think we all have to look at these issues, and decide what is feasible and practical. Personally, I tend towards an organic approach, and over the last few years have found that I've become much more interested in growing veg rather than ornamentals. I make my own compost and leaf mould, and save all the ash from my wood burning stove. I look on horse manure as another method of recycling. GM I think is a bit creepy, but I'm pragmatic enough to acknowledge that higher crop yields from GM crops mean less global hunger. If only there were easy answers!
GM crops just mean mor emoney for Monsanto and their ilk. It's possible to select plants without GM technology and simply by careful breeding but it's slower.
One of Monsanto's GM tricks is to create edible crops that tolerate glyphosate, thus allowing this weedkiler to be used on products for eventual human consumption. I don't fancy accumulating glyphosate in my body or the antibiotics that come with factory farmed pigs and chickens so I buy organic flour and oats or spelt and free range or organic meat, poultry and eggs.
I try to be as natural and organic in the garden as I can but do resort to chemicals when the weeds take over - as they have on the paths this year what with all the rain and my back op putting me out of action for months. Never use them in the beds or veggie patch.
It is
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Every food crisis brings an answer, not always for the best, to feed the burgeoning populations of the world we will need new and better processes including GM. China Japan South Asia are all experimenting with better rice yields, America? well we are not too sure what they are playing with. The British army marched on Pom, dried Cabbage Bully beef and M&V during the war, there are stories of German troops swapping their processed sausage for British corn beef? Then we got Spam which was to some of us a luxury not knowing or wanting to know the salt content. Margarine horrible, dried egg horrible tinned bacon so-so, we had no choice, it was extra food to supplement rations. With peace came the burger bars, hot dog stands and ice cream with 15 ingredients instead of three, it was a reaction to shortages and food that was much the same for nearly ten long years. Now we are at a time when a lot of people cannot be faddy in what they eat, they eat what they can afford and that cuts out organic and other wholesome things, well wholesome to some of us who can afford it but have go cheaper to a lot of folk. Demand sets trends and GM whether we like it or not will be the norm in the next decade, it is already here by stealth, we may as well accept it. I can afford to shop at the last of the local butchers, we know where the meat comes from but he is the last if he goes then it will be the Supermarkets, we do not know where the meat comes from, it is cheaper but to me tasteless, if money was short it would have to make do and that is the way life works.
Although this is an old thread, for your information a vegan method of growing is available. Vegan organics (stockfree organics) is an established method of growing food and used commercially in the UK. It is any way of cultivating the soil that avoids the use of artificial chemicals, genetically modified material, animal products such as manure, blood, fish and bonemeal.
To improve and promote long term fertility of the soil vegan organic or stockfree growers use a variety of different measures. These include crop rotations, green manures, under-sowing, mulching, composting, the use of chipped branched wood and seaweed meal (not calcified).
But has anyone been to a barn where organic produce is being stored. A friend of mine (farmer) was horrified at the obvious signs of vermin everywhere - made him feel sick.
Many thanks FreddieFuchsia for taking up the discussion. Just googled Vegan organics (stockfree organics). Do you have other references besides Vegan Organic Network?
Posts
GM crops just mean mor emoney for Monsanto and their ilk. It's possible to select plants without GM technology and simply by careful breeding but it's slower.
One of Monsanto's GM tricks is to create edible crops that tolerate glyphosate, thus allowing this weedkiler to be used on products for eventual human consumption. I don't fancy accumulating glyphosate in my body or the antibiotics that come with factory farmed pigs and chickens so I buy organic flour and oats or spelt and free range or organic meat, poultry and eggs.
I try to be as natural and organic in the garden as I can but do resort to chemicals when the weeds take over - as they have on the paths this year what with all the rain and my back op putting me out of action for months. Never use them in the beds or veggie patch.
It is
Every food crisis brings an answer, not always for the best, to feed the burgeoning populations of the world we will need new and better processes including GM.
China Japan South Asia are all experimenting with better rice yields, America? well we are not too sure what they are playing with.
The British army marched on Pom, dried Cabbage Bully beef and M&V during the war, there are stories of German troops swapping their processed sausage for British corn beef? Then we got Spam which was to some of us a luxury not knowing or wanting to know the salt content. Margarine horrible, dried egg horrible tinned bacon so-so, we had no choice, it was extra food to supplement rations.
With peace came the burger bars, hot dog stands and ice cream with 15 ingredients instead of three, it was a reaction to shortages and food that was much the same for nearly ten long years.
Now we are at a time when a lot of people cannot be faddy in what they eat, they eat what they can afford and that cuts out organic and other wholesome things, well wholesome to some of us who can afford it but have go cheaper to a lot of folk.
Demand sets trends and GM whether we like it or not will be the norm in the next decade, it is already here by stealth, we may as well accept it.
I can afford to shop at the last of the local butchers, we know where the meat comes from but he is the last if he goes then it will be the Supermarkets, we do not know where the meat comes from, it is cheaper but to me tasteless, if money was short it would have to make do and that is the way life works.
Frank.
Although this is an old thread, for your information a vegan method of growing is available. Vegan organics (stockfree organics) is an established method of growing food and used commercially in the UK. It is any way of cultivating the soil that avoids the use of artificial chemicals, genetically modified material, animal products such as manure, blood, fish and bonemeal.
To improve and promote long term fertility of the soil vegan organic or stockfree growers use a variety of different measures. These include crop rotations, green manures, under-sowing, mulching, composting, the use of chipped branched wood and seaweed meal (not calcified).
But has anyone been to a barn where organic produce is being stored. A friend of mine (farmer) was horrified at the obvious signs of vermin everywhere - made him feel sick.
Sadly, life isn't straightforward
Many thanks FreddieFuchsia for taking up the discussion. Just googled Vegan organics (stockfree organics). Do you have other references besides Vegan Organic Network?