Subject: Food Systems

From: [email-masked] (Jeff Owens)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 08:33:48 -0500

We have been trying to produce most of our food for a few years and
have found it to be a challenge.  So I thought it might be interesting
to talk about food systems.  In the last few years a lot of the tools,
techniques, plants, and concepts have changed.
We now have new concepts such as permacutlure, ecology, sustainability,
pollution, organic growing, Integrated Pest Management, etc.  This
presents two problems.

   1.  Finding and understanding information.
   2.  Applying information in a useful way.

For example, the US government finally recognized that our basic
ideas about nutrition was wrong, so they revised the food charts.
If we apply this information to food production, it says that
animals are less important to food production, and grains, vegetables,
fruit are more important.

Permaculture is telling us that us to utilize permanent plantings
for food.  They argue that it is better for the ecology, and is
less work.  To back up their claims they have identified some
of the important plants and sent teachers around the world.

Most of these new ideas are ideal for homesteaders.  In fact it
may be possible to make homesteading easier by using some of
this research.  So I have used these ideas to make some predictions.
Hopefully this might create some discussion.

1. Homesteading will trend away from using animals for food in the areas
   of meat and dairy.

2. Homestead plantings will include more permanent plantings which
   are disease and pest resistant.

3. Homestead plantings will become more diverse, and mono cropping
   will become less popular.

4. When the oil starts running out, the price of food will go up
   and homesteading will once again become a viable economic unit.

5. Areas with worn out soil will be converted to tree crops and
   other hardy plantings.  This will give rise to a new class
   of agriculture/homestead.

Well, this is getting too long so I'll quit here.  Any comments?

Jeff (vote with your lifestyle)

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From: [email-masked] (Dean Osgood)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 12:42:33 -0500

I have trouble with the phrase "permaculture". I have come to belive in
crop rotation, even for small areas. If by "permaculture" you are implying
keeping the same garden beds, or keeping an area in say berrys for a few
years, thats fine, but to imply that you can just plant one thing one time
and let it go, well I tried blackberrys in one spot. Put then in in '79,
and they blighted out last year when the farm got + 54" of rainfall (soggy
year) from some sort of fungal problem. I planted the area in vetch and
will let it go to seed/run wild for a year or three to build up some
nitrogen, and then till it all in for biomass and try again. I will not put
in the same variety of berrys, as the soil will harbor fungal infestation
for years to come.

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From: [email-masked] (Don Bowen)
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 07:13:27 -0800

>
>I'm planting all the trees I can while I'm young.  You give them the 
>frist few years and they pay off for years. A tree you do plant once and 
>take good care of it for about 3 or 4 years than the tree will give you 
>back many years of fruit.  Not a bad deal.   With trees as I get older 
>and slower the tress get bigger and easier.  Seem to be working.  Lots 
>of the trees are 10 or more years old and now I only have to set under 
>them with my mouth open and wait for the fruit to fall in. : O.

        One young farmer in the midwest put aside 10 acres for trees as his
"retirement".  He planted Black Walnut and cherry with lumber production in
mind.  It takes 50 years to get any production and he will be in his mid 70s
then with 10 acres of carefully maintained walnut and cherry trees at $3 -
$5 a board foot.

  Donald E. Bowen           [email-masked]
  Valley Center CA.         [email-masked]

  Software Engineer, woodworker, historian, beekeeper, farmboy
  model railroader, 1936 Farmall 12, 1966 Corvair CORSA 140 convertible
  1 wife, 3 kids, 2 acres, 2 cats, 2 dogs, ? projects,  no TV, 24 hours