Posted on 05/18/2022 7:53:17 AM PDT by crz
Ping
Preach it.
We have a 160 acre wheat farm in northwest Oklahoma, and this may be the 1st year is actually made some serious money
71M or 22% of US crops at risk from drought
Farmers rationing water, destroying crops they know won't survive
Midwest oppotite - wet - weeks behind planting
Labor, fuel, seed & fertilizer prices skyrocketing
Food prices up 9.4% from a year ago(what about 2 years?) and expected 5-6% more this year(try 15%)
War adding to it
Biden admin says bla bla
Guy who runs bakery says cost of flour has doubled
Covid targeted obesity. Everyone knew it and that comorbidity was very seldom mentioned. Locked down folks should have been told to get as healthy as possible. Simply exercising in your home is better than nothing.
A recent discussion came with an explanation I found interesting. Being the only direction given to one of the Four Horsemen.
the Last Days, the Bible says a Huge Economic Disaster will come upon the earth. This is part of God’s Judgement on the World prior to Jesus return. The Black Horse Rider will bring the judgement that is why he carries a pair of scales in his hand. The economies of the world will fall and inflation in those days will be so bad that two pounds of wheat will cost a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wage. The Last part of the prophecy is do not damage the oil and the wine. The Oil represents God’s Anointing and the Wine represent’s Jesus Blood. What it really means is the Black Horse Rider (Judgement) is not Allowed to Come Upon God’s Anointed People and People who have Been Saved by Jesus Blood (Grace).
“Negotiate a peace before they lose it all.”
Time to buy some more cream of wheat!
God save us from these evil democrat heathens!
My cousins writing on studies on farming in that region. He used to come to the NE WI for visits and would ask to see our tree planting spacing methods since we were all in the forestry industry up there. His interest in that was for windbreaks to prevent wind erosion.
He also headed a study on irrigation methods which WAS NOT popular with the local Ranchers/farmers.
We thought that the result of his getting death threats as a result of these studies caused his suicide. He testified in front of the Ag committee, and all hell broke loose after.
Sounds like he was ahead of his time as quite a few farmers are discovering mixed plantings, cover crops, trees and no-till give them more soil fertility than commercial fertilizers can and they’re actually building top soil and reducing or eliminating rain/water runoff.
Gabe Brown in SD rolls and crimps a cover crop or rye to terminate it and uses a no drill seeder to plant corn into the terminated cover crop. Zero commercial fertilizer, pesticide or weed control and is corn grows better than the neighbor who uses Big AG techniques and his farm is very resilient to weather factors. No rain, no problem, 12 inches of rain in a few days, his land soaks it all up.
He also does mob grazing of cattle, builds soil using the technique and uses no dewormer/meds or fly control. It mimics the bison/buffalo who used to stay in a tight group for predator protection. The grass gets trampled, manure gets trampled with it and then soil life till it all in.
Plenty of small market gardeners are doing similar things but people like Gabe are going large scale with it. They say the improved soil actually sequesters carbon and puts it back into the ground.
They’re in a race with those who want to do away with real beef and swap us to lab made crap.
Here is one thing they discovered. Using Manure for fertilizer exclusively actually reduced production..and then increased weeds, which we already knew.
He indicated plainly on there that strip farming was advantageous to water retention. Hold the snow from blowing off the fields so when spring comes it allows for the winter crops to get the water they need for restarting growth.
Also, water introduced at proper times of growth for increase of production. Need not water all the time constantly, just enough at those times to supplement and then increase at the proper times to increase plant production.
Moreover, we have to keep in mind that top soils are only about 12 to 18 inches deep in that region.
Because it wasn't ALWAYS done this way, the soil that has washed down into our pasture land over the eons is some of the most gorgeous dirt you'd ever HOPE to have. You can eat it with a spoon, if you're so inclined. ;)
Due to a very cold spring, then a heat wave, and now back to rain and the upcoming normal temps, though planting of some things is a little late, we will catch up around here. The crops in my part of the state are all for cattle/dairy/horse feed, though. If worse comes to worse, I can learn to love field corn with extra butter and salt. ;)
Field corn is OK if you get it early.
But, if you can grow field corn, you can grow sweat corn.
I know the area around Baraboo, Spring Green, Wildcat Mtns area, etc real well. Logged around there and Reedsburg way back in the 70s.
Sweet corn...
There’s a reason bottom land is so valuable.
I love the way contour planting and landscaping looks.
This property has a 3 foot deep gulch plus quite a few smaller ones that run parallel to the gravel county road that goes up/down a hill. Once upon a time, there was no official road, just an agreed upon path that a handful of neighbors used starting with horses and wagons. When one path got bad, they’d move over a bit and start another. Many tons of soil lost.
Any place where I’ve converted from forest to pasture has lost some top soil in the process. Once the leaves, humus and duff are removed and it rains, you lose some. I’ve gotten better at the timing and getting grass growing on the bare soil asap. Still might lose 1/2-1 inch but the earlier spots were 2-3 inches as told by the stumps and rocks that appeared to grow 2-3 inches taller. Where I put the perimeter fence up and drove the tractor up and down a path on the hills, I lost 4-5 inches and it’s hard to drive on now because those spots are rocky. I’ll be adding some fine gravel and then unrolling round bales on those spots multiple times. Might dump some dirt before the hay. Will also roll out the bigger/taller rocks first.
They say Nebraska has lost many feet of top soil and I believe it.
Ray Archuletta of the NRCS, the only good part of the USDA, has a presentation with two dust bowl, wind blowing soil type of slides but one pic is from the 1930s and the other one is recent. The one from the 1930s shows brown dust while the newer one shows pale or tan dust. Same thing still happening but the soil lost is of a lower quality.
Don’t mind if Joe Biden shoots himself in the foot, but does he have to do the whole country? Another CEO would probably be immediately fired.
Our neighbor (ex-Amish) uses that hay bale (Timothy Hay) method to refresh his fields for his horses. Works like a charm and makes perfect sense.
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