Most Farmers in the Great Plains Don’t Grow Fruits and Vegetables. The Pandemic is Changing That.

Civil Eats ^ | 5-12-2020 | Daphne Miller

[mairdie]

>>my Inner Libertarian Girl

My sort of girl. Give others the right to live as they want, AS LONG AS THEY GIVE US THE SAME RIGHT!

[lee martell]

Good luck on your (Victory!) garden.
Be glad you are not in Michigan, where the Governor regulates who buys what seeds and equipment. At least she’s doing that for now. Her people are starting to push back.

[metmom]

I’ve been reading about no till gardening.

What do you know about it and what are the advantages?

How is it done?

[little jeremiah]

Crunchy Conservative here, too! Good news.

[Bonemaker]

"Most Farmers in the Great Plains Don’t Grow Fruits and vegetables."

[Demiurge2]

The return of truck farming...

[TomGuy]

This pandemic and the resulting shutdowns should be eye-openers for weaknesses in our markets and infrastructure.

Pharma, medical equipment, replacement parts for essential equipment, food, etc. All of these need series study, as most of the pre-COVID-19 emergency plans fell short.

Of course, we will likely soon slide back into our ‘normal’ complacency — until the next earth-shattering event.

[Lopeover]

Well said! 👍❤️🇺🇸

[JohnDeereGreen]

In farming no till is accomplished by using a different type of planter to place seed into unprepared or rather untilled ground. It comes with some advantages but also some problems tend to arise from it as well.

The statement in the article about using less chemical control and less fertilizer is blatant falsehood. Typically no till is a chem fallow operation meaning we would burn the vegetation down with glyphosate before planting. As for fertilizer its a given requirement dependent upon available soil nutrients and crop selection.

No till was pushed hard in the late 80s and became very popular. It works great in very dry regions to help control soil moisture. Its a good tool in my area to help control erosion in slope fields. However it is not a replacement for tillage and the downsides have become apparent over the years. Most farmers including myself have gone back to tillage or a mix of till and no till.

Tillage has benefits that include organic material incorporation and no chemical weed control. If done correctly it can also mitigate panning which is something that no till is supposed to do as well but doesn't always work that way. Crop selection and soil profiles have the most to do with tillage type needed.

All that being said, I have no experience in no till gardening as I have always tilled mine, but I would assume most of the premise would be the same.

[Mrs. Don-o]

That's OK. Just because it's Leftyville doesn't mean there aren't sensible neighbors there with a flair for initiative.

Even a ton of lefty rhetoric can't exterminate a pound of innovation, quart of curiosity and a big pinch of "I'm doing it my way".

[Ellendra]

Of course, we will likely soon slide back into our ‘normal’ complacency — until the next earth-shattering event.

Most will. There will always be those of us who learn from our experiences. Every disaster our numbers grow, even if just by a tiny bit.

[Cedar]

With all the farmland just in the Southern states alone, the whole nation could be fed. Tomatoes, potatoes, beans, squash, rice, lettuce, peanuts, cantaloupes, and much more!

[Midwesterner53]

American flexibility and willingness to change has always been a major key to our success in both civilian and military life.

[Elsie H]

Which 10-12 do you grow?

[Texas resident]

This year we didn’t have much of a winter, so I planted in January.

Around the horn: Cantaloupe, strawberries, blackberries, carrots, celery, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, banana peppers and jalapenos.

In the winter, I grow celery, artichoke, broccoli and other greens.

[Capt. Tom]

I am not a gardener, but a friend sent an e- mail to me about planting; and it said don't plant these crops side by side. -Tom

Beans and Onions
Tomatoes and Corn
Potatoes and Sunflowers
Asparagus and Garlic
Celery and Carrots
Eggplant and Fennel
Cucumber and Rosemary
Lettuce and Garlic
Parsnips and Carrots
Pumpkins and Summer Squash

[metmom]

Thanks for the input.

Many years ago I passed a filed where they were preparing it for some kind of crop.

They had a huge tractor like device that had a massive, I guess flame thrower is the best way to put it, on it. The flames were directed downward and as the soil was tilled, the burners passed over it, and obviously cooked everything living in the soil. It would clearly take care of weed seeds and overwintering pests.

I know in England in Aug the farmers burn their fields over. I saw that as we drove through the countryside on a visit there.

[minnesota_bound]

The democrats are trying to destroy California’s central valley farmers so the insiders can buy up land cheap for the train to nowhere.

[JohnDeereGreen]

Very happy for any insight I can provide. Farming is such a diverse topic. So many crops and methods. My experiences have mostly been in grain and hay production and livestock throughout my life. Its been 35 years since we’ve had any row crops like beans and corn.

We like to burn our fields when we can because it helps the soil in many ways. As far as the machine you speak of it sounds like it might work well. I have never seen anything like it in our area however. I hope to tour the English countryside someday and see those wonderful fields. I have a friend that chops silage over there I want to visit.

We do raise a large garden every year. Its about a 1/4 acre as well as a few raised beds. We supplement our four families with that food as well as give a lot of it to friends and neighbors. Mostly just tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, cantaloupe, potatoes, onions, okra and green beans. I do a few peppers and tomatillos as well.

[dakine]

My wife is apolitical to the max..

When I tell folks she is a Bohemian, they realize it when they meet her...

Wouldn’t have it any other way...