HLisa744
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- Name: HLisa744
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Greentiger -
Spaceshaper posted a very important statement:
And that the cellulosic material already has significant economic, biological and ecological value which is likely to always exceed the value of its maximum theoretical potential as fuel.
Corn stover, wheat straw and other agricultural "waste" are a VERY important part of maintaining soil organic matter and reducing of soil erosion. I cannot effectively speak to the use of wood chips or slash piles, but switchgrass, the other highly touted feedstock of cellulosic ethanol production, comes with it's own set of concerns: That we will create another monoculture of a cash crop. That wildlife habitat created through Conservation Reserve Programs will be devastated.
It is not to say that effective production of cellulosic ethanol cannot be achieved. In fact, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Minnesota Project, and the Great Plains Institute have all released pretty good reports on farming for energy through alternative crop production.
Panacea of the Plains
Residues are not waste - Where's the gold in corn stover?
LH
On Notable quotable posted 2 years ago 8 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
CRP / Swampbuster / Sodbuster
CRP is not perfect. I do not know of a single program (government or not)that is perfect. This particular program did remove millions of marginally productive lands from cultivation. Land that should not have been cultivated in the first place.
It is well worth reading the House Version of the Farm Bill. That is the starting point for Senate debates. It APPEARS the Senate Ag Committee may put more muscle behind conservatin issues, but that is yet to be seen.
In past Farm Bills, Swampbuster provisions prevented growers/landowners from receiving ANY USDA payments if they drained wetlands drained. Swampbuster did prove effective in preserving & protecting our wetlands. Ducks unlimited is currently pushing a watered down version of the same provision. Nicknamed "Sodbuster", a grower / landowner could not receive government subsidies previously unfarmed land that is converted to crop production... Again, that only negates payments related to that land.
LH www.EarthMaize.Typepad.com
On U.S. conservation land may soon end up in your gas tank posted 2 years, 2 months ago 9 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Zero Day Comment Period
Last week, Homeland Security released precise locations, a construction schedule, and the type of fencing proposed along the Texas-Mexico border. Remember Katrina? Part of the Rio Grande fence is destined to be constructed upon deteriorated levees - Levees for which the federal government has repeatedly ignored requests for repairs. This is only one in a laundry list of outrage expressed by the residents of South Texas.
Meanwhile in on August 27th, construction began on a section of the fence near Sasabe, Arizona. Parts of the wall will be built in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. Tohono O'odham Nation tribal Chairman Ned Norris Jr. has expressed concern that the project will adversely affect five of the tribe's cultural sites lying in the path of the fence - and that the tribe was not properly consulted.
THERE WAS A ZERO DAY COMMENT PERIOD ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.
http://earthmaize.typepad.com/home/2007/09/dont-fence-me- ...On Not to Mention It's Wildly Inhumane posted 2 years, 2 months ago 2 Responses
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More poop on the porch...
We've been saying it forever... it's the middle man that's making all of the money.
I grew up on a farm that raised hogs. In confinement buildings. That operation is long gone; the markets described by Dairyman effectively closed it down. Today, if I wanted to get back into a hog operation, my options would be severely limited.
You see, without a contract with a processor, it is very difficult to effectively raise and market pigs. And the processors really don't want to spend much time working with a small farm. It's a business decision - we call it "cherry-picking".
I've been inside several of the large modern facilities. They aren't uber-large around here, but they are massive. Still, the atmosphere is much healthier for the animals than the operations of 20-30 years ago. Nonetheless, we must deal with the waste - either in methane-producing manure digesters or as a potent source of nitrogen.
Nitrogen is Part A of a run-off problem. As Dairyman noted, nitrogen leaching can easily be sourced from either chemical or waste nutrient applications. Part B of the problem is Phosphorus build-up through manure applications... It's a feed issue that some are addressing through an additive called phytase. One farmer I was talking to this fall really didn't want to talk about phosphorus or phytase he felt it was just a d** if you don't d** if you do situation.
Phytase/phosphorus aside, between the disappearance of open lagoons, the technological improvements of the buildings, and GPS-assisted nutrient application systems, we have the ability to raise pork better... even at a small scale. But the reality is that we just don't have the market support to make it happen; and that the price of technology makes those improvements cost-prohibitive for many smaller producers. We don't see the same price jumps for live hogs that you see for shrink-wrapped meat.
So in the end, we have two looming issues: 1) The Market - for which I have no suggestions. 2) Effective waste management. From algae-based ethanol production to nutrient applications to methane-generating digesters there are better ways to utilize the manure. Let's look for solutions - not choose the finger to stir it with.
As a final note: For those who feel hogs should be free-range - please don't go there. They are one of the most environmentally destructive animals I know of - mankind excluded.On How the meat industry thrives, even as costs rise posted 2 years, 2 months ago 15 Responses