[AGL] Work as ecology

[Gerry]

Michelle says:

I have been trying to convince my sons and others for 15 stinkin' years 
to work on my place; help me make a real farm-get in shape and see REAL 
ORGANIC food growing-enough for all to eat and make a profit!!!! Deaf 
DEAF ears. So I did it myself and beat myself nearly to death, or it 
feels like. Now too crippled up to do it any more, but it probably gave 
me strength for a longer period than I would have had. Bad sentence 
structure-don't have time to make it nice.

Sorry to hear that all the work crippled you. Most of my old relatives who stayed on the farm ended up with some kind of physical disability, but no heart attacks or strokes...That's one of the reasons most folks find agricultural pursuits to be undesirable. However, I can foresee an agricultural movement in which good planning of infrastructure and production methods (micro management) keeps a lot of the really heavy work to a minimum without using petrol eating monster machines. I favor solar and wind power on a small scale, lots and lots of collectors to take the place of the electric grid, each home being energy independent. The ag equipment would run on batteries, charged on site from the collectors. I am presently replacing lots of plug-in tools with battery powered tools. Now have a battery powered string trimmer, a battery powered tiller, drills, etc. Looking at electric bicycles, and waiting to the completely electric car, etc.  The construction industry is moving in the direction of all electric battery powered hand tools. Would like to see more electric innovation such as small battery powered 4-wheeler machines to haul loads around on the farm, about the size of Datsun Little Hustler pickups but purpose designed so no cabs and a lot less power, and far less expensive, each having a hydraulic lift installed. 

My innovations include beds enclosed with agricultural fabric. This year I bought a greenhouse kit (8'x10'x20') and will use it with different covers for different times of the year. If it works out as planned, next year I will add another (I have one acre to play with). I am not cultivating a large area any more, about 3,000 sq. ft., mostly growing tomatoes this year. The higher the yield the less land needed and the less work required. Somewhere there is the perfect balance of land use and efficient methods which push high yields without resorting to petrol powered monster machines and chemicals. New Zealand agricultural follows these concepts but they still use the big machines. Anyway, I am always experimenting with the aim of mastering desert agriculture using available technology and recycled materials.

Medical Marijuana just passed the NM legislature. It will go into effect later this year. So, next year's agricultural plan may be quite different. I'm not sure how to act yet...I know I can get a prescription as a result of a cancer diagnosis a few years ago. I could lay back and have the government deliver my stash, not a bad situation at all, let Medicare pay for it... Or I could be a grower/distributor, growing stash for others with 'scripts. Since the details of the distribution are not yet worked out (supposed to be ready by October) I'm not sure what to do. I would like to see a plan like Prop. 215 in California which allows all 'script holders to grow 25 plants each year. Whatever happens I am at a crossroads with lots of options and the promise of soon being completely legal, a heady feeling. 
G

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/austin-ghetto-list/attachments/20070517/29872899/attachment.html>