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Farmer Roy's Random Thoughts - I never said it was easy.
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<blockquote data-quote="Farmer Roy" data-source="post: 4175442" data-attributes="member: 71668"><p>haha - maybe not, but I am clothing the world ( in cotton )</p><p>although, cottonseed oil is one of the main edible oils used in the world . . .</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>probably should be in another thread, but what the hell, lets be unconventional.</p><p>My own personal ethics play a part in my farming decisions - as may be noted from some of my other posts re soil, climate etc.</p><p>The MAIN summer grain crop here is sorghum - a feed grain used in cattle feedlots & caged chickens.</p><p>Due to our climate, most barley ends up as "feed" rather than malting, with the same end use</p><p>Downgraded / low protein wheat also goes as "feed"</p><p></p><p>Now, personally, I am not a fan of the "industrial" US style of feedlotting cattle - I believe they should be free to graze pastures as God / nature intended, not standing knee deep in their own sh!t for 120 days eating a grain based diet . . .</p><p>I also am not a fan of cage reared eggs / chooks for the same reasons.</p><p>Now, I'm not preaching or being judgemental on anyone, these are just my personal inclinations, along with a whole heap of lefty greeny enviro eco tree hugging hippy nature loving attitudes, as some may have guessed. Along with the cold hard reality of needing to make money.</p><p>Anyway, I did feel a personal conflict with growing feed grains for industries I personally wasn't a fan of . . .</p><p>So, I made a conscious decision to try & only grow crops that contributed DIRECTLY to human wellbeing, not via a third party or process.</p><p>Remember, most of what we produce here is for world export.</p><p>Cotton - human clothing, a vital need</p><p>Durum - straight into the pasta market</p><p>Pulses - a huge number of people worldwide rely on pulses as their main ( & dare I say cheap <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite77" alt=":bag:" title="Bag :bag:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":bag:" /> ) source of protein. This year I have 400ha ( 1000ac ) of chickpeas - that will feed a hell of a lot of people . . . After the durum / chickpea harvest in Nov - Dec, the intention is that all that country will be planted straight after into mung beans. If there is sufficient moisture available, some or all of that area will be carried through to harvest for the sprouting or processing markets, if not, then I'll call it a cover crop & spray out, or a green manure crop & incorporate into the soil surface . . .</p><p></p><p>So basically, my own personal belief is that my products should be directly as much as I can be contributing to human welfare, not compromising animal welfare, whilst also looking after the land & showing good stewardship of the environment.</p><p></p><p>I have to admit, I do have a bit of a conflict with growing cotton - not because it is a GM crop, but because that GM technology / licence is owned by Monsanto - but honestly, the MASSIVE reductions in insecticide use, the many environmental benefits of increased biodiversity in the fields, with increased spiders / wasps & other predators actually helping us, bird life etc outweigh my ideological concerns. Besides, cotton is also a major summer crop here & very profitable. I do have bills to pay - " you cant be green if you're in the red" is also a stark reality . . .</p><p>I also have concerns with current zero till practice ( although the MANY benefits would never see me go back to a full conventional cultivation system ) with the high reliance on herbicides, but I am a great believer in our farming systems constantly evolving & finding "better" ways of doing things</p><p></p><p>Ultimately, ALL of our human actions have an affect on the world around us, my philosophy is just to try & do the "least possible harm" while still trying to be profitable</p><p>Nothing is cast in concrete, I try & stay as flexible & adaptive as I can. Who knows, one day I may go back to growing sorghum as it does have great value in a rotation ( we have 2 growing seasons a year here ) as another crop type & does produce quite valuable crop residues & root systems . . . everything is a balancing act . . .</p><p></p><p>Ok, that's probably enough to get me branded as a complete leftist socialist non farming greeny pinko hippy tree hugger loon who has no idea about "real" farming <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Farmer Roy, post: 4175442, member: 71668"] haha - maybe not, but I am clothing the world ( in cotton ) although, cottonseed oil is one of the main edible oils used in the world . . . probably should be in another thread, but what the hell, lets be unconventional. My own personal ethics play a part in my farming decisions - as may be noted from some of my other posts re soil, climate etc. The MAIN summer grain crop here is sorghum - a feed grain used in cattle feedlots & caged chickens. Due to our climate, most barley ends up as "feed" rather than malting, with the same end use Downgraded / low protein wheat also goes as "feed" Now, personally, I am not a fan of the "industrial" US style of feedlotting cattle - I believe they should be free to graze pastures as God / nature intended, not standing knee deep in their own sh!t for 120 days eating a grain based diet . . . I also am not a fan of cage reared eggs / chooks for the same reasons. Now, I'm not preaching or being judgemental on anyone, these are just my personal inclinations, along with a whole heap of lefty greeny enviro eco tree hugging hippy nature loving attitudes, as some may have guessed. Along with the cold hard reality of needing to make money. Anyway, I did feel a personal conflict with growing feed grains for industries I personally wasn't a fan of . . . So, I made a conscious decision to try & only grow crops that contributed DIRECTLY to human wellbeing, not via a third party or process. Remember, most of what we produce here is for world export. Cotton - human clothing, a vital need Durum - straight into the pasta market Pulses - a huge number of people worldwide rely on pulses as their main ( & dare I say cheap :bag: ) source of protein. This year I have 400ha ( 1000ac ) of chickpeas - that will feed a hell of a lot of people . . . After the durum / chickpea harvest in Nov - Dec, the intention is that all that country will be planted straight after into mung beans. If there is sufficient moisture available, some or all of that area will be carried through to harvest for the sprouting or processing markets, if not, then I'll call it a cover crop & spray out, or a green manure crop & incorporate into the soil surface . . . So basically, my own personal belief is that my products should be directly as much as I can be contributing to human welfare, not compromising animal welfare, whilst also looking after the land & showing good stewardship of the environment. I have to admit, I do have a bit of a conflict with growing cotton - not because it is a GM crop, but because that GM technology / licence is owned by Monsanto - but honestly, the MASSIVE reductions in insecticide use, the many environmental benefits of increased biodiversity in the fields, with increased spiders / wasps & other predators actually helping us, bird life etc outweigh my ideological concerns. Besides, cotton is also a major summer crop here & very profitable. I do have bills to pay - " you cant be green if you're in the red" is also a stark reality . . . I also have concerns with current zero till practice ( although the MANY benefits would never see me go back to a full conventional cultivation system ) with the high reliance on herbicides, but I am a great believer in our farming systems constantly evolving & finding "better" ways of doing things Ultimately, ALL of our human actions have an affect on the world around us, my philosophy is just to try & do the "least possible harm" while still trying to be profitable Nothing is cast in concrete, I try & stay as flexible & adaptive as I can. Who knows, one day I may go back to growing sorghum as it does have great value in a rotation ( we have 2 growing seasons a year here ) as another crop type & does produce quite valuable crop residues & root systems . . . everything is a balancing act . . . Ok, that's probably enough to get me branded as a complete leftist socialist non farming greeny pinko hippy tree hugger loon who has no idea about "real" farming ;) [/QUOTE]
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