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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
Holistic Farming
Pasture, Soil and Vegetarianism Info
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<blockquote data-quote="Blaithin" data-source="post: 4984412" data-attributes="member: 5764"><p>Biologically we can sustain ourselves on plants, provided we have enough variety. However biology is not the only issue. The main one here, to me, is availability.</p><p></p><p>Availability leads itself into the issue of food transportation and it's linked issues. Fuel consumption, cost, freshness, etc. (Someone on another thread mentioned lettuce shipped to Kenya I believe, to be packed and sent back to the UK?!)</p><p></p><p>As an example, it has been cold here since October. Frosts, dormant plants, heavy snow cover. Currently it's -16, no sign of above 0 temps until at least next week, and another 10 cm of snow forecast for Saturday. And the frost is in deep, so it will be a while of warm temperatures before the soil is frost free and warm enough to germinate seeds. Who cares about the weather you may ask? Well that means we are into 7 months of winter. This is not including the poor growing conditions of September or May which is taking us up to 9 months of very little plant production.</p><p></p><p>9 out of 12 months are not suitable to grow produce out side here. Therefore large investments in infrastructure and heating would be required OR produce is shipped in from very, very far away. Personally I choose to support local buying vs world wide travelling food. I do not subscribe to the idea that farmers need to feed the world. Farmers need to feed their local population. As such, the local population here needs to take into account that for 9 months, unless you're growing lettuce in a pot on the counter, your vegetables are limited. (There is no large scale green houses or hydroponic systems here that can supply 9 months of vegetables and fruit to the entire population.)</p><p></p><p>I like to preserve foods. Canning is good as long as you aren't dying from heatstroke while doing it. But to subsist entirely on canned goods and the odd supplemental fresh produce from the supermarket? This is where you can apply the Vegan attitude of me eating what's convenient because I absolutely do. I have no desire to live on canned veggies, dried beans and products from various flours (despite my love for all things baked <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite61" alt=":hungry:" title="Hungry :hungry:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":hungry:" /> Potatoes included!)</p><p></p><p>Livestock are convenient. They conveniently help my land. They conveniently keep themselves fresh even in the coldest months. They conveniently provide fresh food during the cold (eggs and milk). They conveniently eat food that I can grow and store in larger quantities than my own produce.</p><p></p><p>Like [USER=42914]@holwellcourtfarm[/USER] I have no issue with vegans or veggies that are respectful of my ideals and in return I have respect for theirs. And like you, I agree that propaganda is an absolute sh!t form of "education" that is too prevalent these days. Constructive conversations and broad, open minded education needs to take place. The hard core, militant type folks don't stop to think "where do people who have winter 9 months of the year get their veggies from and what issues can arise from that?" In too many instances meat eating and vegetarianism and veganism get too cut and dried, too black and white. In reality the edges are never straight, and there are many different colour shades.</p><p></p><p>It's never going to be just about humans biologic capabilities. There are many other factors involved.</p><p></p><p>As an aside, I have been looking more into foraging. While this also doesn't tend to be very practical in winter (I like the winter and being out in it, but finding something to eat under all that snow isn't exactly easy or worthwhile <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite18" alt=":LOL:" title="Laugh :LOL:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":LOL:" />) But it can add a nice variety to food selection in the growing months. For instance, dandelions or alfalfa in salads. Dandelions are one of the first things growing here, so they're easy to take advantage of and start the growing season off fast!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Blaithin, post: 4984412, member: 5764"] Biologically we can sustain ourselves on plants, provided we have enough variety. However biology is not the only issue. The main one here, to me, is availability. Availability leads itself into the issue of food transportation and it's linked issues. Fuel consumption, cost, freshness, etc. (Someone on another thread mentioned lettuce shipped to Kenya I believe, to be packed and sent back to the UK?!) As an example, it has been cold here since October. Frosts, dormant plants, heavy snow cover. Currently it's -16, no sign of above 0 temps until at least next week, and another 10 cm of snow forecast for Saturday. And the frost is in deep, so it will be a while of warm temperatures before the soil is frost free and warm enough to germinate seeds. Who cares about the weather you may ask? Well that means we are into 7 months of winter. This is not including the poor growing conditions of September or May which is taking us up to 9 months of very little plant production. 9 out of 12 months are not suitable to grow produce out side here. Therefore large investments in infrastructure and heating would be required OR produce is shipped in from very, very far away. Personally I choose to support local buying vs world wide travelling food. I do not subscribe to the idea that farmers need to feed the world. Farmers need to feed their local population. As such, the local population here needs to take into account that for 9 months, unless you're growing lettuce in a pot on the counter, your vegetables are limited. (There is no large scale green houses or hydroponic systems here that can supply 9 months of vegetables and fruit to the entire population.) I like to preserve foods. Canning is good as long as you aren't dying from heatstroke while doing it. But to subsist entirely on canned goods and the odd supplemental fresh produce from the supermarket? This is where you can apply the Vegan attitude of me eating what's convenient because I absolutely do. I have no desire to live on canned veggies, dried beans and products from various flours (despite my love for all things baked :hungry: Potatoes included!) Livestock are convenient. They conveniently help my land. They conveniently keep themselves fresh even in the coldest months. They conveniently provide fresh food during the cold (eggs and milk). They conveniently eat food that I can grow and store in larger quantities than my own produce. Like [USER=42914]@holwellcourtfarm[/USER] I have no issue with vegans or veggies that are respectful of my ideals and in return I have respect for theirs. And like you, I agree that propaganda is an absolute sh!t form of "education" that is too prevalent these days. Constructive conversations and broad, open minded education needs to take place. The hard core, militant type folks don't stop to think "where do people who have winter 9 months of the year get their veggies from and what issues can arise from that?" In too many instances meat eating and vegetarianism and veganism get too cut and dried, too black and white. In reality the edges are never straight, and there are many different colour shades. It's never going to be just about humans biologic capabilities. There are many other factors involved. As an aside, I have been looking more into foraging. While this also doesn't tend to be very practical in winter (I like the winter and being out in it, but finding something to eat under all that snow isn't exactly easy or worthwhile :LOL:) But it can add a nice variety to food selection in the growing months. For instance, dandelions or alfalfa in salads. Dandelions are one of the first things growing here, so they're easy to take advantage of and start the growing season off fast! [/QUOTE]
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