Posts by Farmer Green
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Euan Mason,
Really is Canterbury really that bad?
Farmer Green continues to swim in the Manawatu and has done all his life.
Bacteriological testing of the water that he has done himself reveals that it is normally perfectly safe. -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Tim Michie,
It seems that you believe too much of what you read. The science of climate continues to develop, and there is no reason for despair.
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However the science tells us that it is overstocking which is causing most of the damage to water ecosystems; specifically it's the nitrogen fron stock urine applied in excess of the anion exchange capacity of the soil.
The only fix available at present is to reduce stock and raise the exchange capacity by increasing the depth and carbon content of the topsoil. -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Islander,
Fencing off streams and planting has the added advantage of preventing the regional councils coming in with their big excavators and absolutely destroying the ecology in order to enhance flood protection in the adjoining suburbs.
If stupid townies build their houses in the natural floodways they can wear what is coming down : farmers have to. -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Roger Lacey,
I guess that you have little contact with agriculture where recycling plants and education and collection programs have been in place for several years.
But then agriculture is the great recycler isn't it? Carbon and nitrogen cycles?
Taking CO2 out of the air and sequestering it as hydrocarbons ; that's what we farmers do. -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Sacha,
All true but it was the previous mob which legislated to override the Commerce Commission so that the anti-competitive Fonterra could be formed. You bet that there is a lack of confidence. The playing field was severely tilted by the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act which allowed Fonterra to obstruct the formation of new added -value dairy companies by rigging the value of raw milk.
So where do we go from here? -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to andin,
Well it’s a win all round then : lower stocking rate = reduced nutrient leaching + increased profitability+ better animal welfare. There may be other benefits as well.
It may not have occurred to you that the increased stocking rates were an attempt to achieve viability in the economic sense.
Reduced GNP could be avoided by adding more value to the reduced production which would result from lower stocking rates.
Why does it not happen?
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Matthew Poole,
” We don’t have to give up things, we just have to give up being utterly fucking moronic about what we export.”
Agreed . So what do you suggest?
How should the desired changes be brought about? -
Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to Matthew Poole,
There appears to be little support for the view that treated sewage discharges to water should be stopped.
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Hard News: Fact and fantasy, in reply to BenWilson,
The changes are many. The most important is the low stocking density during spring when most soil damage occurs as a result of mob stocking on autumn saved pasture.
So no calving in springtime.
Milk production is the same volume every day for 365 days per year , which allows all the milk to go to added- value uses , and none is turned into low value commodities.No feed, nitrogen or "dairy support" is purchased, restricting the nutrient load on the soil to what the farm can sequester by itself from the air (nitrogen , carbon, hydrogen and oxygen).
And the overall stocking rate for cows in milk is about 0.5/Ha.