Some time ago, a friend sent me this link on vegan farming. It is an article on CNN.com about vegan farming...the "next level" of organic farming. I personally think this is not only a great idea but a necessary one. And not just because I'm vegan/vegetarian.
Because, "organic" doesn't necessarily mean "good." People will discuss the practices of conventional farms until the drug-laden cows come home but I've never heard a discussion about appropriate technologies for organic farms.
Albeit, some of the practices used by organic farms, both large and small, were okay 50 years ago when farm animals weren't being raised in cramped conditions and more susceptible to diseases like salmonella.
But things have changed and organic farms have failed to change with it.
And the truth is, organic farmers need to be intentional about what they are doing. Organic produce has enjoyed a boom in recent years but I get the feeling that "we" are still under a microscope. If one or two big mistakes are made, the conventional farms and their supporters will jump all over it.
And the argument that organic produce is better and safer will fly out the window along with any market advantage that argument created.
Remember that e.coli scare with raw spinach? Although the spinach in question was not organic, the FDA finally concluded that the likely source of contamination included "the presence of wild pigs, the proximity of irrigation wells used to grow produce for ready-to-eat packaging, and surface waterways exposed to feces from cattle and wildlife."
Proximity of produce to animal feces? Doesn't that sound like one of the tenets of modern organic farming? The truth is, the use of manure in organic farming is so ubiquitous as to be unquestioned. But it needs to be questioned.
I used the word "intentional" earlier and I think it is an appropriate word to describe what organic farming needs. What do "we" really want to encourage. What do "we" really want to support. This doesn't just apply to vegan/non-vegan but sustainable methods too.
There is an organic farm in the Portland, Oregon area that uses butane gas to burn weeds. So, instead of interns walking around with hoes to pull out weeds, they walk around with gas packs strapped to their backs and burn the suckers. And yes, it is a great idea in that it would not only kill the weed but any weed seeds.
But shouldn't we be looking at the big picture? And does the big picture really include butane gas packs? Or, for that matter, chicken manure from the chicken farm down the road because they "aren't using it anyway and its a good way to "recycle" the waste?"
Organic farms shouldn't just do something because it is convenient. Or because it is perceived to be cheaper. Or even because it may produce a higher yield. All of that sounds a bit too much like a conventional farm to me.
Every method employed should be examined. And, although here are negative ramifications to everything, we can surely come up with the best possible practice.
After all of that, I'm here to tell you that Adam and I are not "veganic" farmers.
Yet.
I never said it would be easy, after all. After a brief foray into fish emulsion, we are now making our own fertilizer out of the following ingredients:
alfalfa pellets
corn gluten
green sand
rock phosphate
dolomite
earthworm castings
sea bird guano
fruit bat guano
The final two ingredients are obviously NOT vegan. But they AREN'T derivatives of factory farming either, so I think that's a step up.
And I'll have to get Adam to do a post on the benefits of the other ingredients. Needless to say, it's all about that sacred balance of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
And with all that said, I'll go farm now. It is hard to farm while standing on a soap box.
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