We’re headed into a busy planting week as we get phase whatever into the ground and more stuff started. At some point we will build caterpillar tunnels to shield crop from extreme August heat, and winter frost, but we plan to plant year round as best we can. A few things happening in the ag world here lately that are of note: Vertical farming in climate controlled warehouses. Really bad idea. The case of the vegetable farms in warehouses where corporations are growing food in a giant climate controlled, sterile, with no natural light. Wall Street and tech firms have been clamoring as of late of urban warehouse renovations where they grow lettuce and field greens in Houston and strawberries in New Jersey. Removing the nature and risk creates
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Michael Smith considers the following as important: 2022 agriculture, Featured Stories, Hot Topics, Plant 22, Vertical farming
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We’re headed into a busy planting week as we get phase whatever into the ground and more stuff started. At some point we will build caterpillar tunnels to shield crop from extreme August heat, and winter frost, but we plan to plant year round as best we can.
A few things happening in the ag world here lately that are of note:
Vertical farming in climate controlled warehouses. Really bad idea.
The case of the vegetable farms in warehouses where corporations are growing food in a giant climate controlled, sterile, with no natural light. Wall Street and tech firms have been clamoring as of late of urban warehouse renovations where they grow lettuce and field greens in Houston and strawberries in New Jersey. Removing the nature and risk creates a better yield, and a more consistent product. Nature and food are largely inconsistent and produce genetically what they produce. The electricity and coal burn alone to support this idea is crazy. Strawberries for example, the South American import of royal decadence, grown in sterilized soils, if you can even call it soil, more of a lifeless substrate, given the exact chemicals it needs to produce a red berry under artificial light in windless, birdless, wormless vertically integrated air conditioned, did I mention sterile? conditions has a lot of really bad effects on the plants. For example, research has indicated that the lack of UV-B greatly reduces the antioxidant that prevents cancer. Additionally, growing the fruits in a fumigated substrate showed a reduction of a whole host of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that are found naturally in strawberries grown in compost under the sun. The fungus among us is necessary. We added mycelium to our seed starting mix and now get sprouts the next day…a process that can sometimes take 3-7 days.
Nature has to happen in nature and farming systems have a symbiotic relationship playing it. Growing food this way essentially removes the best part.
Mexico is importing pork from us at a record rate due to pork virus.
This is likely to raise pork prices, furthering protein inflation…again. This comes on the heels of more culling of poultry due to the still surging avian flu, and market factors surrounding beef production stress a higher market that doesn’t seem to be waning any time soon.
“We’re going to plant it anyway”
Ukraine farmers, aside from dragging Russian tanks into ditches, are planting spring crop and have 150,000 hectares done already. They likely will progress further and plant every seed they can find.
Just add sauce.
Ever had fresh egg pasta? Head out to the farmers market for a dozen eggs and other goodies for a start of an adventure this weekend.
Toss in your favorite sauce, or just plain butter, sprinkle of fresh herbs and parmesan, é stupefacente!