Turns out those old-fashioned ways of farming were actually pretty smart

[pscot]

35. There was some pushback

to Bhikku's comments, but it didn't seem all that rough. Part of it was, inevitably, a defense of current ag practice. Part was a reaction to what seems like an idealized view of what's practicable. I live in a semi-rural area where a number of people are trying to establish themselves through small scale sustainable farming, such that for 2 or 3 months of the year one can buy small quantities of local beets or turnips at $4 a pound, or Italian prunes at $3.50. The more successful ones monocrop; a winery, a few local beef producers who fatten steers bred elsewhere and custom cut. I doubt that most of it approaches sustainability. We are surrounded by Puget Sound, but there are no longer any fish to speak of and the shellfish are tainted.

I agree with Bhikku that a change to a sustainable way of life would be highly desireable, but population continues to increase. The CO2 we spew into the air continues to increase. Your frequent posts document the efforts to move in a new direction, and yet at ground, nothing changes. We're like dieters, who keep gaining weight despite our best efforts to get it under control. We'll keep on until we're forced to change, and when we do change it won't be according to some plan, but in our usual ad hoc manner, determined by the exigenies of our situation. I admire your optimism, and Bhikkus's. I envy it. I wish I could share it.