tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post552004635564963972..comments2024-03-04T05:51:28.885-08:00Comments on Applied Mythology: Humankind vs Weeds - The Epic BattleSteve Savagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04408822620071396633noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-75218314493696879282012-11-30T17:01:23.954-08:002012-11-30T17:01:23.954-08:00I've always hoped to run my yard as organic, j...I've always hoped to run my yard as organic, just keep on top of the maintenance than spraying these pesticides and stuff. But it's really difficult <br />at the moment though where I live, the soil is such poor quality I think <br />it would result in way too many problems<br /><i>Also visit my web page</i> <b><a href="http://olivergreen.inube.com/" rel="nofollow">Garden Treatments Blog</a></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-71976582827608674502012-05-11T21:15:18.843-07:002012-05-11T21:15:18.843-07:00Anonymous (and one wonders why)
1. What would you...Anonymous (and one wonders why)<br />1. What would you mean by "properly tested?" There are many testing and data requirements from the USDA, the FDA and the EPA before any GMO crop can be approved. Those have been the same requirements for all the other products over the last 16 years. The 2,4-D has been the subject of hundreds of tests over decades. Your "not tested" concept is just wrong.<br /><br />2. "Science" does not show the things you say. Those studies have been rejected by the EPA in many reviews. In some cases their methodology was poor. In others, there were other studies showing the opposite result. You can't cherry pick a few out of scores of studies to make an assessment. If we used that standard we would ban coffee and all sorts of other things. The recent rejection of the NRDC's petition is the latest example. The weight of evidence and a rigorous risk analysis say this chemical is safe enough to be on almost every Americans lawn. Use on some corn fields visited by a farmer in a tractor a few times a season represents almost nothing in terms of human exposure.Steve Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408822620071396633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-35280316950999859692012-05-11T18:27:08.229-07:002012-05-11T18:27:08.229-07:00Instead of relying on the Bible for inspiration, w...Instead of relying on the Bible for inspiration, why not rely on the facts?<br />There are two that come to mind as extremely important and you have overlooked them.<br />1. The particular 2,4-D resistant strain of corn has not been properly tested on mammalian subjects, and should not be approved for use until such time as those tests have been completed with the assurance of safety.<br />2. The availability of a 2,4-D resistant crop seed means two things: firstly, more farmers will be using more of this type of herbicide in the coming years, and secondly, the weeds that farmers are battling will become more resistant to 2,4-D faster.<br />I understand the fear principle that is being used by those who decry "Agent Orange Corn", and I don't fully agree with their tactic. But you must understand, science does show that 2,4-D can be toxic to the liver, and can cause many reproductive problems in men who are exposed to it on a regular basis. While 2,4-D can be produced without the harmful dioxins in it, and it has a half-life of only 10 days, why take the risks involved in over exposure? It's a cost versus benefit equation that we should do our very best to ensure we are on the right side of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-41397107524864046932012-05-01T23:05:41.904-07:002012-05-01T23:05:41.904-07:00JO,
You live in a beautiful place in the San Luis ...JO,<br />You live in a beautiful place in the San Luis Valley. I grew up in Colorado and I have been there many times. As a kid the sand dunes were one of my favorite spots. Those dunes speak to the rather extreme wind erosion that occurs there, probably long before people started growing potatoes, etc.<br /><br />No-till is obviously not a good option for potato growing. I would have to see data to believe that the weed seed pressures from wind blown seed differ greatly by soil management.<br /><br />The point of my article was that the species mix of weeds will adapt to any method of weed control that we use. If we use mechanical means, we help the weeds like bindweed or Canada thistle that are propagated by being chopped up. If we use hand weeding, we select for the weeds that have very short generation times we can't keep up with. <br /><br />I stick with the idea that the "curse" is mankind's problem and that there is no magic fix with the soil.Steve Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408822620071396633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-8788417223747826412012-05-01T22:17:35.450-07:002012-05-01T22:17:35.450-07:00s.d.,
I didn't think we would have common grou...s.d.,<br />I didn't think we would have common ground (no pun întended) about what a balanced soil consists of, but I think if we could take a peek at some Garden of Eden soil, it would be much closer to soil William Albrieght advocated for than what commercial consultants promote. We live in the San Luis Valley and the wind blows most of the year and with all the irrigation ditches, all the weeds in the valley get distributed year-round. And yet not all those seeds grow on all farms because of different soil conditions as well as nutrient deficiencies and excesses, in spite of a full weed seed bank. <br />As for your hopes of eventually "exhasting the seed bank" with no till, I don't share you optomism. When having to rely on more hericides, more resistance will occur which will keep the weed seed bank full of deposits. (pun intended, sorry) The focus on killing weeds is misplaced, the curse was on the soil, not the weeds and thus the answer is in the soil.Jones Organicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04496179783052241192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-70691135694468511342012-04-30T08:45:36.943-07:002012-04-30T08:45:36.943-07:00Rob,
Also, long-term no-till farming can eventuall...Rob,<br />Also, long-term no-till farming can eventually exhaust the weed seed bank and make weed management even easierSteve Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408822620071396633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-17209314743931506142012-04-30T08:44:48.331-07:002012-04-30T08:44:48.331-07:00Rob,
I don't agree with the idea that weeds g...Rob,<br /><br />I don't agree with the idea that weeds grow in "unbalanced soils," but I do agree that cover cropping is one useful tool in the management of weeds and can supply some of the nitrogen that is needed. The plant ultimately gets that nitrogen in exactly the same form (nitrate, ammonium ion) as with synthetic fertilizer. The release just isn't sufficient during the period of most rapid crop growth. They can't supply the P, K and other nutrients. Neither can animals<br /><br />Many of the most troublesome weeds are invasive species that have been accidentally moved around the world.Steve Savagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04408822620071396633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4541703279082624205.post-37368409070938470782012-04-30T00:25:54.250-07:002012-04-30T00:25:54.250-07:00First of all I appreciate your reference to Genesi...First of all I appreciate your reference to Genesis 3 as I feel it is very instructive in how and why we farm. Weeds are not the curse, they are a result of the curse on the soil. You only mentioned two methods for dealing with weeds, I believe there is another. There are many books that deal with why weeds grow but my favorite is the book by Charles Walters titled " Weeds, Control Without Poisons. In it the reasons of why weeds grow are examined and it has been found it weeds grow in imbalanced soils. Then to make matters worse we inl agriculture add soluble fertilizers that make the imbalance even worse. <br /> We will never attain Garden of Eden- quality soil but we can certainly do better then we are doing now in commercial agriculture. One of the best ways is growing multi- species cover crops to provide natural nutrients for our future crops which are insoluble but still available and stable in the soil. Not only does this practice help in regaining soil balance but it also helps reduce weed pressure as well. When limited tillage and livestock grazing is also incorporated with this program, soil balance is even more inhanced.<br /> This approach may not be as easy as just using chemicals but it is far better for our soils and our food. <br />Rob JonesJonesOrganicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17967287866364740727noreply@blogger.com