| Gary Lyon - 1/11/2013 18:56
Part of what I see as hurting "organics" more than anything is the misinformation that I see spread in threads like this by guys such as Chimel, hyseed, and AJ. I don't like terms like "drinking the kool-aid", "looking through rose colored glasses" and such but those terms are far too nice.
This idea I read here from time to time about there not being chemical residue in "manure" cannot have been seriously considered
Yeah, right, all chemicals are safe and without danger, Americans have the best products and health in the world, and Monsanto has suddenly become an angel after being a devil for most of its existence.
If you had read my previous posts, I too denounce the usage of conventional CAFO manure. And it's not just herbicide, it's also the mix of different antibiotics used in dairies that find their way into the soil and affect life such as useful bacteria.
Maybe some people who say all of organic farming is just bovine manure push me to react too hard, and I apologize for that, and will try better: Fighting stupid statements with opposed stupid statements does not help, you're right. All I'm saying really is that even if organic farming is not for all, it has a justified place for many of us too, and I still think that we need to look critically at all the "kool-aid" from the manufacturers and the government: Just like CAFO manure authorized by USDA is making organic farming a sham to me, some of the biotech and chemical companies make safety claims that need to be verified independently, not trusted on faith. I'll be the first to admit it when new research shows some pesticides to be less toxic than thought, like the previously mentioned 2,4-D which used to be a class B carcinogen or something, but the opposite must be allowed too. New research comes in all the time and we must reassess our opinions.
Spraying vinegar, really? Now who's looking at rose-colored glasses thinking organic herbicides work the same as conventional ones? Or that there is even such a thing as an organic herbicide... ;)
dnfehr - 1/11/2013 22:23
So agronomically, apply raw manure.
If you are doing that, you are totally in infraction with USDA regulations for use of manure in organic farming. It is not "recommended" to use composted manure, it is required that all manure be composted, not used raw on ground, regardless of how long before you plant. (And nope, Gary, this is no misinformation.) |
Going organic
