Has Agriculture Reached Its Peak?

[LJH]

Permaculture:

Green Gold - Documentary by John D. Liu - YouTube

Geoff Lawton's PRI Zaytuna Farm Tour - Apr/May 2012 - YouTube

 

[LJH]

Permaculture in the Mid-West:

Intro to Permaculture 2 - The Current State of Agriculture - YouTube

Mark Shepard, New Forest Farm and Forest Agriculture Enterprises - YouTube

 

[LJH]

Permaculture in Vermont:

Ben Falk TEDx Talk: Homestead Resiliency, Food Systems Regeneration - YouTube

 

[forgeblast]

The US has approximately 30 million acres out of production in the CRP program alone.

Like the Crp (crep) people told us, farm the best crep the rest. Crep for our property was to stop erosion and to help sediment in the Chesapeake bay.
I was able to choose my trees, so I chose trees that would actually give me food, so I was able to turn a couple acres of eroding moist land into hopefully soon producing land. Blackwalnuts, butternuts, elderberry, high bush cranberry, shag bark hickory, hazelnuts are a few of the trees I planted in crep.
I do eventually want to build a solar thermal greenhouse. My main ways to keep the temp consistent will be to add heat sinks. One way would be to build an in ground air system taking hot air heating the soil and then releasing the heat at night, the other is to use water on the north wall to do the same. I am hoping next year to be running an IBC aquaponics system, I have a few things to finish up first before I get into it. I want to build the smokehouse and work on digging out a pond, and finish up my little ones tree house.

 

[DFB]

The only peak weve reached is how much Gov subsidy were willing to put up with in the farming industry. If you want to see want the actual peak production of farming is, remove the farm bill. Economics is the ultimate regulator of industries. Without Gov intervention, I think you'd find we produce way less than ultimate yield because the market wont support current production rates.

Very interesting point.

 

[DFB]

LJH Great youtube links...thanks!

 

[dave1949]

The only peak weve reached is how much Gov subsidy were willing to put up with in the farming industry. If you want to see want the actual peak production of farming is, remove the farm bill. Economics is the ultimate regulator of industries. Without Gov intervention, I think you'd find we produce way less than ultimate yield because the market wont support current production rates.

I recently read that without the milk price supports being renewed, milk would be about $6.40/gal. here, or about $2.10 more than with the support. I bet that would slow down milk sales.

 

[smstonypoint]

I recently read that without the milk price supports being renewed, milk would be about $6.40/gal. here, or about $2.10 more than with the support. I bet that would slow down milk sales.

ECON 101 POP QUIZ

Suppose Congress fails to enact a new farm bill and a milk price support from 1949 legislation goes into effect, raising the retail price of fluid milk from $4.30/gallon to $6.40/gallon. Assume that the own-price elasticity of demand for fluid milk at the retail level is -0.32 (http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/21679/1/sp99ma02.pdf)

1. If the retail price of milk increases, consumer expenditures on milk will (circle one)
(a) increase
(b) decrease
(c) stay the same

2. Compute the expected percentage change in retail fluid milk quantity sold if the retail price increases from $4.30/gallon to $6.40/gallon.

Steve

 

[dave1949]

ECON 101 POP QUIZ

Suppose Congress fails to enact a new farm bill and a milk price support from 1949 legislation goes into effect, raising the retail price of fluid milk from $4.30/gallon to $6.40/gallon. Assume that the own-price elasticity of demand for fluid milk at the retail level is -0.32 (http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/21679/1/sp99ma02.pdf)

1. If the retail price of milk increases, consumer expenditures on milk will (circle one)
(a) increase
(b) decrease
(c) stay the same

2. Compute the expected percentage change in retail fluid milk quantity sold if the retail price increases from $4.30/gallon to $6.40/gallon.

Steve

A test! Oh dear.

1) I'll say C, stays the same. Buy less milk at higher cost is my reasoning.
2) I will contradict my above answer and say a 20% decline. :laughing:

How did I do?

 

[JamesHW]

Interesting thread. I've considered that if we go the route of geothermal heating for our planned (barn frame) home, what would it cost to size the system to include a decent sized greenhouse.

Sunny D? Never tried the stuff. Our morning juice (since we purchased a good juicer) is 3 large carrots, an apple, an orange and a finger of ginger. Makes almost exactly two large glasses. Spicier than straight orange juice, but less acid, a bit more spicy (the ginger) and delicious. That's usually breakfast lately, at least during the work week.