Convener: Sally Newkirk
Scribe: John B. Reeves
Table F 13:00:00
Attendees: Sally Newkirk, John Reeves, Joanna Gray, Harvey Yoder, Nathan Barge, Beth Schermerhorn, Laura Dent, Erich Knight
Discussion Notes:
Propose more local awareness/practice of local, intensive organic gardening. Beth described initiatives by “New Community Project”; the ongoing Permaculture classes she’s helping 1/week, the larger Permaculture class starting in Jan. at Keezletown (some costs), their usage of intensive food cropping per book by John Jevens (specials in Mother Earth News mag.).
Jevens suggests that USA residents could grow yearly food on about 400 sq. foot/each (or, Rockingham county’s farms of ~223,000 acres could feed ~2.4 million poeple).
They have model gardens in HBurg, some with DIY greenhouses. Their next class for small greenhouses start Dec 6- contact Beth.
Sally described study that Rodale Institute’s CEO- Dr. Timothy LaSalle presented Sept. 12 at Staunton at Va. Conserv. Network- “Why Organic Farming is a Solution to Global Warming”. Practical 21st Century regenerative organic agriculture are scalable globally and can store (sequester) about 2,000 lbs/ acre/ year of carbon (or ~ 7,000 lbs. of CO2 ).
On a USA-wide scale, about 1/4 of the est. 6.5 billion tons of CO2 from all fossil fuel combustion could be soils sequestered via much more sustainable practices. The side-benefits include healthier plants with much deeper roots and more symbiotic fungi, better water utilization and much less soil and runoff loses.
Discussion–how best “sell” such organic practices, break many habits of older farmers and their advisers, break “chains” with the large Agri-Chemical vendors and their all petroleum fertilizers and herbicides. Per new book by Al Gore (“Our Choice” just published by Rodale, Inc.) organic farming and enhancing healthy soils are very key strategies to address AGW (anthropogenic or human caused- global warming). Within local food initiatives (a Buy Fresh/ Buy Local chapter is now active and Farmer’s markets are thriving) the FCFC- Friendly City Food Coop- plans a big role in promoting good organic farm practices and marketing such farm products.
Erich Knight quickly reviewed recent research on healthy soils and their complex amount and type of fungi and microbes- many of which we don’t know fully their characteristics or how they work together. He suggested attending his Biochar session and research more on that, since many good results have been found using biochar and that’s driving local plans to make and utilize more biochar locally.
Contact: Sally Newkirk and Erich Knight
We’ve got lots to study, then help further usage of latest organic farming practices (such as on cover crops, no-till farming with minimal herbicides and steps for lowest amounts of runoff or pollution of groundwater).
