The Oil Drum

An excellent piece, sir. It just grazes the surface however. And simplifies some intensely complex problems that will become apparent when you farm the land you hope to buy.

I can't support the notion that agriculture as we know it in the developed world will disappear. The fact that will become apparent is that fresh water for irrigation will continually diminish and remove those areas from food production. Only to be replaced by fuel crops. Corn not being one.

The other problem that needs attention is fertilizer made from natural gas. Coming up with the main forms of nitrogen for plant use is also a natural process ripe for exploitation by the biotech folks. At over $500 per ton for anhydrous ammonia there is a lot of incentive.

For Americans the past 75 years has seen a huge change in crop growing practices and crop usage. Wheat was commonly grown as far east as Pennsylvania, but now is a rare thing east of the Missouri river. Corn was grown to feed the mules, chickens, hogs and cattle with mules getting first and best feeding thus using a very large share of the land's productivity to make selling of extra production possible. Without a couple of mules a farmer worked nearly all of the time just to feed himself and family. Then corn had no role in direct human food, it was fuel for mule power and the raw feedstock for protein production. Without being aware, the shift is going back with corn the feedstock for ethanol fuel (a poor choice) instead.

When you have a farm you will soon meet the Farm Service Administration and the County Soil Conservation people. Its not likely you will be plowing or tilling much of anything. The past decade has seen a huge reduction in fuel use per acre due to the need to avoid stirring the topsoil. You will either hire your chemical applications done or pass the tests to be allowed to buy the chemicals. The chemicals you choose will most likely be more weed control than insect control as the crop geneticists have gone a long way to eliminate insecticides.

As with all of the best communications that seek to enlighten, Glenn's work is one of the best, because the most valuable enlightenment raises more question than it answers and Glenn has that done that quite successfully.

On the fuel front, please visit http://newenergyandfuel.com/ I'm leaving to harvest corn that will likely be made into ethanol, animal feed and high fructose corn syrup. A side note: in 22 years of no-till I haven't used over 2.5 gallons of diesel per acre, all farm gross, delivered to the processors. For you land buyers, buy where it rains enough to grow garden crops.