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216 comments on Does Less Energy Mean More Farmers ?

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pseudonaja on December 21, 2007 - 4:35pm

The bones of people from many early agricultural societies show extensive evidence of osteoarthritis and bodies broken by hard labour at a relatively young skeletal and dental age. As one who runs a small farm producing most of life's needs and a small surplus (supplemented by a 3 day a week off farm income), I can relate to this. Even with the aid of a 50 hp tractor for the heaviest of work, defeating the life-force embodied in feral photosynthesis (aka weeds) without recourse to herbicides, mulching, preparing vegetable beds, planting and picking the crop, shearing, fixing fences etc, all this leaves me frequently physically spent and sore at the end of the day. But at least the need for weight loss programs and gym memberships don't rate as problems. I do all this out of a doomerish belief in it's inevitable necessity and a desire to build the skill set to pass on to others when required. The vast majority of our convenience obsessed society have no idea what it will take to stay alive in the age of energy descent. Given the choice few would do what I do, how will they respond when there is no choice? Probably try thieving. As a teenager who helped himself to a farmer's apples on my way home from school, I can remember the sting of a 12 gauge loaded with rock salt. I wonder what society's response to that would be today?

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b3NDZ3La on December 21, 2007 - 4:57pm

My experience farming at home for 20 years and working at an organic farm has been identical.

Then there's the problem of crop loss when you don't spray. I saw whole crops of onions, broccoli, and beans wiped out by galinsoga where I work.

How many people here have actually seen and contemplated the horror of galinsoga?

My new motto: "Prolific internet postings do not a farming movement make."

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airdale on December 21, 2007 - 8:46pm

Todays farm is not the farm of your grandparents.

But it could be. Frankly good honest work should not result in
infirmities nor illnesses. It is healthy to pursue manual labor. Where was it ever proven otherwise?

There are lots of Amish and Mennonites in this part of my state. I see them constantly and they look pretty healthy to me. I have friends my age who grew up on the farms of yesteryear and they are for the most part doing well..even at 70 yrs of age.

It seems that the ones who lived in town are the ones who perish first of many ailments. Mostly heart related.

Yet todays farm is a dangerous place. Due to a vast array of chemicals that can kill or make you very ill. Very powerful equipment that can do the same. Huge amounts of grain dust and pollen due to massive one crop farming. The chicken houses are cesspools as are the confinement hog feeding houses.

We never engaged in such. The chickens were mostly free ranging. We didn't close pen our animals. We treated our livestock well. We needed them.

We lived more in tune with nature and not destroying it.

Again its not the same now as then....BUT it certainly could be if we forgot this nonsense of globalization. Just raised what we needed in this country and pitched all the junk and toys. Raise our children in healthy surroundings. Not penned up like todays animals in confinement structures. Get rid of the child molestors,pedophiles and criminals by executing swift and sure justice instead of 'studying them'.

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“To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.”

—Benjamin Franklin