"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote:
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
VickyN wrote:
Farmers found out a long time ago that critical feeding (feeding
excessive amounts of 'synthetic' fertiliser) results in bumper yields.
So who can blame them, when the world is run by the dollar, when they
do exactly that year after excruciating year. Counting the dollars
whilst the land behind them pays a devastating cost.


The cost in buying fertiliser and applying it is not always justified by
even the short-term returns, that is it is applied in excess of the
optimum in some cases for reasons other than being demonstrated to be cost
effective. OTOH I know of no analysis that shows we could feed the
world's population by organic methods.

I saw something just recently that said it could be done. I was surprised
by the comment and meant to follow up on it, but didn't. I'll have to try
to figure out where I saw the comment and let you know. I do remember
thinking that the source wasn't silly so it was worth following up on.

Hydroponics has shown us that sterile growing and artificial
fertilisation in the form of synthetic nutrients will result in
amazing harvests. Maybe we should just get out of soil altogether?


Please provide some evidence for that claim. What are the costs of that
method compared to others? How do you feed cattle or sheep
hydroponically? Would that be cost effective?

It ain't, so we'd all have to be vegetarians/vegans and I'm a confirmed
carnivore.

I know there is one cattle feeding hydroponicy gizmo out there as a
neighbour bought one. He's one of those dopes who buys every possible thing
that could ever be needed on a farm including a 150K John Deere Tractor (for
a cattle farm!!!). Even he found the hydroponic unit was too expensive to
run to feed his cattle from it.

Hmmm... How about laboratory meat?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_meat

Could be perfected someday. Who needs nature? See the movie "Silent
Running"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running

I know, I know, I have been reading too much science fiction, way too much
science fiction

The future is a hard one to predict.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)