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Agriculture and economics -- was: Newbie question on tilling
On Tue, 18 May 2004 00:00:14 GMT, Mark & Shauna wrote:
Frogleg wrote: It is *good* that people are experimenting with new/old methods, and doubtless some successful techniques will percolate into the mainstream. Look at how composting has become virtually ubiquitous in home gardening. Success can't be argued with. But success has to be measured in *real*, practical improvement. For good or ill, agriculture is driven by the marketplace. No, We use no till where the consumer is unwilling to pay the extra it costs for quality in the current marketplace. It can be likened to a fine furniture craftsman selling his wares. You wouldnt expect him to sell a hand crafted piece of furniture using conscientious materials and resources, with his customers best interest in mind, for the same price Walmart gets for a particle board computer desk in a box. You clearly understand the economics, yet say the marketplace does *not* drive production. It does, whether you like it or not. There are more people who want low-cost goods and food than those who are highly discriminating and can afford top dollar for perceived top quality. Exaggerating for effect, your fine furniture craftsman can't make much of a living if he produces one beautiful chair every 3 months and tries to sell it for $5,000. The market for $5,000 chairs is extremely limited. The craftsman may reasonably argue that his chair is far superior to the 4 included in a tatty, machine-made 5-pc 'dinette set', and that the price includes 3 months of labor, but if no one can afford his fine work, he and his family will starve. You write as if consumers were making choices to prefer inferior food and goods, rather than preferring lower prices. You can't grab customers by the throat and *force* them to pay a premium for what you regard as a superior product. If/when there are enough consumers who want and can afford organic foods, or if/when organic foods can be produced as cheaply as non-, everyone will be eating organic foods. *I* would like to compare specially-raised produce to common or (non-)garden varieties, but I can't afford to. We arent big enough to make our operation profitable solely on commercially competitive produce and plants and our market is to small in the organics to support us either. We have to blend the two to be profitable but we sure as hell arent going to sell the quality stuff for the same as GreenGiant produce. It just aint da same sh*t. You *do* understand. The marketplace is driving your own practices. We live in a society (US here) driven predominantly by low cost and low quality food. In the case of the above scenario also by low quality department store goods. You can't change tastes by legislation or by telling people they *should* be more discriminating. |