<<Here is the most important first question:
If ALL the seeds could be killed, what would that save the farmer
per hectare in the following season? (i.e. How much will he pay
to have a solution?)
If 90% could be killed, what would he pay?
Is there a chance that a good clean combine in the fall
would eliminate one whole pass of the herbicide sprayer in the spring?
That would be a nice quantifiable savings in chemical, tractor, & labour.
or is it more likely not to eliminate the field pass but
just to cut the amount of chemical applied?
sj>>
Again, the device that will kill all shattered and scattered grain AND
destroy insects AND consume weed seed is called a chicken. They are modular
units that can be combined in whatever numbers are necessary to do the job.
They convert these waste products to fertilizer, mostly, and product
secondly. If it is expensive to have the grain resprout, poultry may be
worthwhile without considering profit from eggs and flesh. If we are looking
for sustainable food systems, biological solutions must be our first choice.
For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since
1982), Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and now permaculture
correspondence training with an email classroom. Copyright, 1996, Dan &
Cynthia Hemenway, P.O. Box 2052, Ocala FL 34478 2052. YankeePerm@aol.com
If its not in our food chain, we're not thinking.