Tag Archives: farming

Hydroponics and Soil Manipulation

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Electronic “franken-soil” Boosts Crop Growth

DECEMBER 27, 2023

By B.N. Frank

Genetically modified food has been controversial for many years.  Genetically engineered salmon has been referred to as “Franken-fish”. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved gene-edited pork for human consumption as well.  Yikes!  More recently, scientists announced that electronic soil (aka “franken-soil”) can be used to increase crop growth.

From StudyFinds.org

Electronic ‘franken-soil’ enhances crop growth by 50%, experiments reveal

by StudyFinds

LINKÖPING, Sweden — Scientists have developed an innovative “electronic soil” that significantly boosts crop growth, with barley seedlings growing 50 percent more when their roots receive electrical stimulation through this “eSoil” layer. This breakthrough, spearheaded by researchers from Linköping University in Sweden, focuses on soilless cultivation, commonly known as hydroponics.

Eleni Stavrinidou, associate professor, and supervisor of the study and Alexandra Sandéhn, PhD student, one of the lead authors, connect the eSoil to a low power source for stimulating plant growth. (Credit: Thor Balkhed)

“The world population is increasing, and we also have climate change. So it’s clear that we won’t be able to cover the food demands of the planet with only the already existing agricultural methods,” says Professor Eleni Stavrinidou, leader of the Electronic Plants group at the university, in a media release. “But with hydroponics, we can grow food also in urban environments in very controlled settings.”

Her team has developed a specialized electrically conductive cultivation substrate, termed eSoil, designed for hydroponic cultivation. Their research demonstrates that barley seedlings grown in this conductive medium and electrically stimulated at the roots exhibited up to a 50-percent increase in growth over 15 days.

Hydroponic cultivation allows plants to grow without soil, relying only on water, nutrients, and a substrate for root attachment. This closed system facilitates water recycling and precise nutrient delivery, requiring minimal water and keeping all nutrients within the system, a feat not achievable in traditional farming.

A barley seedling grows within the eSoil, an artificial electronic soil that makes seedlings grow faster. (Credit: Thor Balkhed)

The team highlights that hydroponics also supports vertical farming in large towers, optimizing space use. While currently used for crops like lettuce, herbs, and some vegetables, grains have not been commonly grown hydroponically, except as fodder.

In their study, the researchers successfully cultivated barley seedlings hydroponically, enhanced by electrical stimulation.

“In this way, we can get seedlings to grow faster with less resources. We don’t yet know how it actually works, which biological mechanisms that are involved,” Prof. Stavrinidou notes. “What we have found is that seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it’s not clear yet how the electrical stimulation impacts this process.”

Typically, hydroponics employs mineral wool as a substrate, a non-biodegradable material produced through energy-intensive processes. However, the team’s eSoil is a blend of cellulose and a conductive polymer called PEDOT, marking its first use in plant cultivation and creating a plant interface in this way.

Unlike previous research that used high voltage for root stimulation, this new “soil” has the advantage of low energy consumption and no high voltage risks.

“We can’t say that hydroponics will solve the problem of food security. But it can definitely help particularly in areas with little arable land and with harsh environmental conditions.” Prof. Stavrinidou concludes.

The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

 

from:    https://www.activistpost.com/2023/12/electronic-franken-soil-boosts-crop-growth.html

Let Them Eat Nothing???

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John Kerry, climate crazies are coming for your burgers and Fourth of July

Watching the Biden White House impose climate policy on America I wonder if we will celebrate national holidays the same way in just a few short years

Liz Peek

By Liz Peek | Fox News

John Kerry says climate change will result in crops being ripped away

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry spoke with MSNBC Host Jen Psaki about climate change, while cautioning about its affect on farmers’ crops and homes.

In coming weeks Americans will celebrate Flag Day and the Fourth of July. We will gather with neighbors to grill hot dogs in the backyard, drape our kids’ bikes with red, white and blue bunting, kick back from the workweek and… tip a hat to the founders of our great nation.

I wonder: will we still celebrate our nation’s holidays with these time-honored traditions five years from now? Ten years from now?

Start with the obvious: John Kerry and climate zealots everywhere are adamantly opposed to the kind of food we eat, and how it is produced. He and his Democrat colleagues are equally incensed that we might cook over gas grills; I can’t even imagine their horror at charcoal fires. Surely, carbon-emitting charcoal is on the kill list.

TWO DOZEN REPUBLICANS CALL ON BIDEN TO DISAVOW JOHN KERRY’S REMARKS TARGETING FOOD PRODUCTION

Next is the cost of feeding the neighborhood. It used to be the traditional hamburger barbeque was reasonably inexpensive. But in the past year the price of such fare skyrocketed 9%, on top of a 10% increase in 2022, and while some costs, like those for meat or tomatoes, may fluctuate, there’s little chance that food companies are going to drop the prices of ketchup (up 28% in one year) or hamburger buns (up 7%) anytime soon.

Marking Memorial Day with veteran-owned BBQ'sVideo

Much more important than all of the above: the actual purpose of Flag Day and the Fourth of July is to honor the birth of our nation. With the left actively rewriting U.S. history and savaging our country’s accomplishments and exceptionalism, these holidays could well be rebranded in the future as National Apology Day or maybe American Reparations Day.

As Joe Biden might say, this is no joke.

The climate zealots running the White House and our country want to change how we live, what we eat, how we heat our homes, what kinds of cars we drive and how we cook. Joe Biden appointed John Kerry our official Climate Czar and loosed him upon our country, armed with a $14 billion budget and staff of 45.

JOHN KERRY TARGETS AGRICULTURE AS PART OF CLIMATE CRUSADE

One of Kerry’s most urgent missions is to overhaul our extremely successful agricultural industry. At a recent meeting of AIM for Climate, co-hosted by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Kerry thundered that farmers worldwide create fully one-third of global greenhouse gases, an amount that must come down if the world is to reach net zero emissions.

John Kerry delivers remarks about climate change at the World Economic Forum's 2023 conferenceVideo

“Food systems themselves contribute a significant amount of emissions just in the way in which we do the things we’ve been doing…” intoned Kerry, having evidently co-opted Vice President Kamala Harris’ speechwriter.

He further warned: “We’re facing record malnutrition at a time when agriculture, more than any other sector, is suffering from the impacts of the climate crisis. And I refuse to call it climate change anymore. It’s not change. It’s a crisis.”

On 'The Bottom Line', Jimmy Slams Climate Change Hypocrites Kerry & Buttigieg Video

Left out of Kerry’s near-hysterical speech was any indication of how changes sponsored by AIM for Climate might deliver both lower emissions and more nutrition. But a strategy paper published by the Department of Agriculture gives some clues. For example, it proposes “conversion of inedible biomass and waste into new materials, food, and fuels”, which sounds tasty.

The paper also advocates research and education on “diet-related chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.” Does anyone doubt this agency will soon suggest that for health reasons Americans must stop eating red meat? c

BIDEN’S RADICAL GREEN ENERGY POLICIES STRAIN OUR ELECTRIC GRIDS. HERE’S HOW BAD IT WILL GET IF THEY CONTINUE

Lest you think this concern is overblown, I recommend to you what is transpiring in the Netherlands. That country’s government, attempting to meet unrealistic emissions targets set by the EU, has recently allocated billions of dollars to buy out as many as 3,000 livestock farmers, accusing the industry of producing unacceptable levels of nitrogen.

Dutch farmers protest 'phenomenally costly' emission laws, expert calls for 'balance' in climate policiesVideo

The land sales are compulsory – in other words, confiscatory. The program may reduce Holland’s herds by one-third, significantly cutting the nation’s exports of food to other countries. Despite a huge political backlash, authorities are proceeding, even as critics allege that replacing Holland’s production with food imports from more polluting countries will render the effort meaningless.

Kerry and his Democrat colleagues are too caught up with cow flatulence to focus on banning charcoal or gas grills; give them time. After all, climate activists report that charcoal fires “typically generate three times as much greenhouse emissions than gas for the same cooking job.”

Also, we learn that a typical grilled meal “emits as much carbon dioxide as driving a car for roughly 26 miles,” according to a New York Times reporter who worried about the “smoke coming from my friend’s charcoal grill.”

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Concerns about the environmental impact of charcoal grilling led to a proposed ban in 2021 in Brighton, U.K., which is controlled by the Green Party. Local authorities explain that disposable barbecues are partly to blame for the world’s rising CO2 levels.

Climate change a 'problem' among others, 'not the end of the world': Bjorn LomborgVideo

In the U.S., ordinances against charcoal have focused on the fire hazard, but tying charcoal burning to environmental damage is catching on.  Of course, cooking over a gas grill is just as unpopular with climate warriors. If gas stoves are a problem indoors, surely they pose a threat outdoors too.

Much more concerning than climate nuttiness is the concerted effort to convince Americans that our country is “systemically racist” and that our history is a source of national shame. This appalling and dishonest narrative, which only serves to divide our nation and plump up race-baiters like Al Sharpton, should be denounced and resisted.

Al Sharpton was at Neely's funeral to 'politicize' this tragedy: Rachel Campos-DuffyVideo

The United States is the most prosperous nation in the world because we have encouraged industry and entrepreneurship, welcomed immigrants who arrive legally to access the almost unlimited opportunities available to all, and commemorate success.

from:    https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john-kerry-climate-crazies-coming-burgers-fourth-july

Some Homesteading Links

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5 Best Homesteading YouTube Channels to Binge Watch

Garden WorkJeffrey Green, Contributor
Waking Times

Can you picture yourself living a homesteading lifestyle?

Waking up early to milk the cows, release the chickens to scratch the barnyard, collect their eggs and then update your blog before your stay-at-home family rises. The rest of the day you do chores aimed at delivering an authentic human experience for people you love. You produce high-quality food and happy healthy humans. You have independence and security but still enjoy the fruits of modern convenience.

Yes, you can do it. Many families are already living the dream and sharing their experiences on YouTube.

Wikipedia succinctly explains homesteading as “a lifestyle of self-sufficiency…characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs.”

In the past, homesteading has been viewed as a rugged life full of hardship. Yet modern technology and creative farming practices now make it possible for nearly anyone to turn a home into a homestead.

These YouTube homesteaders highlighted below share their personal experiences through vlogs and courses. They teach methods for raising livestock, growing fruits and vegetables, preparing and preserving food, homeschooling, and saving and making money.

There are many reasons for the growing popularity of homesteading, but general motivations seem to be the following:

  1. Desire for independence from potential social disruption
  2. Craving the highest quality food to optimize health
  3. Desire to gain authentic human skills and experiences
  4. Desire to live in better balance with nature

One of the biggest challenges for all homesteaders, old and new, is financial independence. Despite the goal of “self-sufficiency,” homesteaders still need to make enough money to interface with society and to take advantage of creature comforts. Mortgages, taxes, insurance and addiction to imported coffee are stubborn things.

Besides being entertaining teachers, the YouTubers below are my favorites because they also share the secret ingredient to cooking up a sustainable homesteading experience – making a supplementary income from home.

Here are the 5 best homesteading YouTube channels worth binge watching:

Justin Rhodes

Every day the Rhodes family puts out a high-definition video blog that records daily activity on their homestead. After studying permaculture and pastured livestock under the likes of Joel Salatin, Justin practices what he preaches. With help from his wife and four enthusiastic kids, the Rhodes homestead is a beautiful example of how anyone can produce high-quality food. Rhodes also teaches free webinars and sells a video course on raising permaculture chickens. Entertaining and educational! Visit their website here: http://abundantpermaculture.com/

You can check out their recent farm update below, but I strongly suggest binge watching their archives.

 

Jack Spirko

Jack Spirko runs the wildly popular 5-day-a-week podcast show called The Survival Podcast which covers “how to live a better life if things get tough or even if they don’t.” He also runs a YouTube channel that documents his adventures into raising pastured ducks and quail, permaculture design, and “Meads of the Week” among other topics. Spirko authentically lives the solutions he promotes. He explains why he does things and he’s not afraid to show his successes and failures. Spirko teaches live workshops, webinars and speaks at live events.

Below is the first episode of Spirko’s latest Duck Chronicles series:

Wrangler Star

The Wranglerstar family documents their move from city slickers to become modern-day homesteaders. Through vlogging their daily experiences and reviewing homesteading products, they teach others to “become truly independent from the mythological American dream.” Playlists include titles like “Back to Basics,” “Kitchen Remodel,” and “Survival Kit.”

Below is a brief trailer of the Wranglerstar YouTube channel:

Becky’s Homestead

In every episode Becky shows you how to go from a consumer lifestyle into the self-sufficient homesteading lifestyle even if you never had any previous experience. Becky built a log cabin by herself. She grows gardens and keeps goats, chickens, pigs and more. Her videos are very educational and motivational. Visit Becky’s website at http://beckyshomestead.com/

Watch Becky’s trailer below. It’s sure to convince you that anyone can do it and you’ll want to watch more.

An American Homestead

An American Homestead follows three generations of a family who live completely off-grid with the exception of a phone line for Internet. They don’t have electricity or running water and yet they still manage to live an abundant lifestyle. Their videos will teach you to raise sheep, chickens and fish in their aquaponics system, rainwater collection, gardening, food preparation, how to store butter in an underground fridge, and so much more. They also run an excellent blog at http://anamericanhomestead.com/.

Here is a snapshot of why they became homesteaders and how they did it:

This article (5 Best Homesteading YouTube Channels to Binge Watch) was originally created and published by Activist Post and is re-posted here with permission. 

5 Best Homesteading YouTube Channels to Binge Watch

Michigan Bans Livestock on Small Farms

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Michigan Bans Animals On Small Farms

Written by: Daniel Jennings Current Events May 2, 2014

michigan small farm livestock ban

Many Michigan residents will lose their right to keep livestock on their own property due to a new ruling from the state’s Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Commission ruled April 28 that local governments have the right to ban livestock from any area zoned residential in the state.

The action will “effectively remove Right to Farm Act protection for many urban and suburban backyard farmers raising small numbers of animals,” Gail Philbin of the Michigan Sierra Club told Michigan Live. The Right to Farm Act is a state law designed to protect farmers from nuisance lawsuits and zoning regulations. The Commission ruled that the Right to Farm (RTF) Act does not apply to homeowners who keep small numbers of livestock.

“It’s all ‘Big Farm,” and it’s ‘Big Farm” deciding against the little farm,” Kim White, who raises chickens and rabbits, said of the Commission’s vote. “They don’t want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms. They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what’s motivating it.”

“The Commission is essentially taking sides in the marketplace,” Philbin said.

Bees, Chickens and Goats Now Illegal?

Governments could ban goats, chickens and even bee hives on properties where there are 13 homes within an eighth of a mile of a livestock property or another home within 250 feet of the property, under the Commission’s ruling, Michigan Public Radio reported.

“I believe we have over 100 communities in Michigan who have ordinances on the books against chickens and bees and other things, and they will be able to continue to move forward with those,” Jamie Clover Adams, the director of Michigan’s Department and Rural Development, told Michigan Radio.

The rationale for the Commission’s action is that officials are afraid there would be political pressure to repeal the Right to Farm to Act in order to stop backyard farming, Michigan Radio reported.

Opponents of the rule change have not laid out a course of action yet, although some backyard farmers are considering a legal challenge. Other possible courses of action include legislation in the state legislature and a ballot initiative.

Regulatory Limbo

Some homesteaders in Michigan could find themselves in a complete regulatory limbo because of the Commission’s action. Blogger, writer and organic farmer Michelle Regalado Deatrick does not know if she’ll be able to keep her livestock, because about half of her 80-acre farm may not be zoned for farm animals.

Pig -- god's law“We’re building up a mixed production farm, planning to farm during retirement, and we have a permit in hand for a livestock facility,” Deatrick said, “but have waited with building until we were sure of what the GAAMP changes would be. Now we’re having to reconsider our business plans and may sell the farm and buy a farm in a more rural area with definite [Right To Farm] protection, or move to another state that’s more welcoming and protective of small farm rights.”

GAAMP refers to the Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices, a set of guidelines put out by the state of Michigan. The current GAAMP designates many small farms as Category 3 lands where livestock might not be allowed.

“Category 3 sites may be zoned for agriculture, but are generally not suitable for livestock production facilities,” the GAAMP states. “They may be suitable for livestock facilities with less than 50 animal units.”

Another problem is that local governments in Michigan are under no obligation to follow the GAAMP. It is simply a set of guidelines.

Michigan is one of several areas where property owners have had to fight for the right to raise food on their own land. Off the Grid News has reported that property owners in Florida and Quebec have been barred from planting vegetable gardens.

from:    http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/05/02/michigan-bans-animals-on-small-farms/

You can also check out:    http://www.naturalnews.com/044965_family_farms_food_security_Michigan_government.html

 

Vertical Farming

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The Problem

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

A Potential Solution: Farm Vertically

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world’s urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans are protected against the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigors of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate regime, that is not what follows. Massive floods, protracted droughts, class 4-5 hurricanes, and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops. Don’t our harvestable plants deserve the same level of comfort and protection that we now enjoy? The time is at hand for us to learn how to safely grow our food inside environmentally controlled multistory buildings within urban centers. If we do not, then in just another 50 years, the next 3 billion people will surely go hungry, and the world will become a much more unpleasant place in which to live.

 

     

 

Advantages of Vertical Farming

  • Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
  • No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
  • All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
  • VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
  • VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
  • VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
  • VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
    evapotranspiration
  • VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
    parts of plants and animals
  • VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
  • VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
  • VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
  • VF creates new employment opportunities
  • We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
    earth
  • VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
  • VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
    LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
  • VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
    and land for agriculture

from:    http://www.verticalfarm.com/more

 

Organic Seed Growers take on Monsanto

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ORGANIC FARMERS AND SEED SELLERS SUE MONSANTO TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM PATENTS ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED SEED
__________________________________________________________________

Preemptive Action Seeks Ruling That Would Prohibit Monsanto From Suing Organic Farmers and Seed Growers If Contaminated By Roundup Ready Seed

NEW YORK – March 29, 2011 – On behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit today against Monsanto Company to challenge the chemical giant’s patents on genetically modified seed.  The organic plaintiffs were forced to sue preemptively to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed, something Monsanto has done to others in the past.

The case, Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, was filed in federal district court in Manhattan and assigned to Judge Naomi Buchwald.  Plaintiffs in the suit represent a broad array of family farmers, small businesses and organizations from within the organic agriculture community who are increasingly threatened by genetically modified seed contamination despite using their best efforts to avoid it.  The plaintiff organizations have over 270,000 members, including thousands of certified organic family farmers.

to read more, go to:    http://www.osgata.org/march-29-2011-osgata-press-release

GMO’s in the Rice Field

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Genetically Engineered Rice is a Trojan Horse: Misled by Bill Gates and Monsanto

Posted By Dr. Mercola | June 21 2011 | 24,907 views

genetically modified riceThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has approved $20 million in new monies toward the development of “golden rice” — an untested, highly controversial GE (genetically engineered) crop that threatens biodiversity and risks bringing economic and ecological disaster to Asia’s farms.

The leader of the Golden Rice project is Gerald Barry, previously director of research at Monsanto.

Sarojeni V. Rengam, executive director of Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), has called the rice a “Trojan horse.” According to Rengam, the rice is “… a public relations stunt pulled by the agri-business corporations to garner acceptance of GE crops and food. The whole idea of GE seeds is to make money.”

Food Freedom reports:

to read more, go to:    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/21/genetically-engineered-rice-is-a-trojan-horse–misled-by-bill-gates-and-monsan