My spring break, while not as glamorous as flying all over Europe *cough*Geoff*cough*, will hopefully be spent here, at Mesa Top Farm. It looks pretty fun. It's not economically sustainable yet (it relies upon donations and wealthy patrons to keep it going), but the people running it have their heads on straight and are constantly looking for ways of improving efficiency and making the most out of the desert in which they live. In addition, the future of farming is in what they're doing. It's no secret that spiriling petroleum prices affect EVERYTHING and especially agriculture. Many pesticides and fertilizers are petroleum based (not a problem 30 years ago when oil was $30/barrel), and don't forget the giant combines. All this will become prohibitively expensive for all but the wealthiest of farmers (a combine already costs $100,000).
The methods used at Mesa Top Farm largely avoid such a reliance upon petroleum - they use smaller vehicles and natural methods of controlling weeds and pests. They aren't as effective as petroleum products, but they have no detrimental effect on the land and they're much less expensive.
More and more farms will be headed in this direction as the oil shortage grows more extensive. It's pretty cool to see the future of agriculture unfolding before our eyes.
I think this will be fun.
2 comments:
Tim, you are right about prices spirAling out of control (watch your spelling, kid; at least you got AFFECT sorted from EFFECT.)
The farm sounds like a great experience. Who knows, when the bottom drops out you can come home and do sustainable ag, right in your own back yard.
And did I see that the farm has a flock of fowl??? It sounds like a great place for you.
hey, be fair - I haven't slept since Saturday evening. :\
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