[Vision2020] Argicultural, Energy Sustainability (Was Moscow's Growth Policies...)

[Kai Eiselein, editor]

Personal attacks?
I asked two questions...... two.
I knew nothing about Dave, his ag background or anything. He went off on me
for questioning him about his claim that farmers don't care about
sustainabilty of their ground.
He had the unmitigated gall to all but accuse me of being racist with his
little tirade and his  "And you know, not much seems to have changed,
including people with attitudes like yours." comment.
Attitude for what, questioning? How dare someone question his statement,
"The ag community needs to break its monoculturalistic thinking and adopt
sustainability principles.", given that he gave no clue to his backround?
Heck, for all I know he could have been a street artist in in San Fransico
who couldn't tell the differene between wheat and barley.
I don't think there is a competent farmer out there that doesn't realize the
value of taking care of the land.


  -----Original Message-----
  From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Ted Moffett
  Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 12:34 PM
  To: david sarff; Vision2020
  Subject: [Vision2020] Argicultural,Energy Sustainability (Was Moscow's
Growth Policies...)



  Dave et. al.

  I pondered a post to counter what seemed like "personal" attacks against
your suggestions on sustainability, but after reading your response, why
bother?

  What a great post, Dave!

  Now if only we can attain energy sustainability coupled with environmental
sanity, via stopping or slowing development based on a fossil fuel/CO2
emitting powered model, that will wreck havoc on the biosphere on a global
scale, as non-renewable fossil fuel resources are depleted.  I am part of
the problem with my driving habits, and good jobs and wealth are
wonderful... But the writing is on the wall!

  I am amazed at the growth advocates who don't appear to consider the
frightening impacts of the fact that the USA per capita contributes more
tonnage of CO2 to the atmosphere than any other nation on Earth, while they
advocate that we continue development and expansion based on this
inefficient and non-sustainable fossil fuel powered model of life style,
industry and consumerism.  Efforts are being made for improvements in
efficiency and CO2 neutral energy sources, but the bottom line remains that
absolute levels of CO2 emitted by the US economy continue to increase, as we
glut on a resource that will be rendered scarce for future generations

  Till this reality is addressed aggressively, economic expansion based on
massive CO2 output will only place the extreme costs of climate change onto
the next generation, or sooner, while the lifestyle based on cheap fossil
fuels will be in jeopardy due to fossil fuel depletion, if sustainable
affordable energy alternatives and technologies on a massive scale are not
implemented.

  Millions of people on the planet will pay the price for our fossil fueled
powered wealth and success, mostly in the poorer nations, due to
catastrophic climate change.

  Of course, China and India will soon surpass the US in fossil fuel use and
thus CO2 output... And if the US is not addressing the problem aggressively,
what convincing argument can be made that they should also?

  Ted Moffett, dumping 3 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year with my
below average contribution for a US driver.


  On 1/15/07, david sarff <davesway at hotmail.com> wrote:

    Hello Kai,
    Some years ago, during the great terrorism scare of the late 1800's ,
when
    Chief Joseph and Looking Glass were on the rampage and the locals were
    engaged in practicing homeland security. My Great, Great, Grandparents
had
    come up the river earlier because congress told the public that the
property
    of the west was open to them. Not to long after they built along the
river
    the family was brought into Colfax for their protection. They were very
    frightened about the situation as the US Army tended to there usual
work,
    doing their jobs, representing the country and unfortunately chasing
around
    and killing a bunch of really quite innocent folks, and calling it a
war.
    After the Army got things all nice and secure , setting up some forts
here
    and there. The US citizens and my family continued to go about their
    business and exploit the resources as they were led to believe that
    everything was on the up n up.  And you know, not much seems to have
    changed, including people with attitudes like yours.
    My local family stomping grounds runs up the river from the ocean to
about
    Palouse falls, then up to Sandpoint and back down to the North Fork.
There
    are a couple homesteads underwater and one under PFI. If you haven't
    noticed, the fishing has been real bad for a considerable period of time
and
    the eels are completely gone. The soil has gotten damp enough that the
few
    fish left swim over it.
    Four generations have been in Moscow proper. If you get buried in any
    cemetery in Latah county, you can thank one of my granddads, Clarence
Jenks,
    for setting up the county districts. He was a Moscow Chamber pres and
    printer for the Daily Star and Queen city printing,  If you meet, I'm
    certain you'll get along with him quite well…His better half is simply
    wonderful.
    He said that the "City with a Smile" slogan was rues. I see that the
signs
    have been removed. Kind of metaphorical, really.

    I grew up in town and got side tracked by my very good high school ag
    instructor, Kirk Rush. He helped me acquire my first full time job for
    Moscow Implement, selling parts. That was my first serious infusion into
the
    ag community. After that I went to collage at LCSC. Out of that went to
work
    for State Tractor with Gary Crabtree. Not much real ag stuff going on
there,
    but some( and it gets him in the story). Durring the 80's I had and auto
    repair shop in town. Some of the customers were farmers as well as
freands.
    They always need some kind of help, particularly at harvest time.
    In the 90's I worked four years at Columbia Tractor.
    I can repair and operate just about anything you can think of and have
    worked for a handful of farmers in a variety of different capacities.
Over
    the years I've had plenty of experience with the ag community. They have
one
    hell of a hard row to hoe and I have seen it up close and personal.
    My present volunteer activities include native plant regeneration with
the
    Palouse Prairie Foundation.
    With that group I sometimes volunteer work to do preservation work with
the
    local endangered native plant community ( and the Great White Worm).
There
    are farmers that attend that group. We talk about dirt...
    There is a member in the group named Maynard Fosberg who is a retired
soil
    scientist. I'm confident that he has the kind of authority your looking
for.
    As far as my ears and eyes can tell, soil conditions are continuing to
    decline and if you want a good description of soil health in just about
any
    region of the world, then I'm certain he'd love to bend your ear a bit,
if
    you were to look for him.
    Almost all farms are *Not* operating their land sustainably and its not
    entirely their fault. The soils are completely addicted to chemicals and
the
    crops to gene pool juggling.
    If you want a good definition and read that reflects my idea of just
what
    constitutes sustainability,  I recommend reading the works of Bill
Mollison.
    Speaking of Coyote stories, the Nez Perce Nation has been here a bit
longer
    than any settlers family you can find.
    I  accept their ideas about how the land (and the rivers) should
sustainably
    treated.
    Maybe will see you at the spring Pow Wow. We can talk about the land and
    supporting property rights.
    Dave








    >
    >Dave said "The ag community needs to break its monoculturalistic
thinking
    >and adopt sustainability principles."
    >Ummmm, Dave, many of the farms in this area have been in production and
    >passed down through 3 generations at this point. That's about 100 years
of
    >sustainability. There is a saying that farmers have, "Take care of the
    >ground and it'll take care of you."
    >Please name any other family owned businesses that have been here that
    >long.
    >And please tell us how much time you've spent on a farm or other ag
    >operation.
    >
    >
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