Archive for the ‘Agriculture’ Category

Industrial vs Local Dairy Farms

Monday, January 18th, 2010

by Catherine Haug

Encouraging the production and consumption of locally produced foods is considered an ‘essential’ by ESP. Not only will it become a necessity when grocery shelves are empty (because of dwindling fuel supplies and escalating prices), but it is also important now, to support our local producers and ensure food is available when that dire time arrives.

And milk is no exception. We are down to two dairy farms in the Flathead, and they need our support. (See the last section of this post titled ‘Support our Local Dairies’ for more on this topic, including an Organic dairy in Victor MT).

But there are also many other reasons to select local milk over commercial milk found in our grocery stores, and they have to do with how the milk is produced, and the downstream effects of that production. (more…)

Organic Ag vs Global Climate Change

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

Is there a connection between global warming and industrial agriculture? If modern society reverted to traditional, organic methods of food production, could we mitigate or perhaps reverse climate change?

The Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA) believes that the answers are YES and YES. They cite the following projections. If we reverted to organic food production:

  • We would drastically reduce the global industrialized food system’s 44-57% share of global greenhouse gas emissions.
  • By converting the world’s 3.5 billion acres of farmland to organic, we would sequester 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, removing excess CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil, where it belongs.
  • By also managing the world’s 11 billion acres of pastures, rangelands and forests with organic methods we could potentially sequester 100% of greenhouse gas emissions.

See the article by Ronnie Cummins, for the full story: The Organic Revolution: How We Can Stop Global Warming. See also the ESP article: Organic Ag – The Cure for Climate Change?

But, is this really possible? How does it work? (more…)

Organic Ag – The Cure for Climate Change?

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

Small Ranch in Bigfork

Small Ranch in Bigfork

Could a global conversion to the centuries-old methods of organic and biodynamic farming/ranching really pay off, not only by providing nourishing food, but also by reducing our reliance on the petroleum industry, and sequestering carbon dioxide?

The place to start is right here in the Flathead and Mission valleys. Lets start a discussion on how we could go about an Organic Revolution at the grassroots level.  (more…)

Alert: Poisoned Soil, Compost, Manure

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

Deformed Veggies

Earlier this summer, Jean H. noticed something alarming in her garden.  The new growth on her tomato and potato plants were curled and gnarled, and the plants seemed not as strong as they should be.  Her beans, beets and basil, a shrub near her house and several trees, were suffering similarly. What could be wrong? Other gardeners were not experiencing the same trouble. (more…)

Struggling Local Commercial Dairies

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

September 27 update: The Daily Interlake featured this local dairy in today’s Sunday Paper: Milky Way. This article included some new information:

  • The new dairy will be called “Kalispell Kreamery;”
  • They will sell pasteurized, non-homogenized milk, cottage cheese, and ice cream in local stores, as well as at the dairy.

Our two local commercial dairies in the Flathead Valley are struggling, and it can’t all be blamed on the down economy.  Or at least that’s the message in a recent article in the Flathead Beacon: The Flathead’s Last Dairy Farms. (more…)

What’s that Bee? Photos & Video

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

POD_070809c-Sweat Bee on Allium, croppedby Catherine Haug

It all started when Jean H. emailed me three photos from a friend in Kalispell, of a beautiful iridescent green bee, wanting to know if it could be a mason bee. These are Devvi’s PODs’ (PIcture of the Day) for July 8, shown here, with permission.

So I forwarded the photos to John Holbrook, our mason bee expert for an answer. (more…)