Becoming a Locavore!

In the forest trees get no applications of fertilizer, no sprinkling from a garden hose and no pesticides when the beetles bite. A forest is a perfect eco system in which all “residents” trees and animals take food and give back. Trees get nutrients from their own leaves which compost on the forest floor. Animals eat the nuts and berries from trees and what is not digested comes out the “other end” as fertilizer. Forests fields and streams all work as one unit to provide everything each inhabitant needs in order to survive. In a way it is a closed system in which a forest in New York does not need anything from the prairie in Nebraska in order to survive.

The green movement has hit full stride this year as requests for organic lawn and garden products have increased greatly. Gardeners are generally concerned about the effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Concerns include limiting what gets into the water tables, how products affect pets and the long term affects on children.

The high price of oil is no small factor in the switch to “green”. Turmoil in the Middle East limited refining capacity and concerns about dwindling supply have fed the thirst for alternatives fuels in which to run our world. Bio-fuels, ethanol, wind and sun vie for research and development dollars in an effort to find an answer to our energy woes.

Unlike forests and prairies we do not live in a closed environment. Ever since the industrial revolution we have become dependant on other areas of our country ane even other parts of the world to supply our basic food needs. Unlike the forests we live in a capitalist system of supply and demand n which the producers of basic food goods are free to switch field crops to ones which fetch a larger return on investment.

Millions of acres of farmland that once were used to produce wheat and other common grains are now being used fo grow corn for ethanol production. The end result is a perfect example of the law of supply and demand. There are now low supply supplies of wheat and other grains which in turn has forced prices up by amounts unheard of before.

Organic farmers and food producers have been have hit hardest by the gold rush in corn. Organic corn for animal feed was $200 a ton in 2006. Now the price is $500 a ton when and if the producer can find it. The high cost of basic animal feed has caused many producers of organic poultry and other animal products to simply give up and return to regular farming methods. For the first time in many decades talk of food shortages for the upcoming winter are being bantered about. There is even a severe shortage and thus large price increases in hops used to produce beer!

Jeff Gilman, professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota has this to say about organic pesticides: "Organic insecticides are, in my opinion, the worst thing ever to happen to the concept of organic growing and gardening," Gilman writes. All insecticides, even organic ones, are, by definition, poisons. None is perfectly safe; some "organic" ones are quite toxic. In fact Nicotine Sulphate an organic pesticide once advertised in Organic Garden magazine was so toxic it was labeled with a the skull and cross bone warning saved for only the most toxic products. And the "organic" label encourages gardeners to use them carelessly according to Gilman. Gilman bases his claim on the fact that while there are strict guidelines for organic farming there is little to define organic gardening around the home environment. Gilman says that the false sense of security given by the word organic on the label often leads to over application of organic pesticides. In general however Gilman says there is nothing wrong with organic gardening just that everyone should become more informed on the subject.
At a presentation to a British food industry trade show data was shown that there are not enough cows in the world right now to produce the amount of organic nitrogen needed should laws require the use of organic fertilizer instead of chemical forms. Currently nitrogen is taken out of the atmosphere in the manufacturing process. Organic farmers derive their nitrogen primarily from animal manures and mostly from cows. The report went on to say there would need to be eight billion cows in order to provide enough manure for organic nitrogen. Currently there are only 4 billion cows on the planet.
Feeding all these additional cows according to this report would require destroying 50% of the remaining forested area on the planet in order to grow corn to feed these cows. Deforestation according to environmental groups is a leading cause of climate change.
Meanwhile back in the forest. The trees are growing fine, the cycle of nature continues on in an organic, naturally sustainable way. There is more forest cover in New York State now than in anytime over the last three hundred years. The Adirondacks once almost destroyed by mining and logging in the 1800's now boasts forests that are lush and thriving.

So why are there major problems looming with sustainablity? Perhaps the answer lies in the forests and grasslands. Forests and grasslands survive without relying on outside contributions.
We call it “local”. As local as your surrounding communities by supporting locally grown and made food products. As local as your back yard garden by growing more fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits. As local as your compost pile in order to nourish the garden and return nutrients to the soil like the forests do.
The new term for those living, buying, and selling local: Locavores
As local as the neighborhood butcher, baker, candlestick maker, farmer........and gardener!