The results of a 33 year study of sustainable farming methods at Earth Cycle non profit research farm at Edwall, Wa indicate that the most effective way to combat or even to stop global warming is not to change energy policies so much as to change agricultural policies and practices. Changing land use practices from the current and historical emphasis on industrial style grain production and processing to sustainable smaller scale diversified, sustainable family farms generates a life enhancing environment. When family farms are organized as local storage, processing and marketing co-operatives significant reduction in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions as well as great increases in carbon sequestration and oxygen production inevitably result. Secondary effects of implementing such policies and practices globally would include eliminating rural poverty, unemployment, urban migration, food shortages, chronic disease, malnutrition, water shortages and wildlife extinctions.
The obvious way to implement these changes would be to reform the USDA now controlled largely by ADM, Cargill and other food giants which also dominate US politics and media. For example, if the Palouse-scabland area of Eastern Washington, North Idaho and NE Oregon was converted to the Earth Cycle Organization method (which could easily happen if the USDA simply stopped subsidizing industrial grain and soybean production) and applying a few other strategies the end result would be astounding. Important strategies would be to tax landowners and producers for CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and secondly to buy food futures from farm families and co-operatives that come up with a sustainable production plan. These farm families should be prepared to turn over at least 10% of such products when they go to market (providing a sustainable supply for government food programs, food banks, etc.)
What is the current earth cycle status in the Palouse area? This writer estimates the Palouse area to be 200 square miles and each current farm averaging four square miles (2480 acres) that is 10,000 farms. These farms are now producing copious quantities of greenhouse gases and other forms of air and water pollution while using significant quantities of fossil fuels for pesticides, fertilizers, tractor and truck fuel (much of the energy for processing, distributing and reducing the soil carbon bank from cultivation and erosion.) All this to produce huge quantities of low protein wheat and high fat beef in feed lots yielding “negative food” which in turn causes obesity, heart disease (the main killer) and other chronic diseases such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s and depression.
Using the Earth Cycle plan as demonstrated in our 30 year project this same farmland would translate into 1,240,000 eco-sustainable homesteads organized as 10,000 co-ops providing all essential social and economic services. These services include product storage, processing, marketing, day care, education, senior care and housing all within a mile of the homestead. This system would easily provide food, fuel and fiber for an equal number of urban families using zero fossil fuels as well as increase production of O2, H2O etc. as the main byproducts thus ending global warming.
40 comments
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November 21, 2006 at 7:12 am
jacquelyn
very interesting, you’re a very deep thinker. sounds so good.
January 15, 2007 at 9:45 pm
jj
May the Lord bless you in your wisdome and vision. All you write is right on and enlightening. It is very refreshing to read a blog from a person who is not only speaking the truth, but living it out.
May you have a rich and bountiful harvest, and may you enjoy a long life and strength in your bones.
January 24, 2007 at 2:10 am
JB
Hello, it is very encouraging and motivating article.
I am not a writer, I am an engineer. I have practical solutions that could bring a lot of relief to people and turn the world around by healing our planet Earth. Where should I go next to find a real support to my projects?
RE: Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases Emission Reduction.
RE: Global Children Starvation and Poverty Reduction.
April 6, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Huw Williams
The Earth cycle option:
The most effective way for the U.S. government to solve the problems of global warming, world hunger, and rural poverty, in my opinion, would be to enact an eco-sustainable homesteading act. This act. would redirect the U.S.D.A. to stop promoting industrial agriculture, and start devoting its full attention to converting our nations farmland to eco-sustainable oxygen producing; carbon sequestring, style farming. For details see: earthcycle.wordpress.com , or call me at: 1-(509)236-2265. I am asking senator Patty Murray, to introduce the bill instead of renewing the current farm appropriations act. this spring. I ask anyone who supports this idea to encourage Sen. Murray, and other like herself, like the other legislators, and candidates, to support or co-sponsor such a bill.
January 26, 2013 at 11:45 am
Paeca Souther
If you could draft a form letter to Patty Murphy and blast it out or put it on Facebook, we could get some great support. I watched Farmeggedon last night and re-energized my belief that we have to move forward with supporting more sustainable farming practices.
July 26, 2007 at 8:06 pm
bcjuyal
The study found that global warming since 1985 has been caused neither by an increase in solar radiation nor by a decrease in the flux of galactic cosmic rays. Some researchers had also suggested that the latter might influence global warming because the rays trigger cloud formation. I am write a blog which gave complete information about Global Warming.
October 24, 2007 at 9:27 am
Drew Gerrity
yeah i didnt read the report but i think that global warming is really bad and i think we could reduce it ifwe try to probably .
October 25, 2007 at 7:56 am
terry
In our busy lifestyle we have totally forgotten what is the harm we are doing with our nature. You have given good and important advice about global warming to keep our environment safe. Brave heart women community http://www.braveheartwomen.com which is filled with information regarding personal skills, our potentials, working experience, updating news and tools that will assist us to make every day updated
November 16, 2007 at 2:31 am
grarselsofs
Two new studies show why some people are more attractive for members of the opposite sex than others.
The University of Florida, Florida State University found that physically attractive people almost instantly attract the attention of the interlocutor, sobesednitsy with them, literally, it is difficult to make eye. This conclusion was reached by a series of psychological experiments, which were determined by the people who believe in sending the first seconds after the acquaintance. Here, a curious feature: single, unmarried experimental preferred to look at the guys, beauty opposite sex, and family, people most often by representatives of their sex.
The authors believe that this feature developed a behavior as a result of the evolution: a man trying to find a decent pair to acquire offspring. If this is resolved, he wondered potential rivals. Detailed information about this magazine will be published Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In turn, a joint study of the Rockefeller University, Rockefeller University and Duke University, Duke University in North Carolina revealed that women are perceived differently by men smell. During experiments studied the perception of women one of the ingredients of male pheromone-androstenona smell, which is contained in urine or sweat.
The results were startling: women are part of this repugnant odor, and the other part is very attractive, resembling the smell of vanilla, and the third group have not felt any smell. The authors argue that the reason is that the differences in the receptor responsible for the olfactory system, from different people are different.
It has long been proven that mammals (including human) odor is one way of attracting the attention of representatives of the opposite sex. A detailed article about the journal Nature will publish.
December 15, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Idetrorce
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
February 12, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Ben Corson
I believe that if you folks could bring the Earth Cycle ranch up to the fully-operational status (with anywhere close to the full complement of homesteads on the land you envision it being able to support sustainably), then you would have a demonstration / pilot project with tremendous appeal and inspiration for the public.
The public is very ready for any hopeful news in terms of what is possible in living more fully and joyously, and in making steps towards saving our planet.
Such a realized project as yours in the Palouse would be for the Pacific Northwest what Findhorn was for Scotland, and the Farm was for the Appalachians in the central USA…in terms of drawing public interest, if the media were sympathetic and their handlers not too threatened at first.
What is required is a new generation with HOPE or at least enough strength and passion to create it.
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Maybe they need to see it being done and being FUN. But no-one should fail to let them know that work is involved.
Shouldn’t be too much of a problem…when I was a young communal idealist, a mere 3.5 to 4.0 decades ago, we expected work and fellowship to be mixed in aplenty, and we welcomed hard work, as long as no huge egos and slavedrivers were involved, and the feeling was egalitarian.
I think that young people, then and now, need to know that what they’re contemplating doing will be FUN (from which it follows that folks will be fairly and equally treated and honored), that it is HAPPENING (it feels right, it feels significant), makes a DIFFERENCE that their hearts can feel and their eyes can see, and feels like something that they can not only belong to, but can eventually own to whatever extent they want to invest….speaking emotionally and spiritually, not just financially and temporally.
The more positive media attention, even if it’s only the FIC site for example, or maybe an article in Mother Jones or even the Spokesman Review, could start the whole “event” off, and then enthusiasm would grow from there.
February 15, 2008 at 8:52 am
Huw Williams
File type: application/msword Download File – Need Help?
Eco-Sustainable Homesteading and rural Development Act Proposal (Reforming the USDA to serve and assist family farms to become sustainable).
I define sustainable as ecologically sustainable or producing more oxygen than carbon dioxide.
1. Cease subsidizing unsustainable crops and farms.
2. Divert those funds to paying land owners for carbon sequestration production using infrastructure that is being used now for the CRT program. Producers would get carbon or oxygen credits.
3. Assist farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural communities in developing long range sustainable production, processing and distribution. This could be done through education, evaluation of current practices and certification.
Schools that provide education is sustainable agriculture are Permaculture in Australia and Holistic Resource Management in Tucson, AZ.
4.Issue negotiable certificated for future food, oxygen, fiber, feed, biofuel, etc. credits, based on long range sustainable production plans.
5. Guarantee loans based on those future credits repayable in commodities but for no more than 1/3 of the marketed crop.
6. Form an ongoing advisory council of leading sustainable experts to oversee all of the above.
February 15, 2008 at 8:56 am
Huw Williams
I am hereby announcing my endorsement and ongoing support for Barack Obama to be the next president of the U.S.A. As a lifetime activist in the peace,environmental, and alternative agriculture movements;I have very seldom advocated political action as a way to effect social change,favoring instead local grass roots organizing.In our current dire situation,however,vis a vis climate change,the economy and the state of public health;the U.S. government and especially the U.S.D.A.will play a critical role in determining whether these problems worsen or improve.I have satisfied myself that Sen. Obama is our best hope to deal with these problems as President. For those of you who have had trouble seeing the any substantial difference between the policies of the candidates,I say judge them not by their words but by their deeds and if you look closely you will find that the Clintons,like most all of our elected federal officials have been heavily subsidized by A.D.M. and Cargill [the very same private global corporations that have colonized the best farmland all around the world, even here in E. Washington,dominating rural economies and the food systems thereby exacerbating those above mentioned problems.] In return these elected officials have subsidized and supported the food Giants mainly through the USDA budget but also through the military,education trans., FDA etc. I have learned on the other hand that Sen. Obama has taken time from his busy campaign schedule to vote for the Wyden-Harkin amendment to the farm bill which added some sustainability provisions and in particular countered the unwise funding of corn ethanol plants which Hillary has been loudly supporting. So that is why I choose to back Barack Obama and encourage to go to the caucases next Saturday and do the same to help save us all.*see http://www.earthcycle.wordpress.com
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
February 22, 2008 at 10:37 am
Chris Weber
Hello. I am writing to ask for your help with a survey which is part of my dissertation project. I was wondering if you would be willing to post a link to the survey on your blog? Your help would be greatly appreciated, and I think you and your readers would be ideal candidates for the survey.
The survey is about people’s reactions to the presidential candidates in the upcoming election
If you are willing to help, please post the following information:
***
The purpose of this survey is to examine how people think and feel about the political issues, parties, and candidates in the upcoming election. In the survey, you will be asked a series of questions about two political candidates, John McCain and Hillary Clinton. We are very interested in how individuals that find information on the web think about politics, and your participation would be greatly appreciated. In total, the survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. The survey is completely anonymous and you can skip any questions you do not wish to answer.
Click here to take the survey:
http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/stu/crweber/TAKESURVEY/election_2008.htm
Please feel free to contact Chris Weber (crweber@notes.cc.sunysb.edu) at Stony Brook University with any questions or concerns. Thanks for your help!
***
If you don’t mind, please do not post any additional information, such as your impressions of the survey, and please disable comments about the survey. This way, people can take the survey without biasing the responses of other participants.
I hope you are willing to help by taking the survey yourself and asking your readers to get involved. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Chris Weber
PhD Candidate
Stony Brook University
Stanley Feldman
Professor
Department of Political Science
May 13, 2008 at 8:37 am
propeler
very interest Thank you
June 6, 2008 at 10:09 am
seoindex
I would like to see a continuation of the topic
September 7, 2008 at 10:52 am
Dagny
Sometimes the ideas that make the most sense are the ones people are most resistant to following.
Dagny
http://www.onnotextiles.com
bamboo clothing
March 11, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Huw Williams
The Earth Cycle annual meeting will be held on Saturday March 21 at 2 p.m. to elect officers and the board of directors and to discuss plans for the coming year including future possible crops and contracts.To get here from Spokane go West on hiway 2 almost to Reardan turn left on Waukon road go 9 miles,turn right just before railroad on Sobek road, go 1/2 mile to ranchhouse on right.Tel.990 0840
June 26, 2009 at 11:30 am
Patrick cook
We are in our early fifties and are looking for a place to settle. I am partially disabled but feel that I have a lot to offer the sustainable living movement. My talents are in welding, carpentry, mechanics, etc., however, I believe our gravest danger to our environment,social justice and world peace is our food supply and the corporation/governments in control of it. For this reason I felt the best way for me to contribute would be to buy some land and farm naturally and sustainably and also to fight gmo in our food supply.
My wife Kathy and I were both raised in Okanogan Co. and though we loved the country and the weather we both felt that we had outgrown the social and political climate there and grew tired of feeling alienated to our friends and neighbors,so we moved to Seattle. Though we loved the city and liberal political climate, we soon realized that our life style was unsustainable. We sold our house and bought a 5th wheel trailer and began looking for land, that was over a year ago,and were still looking .
We have mostly looked on the west side of the cascades, feeling more comfortable with the support for CSAs and wanting to support people who are aware and involved in social justice issues, however even though real estate is in a buyers market it is still too expensive.
I have recently found a property close to Fruitland, Wa. that looks like it might be affordable to us, it has 40 acres a house,barn and spring. I like the looks of the place and am not to worried about surviving there.However, I know that growing food that is healthy and sustainable will be very rewarding, It won’t be enough without a community to share, grow and learn from.
I had not thought very seriously about this area because I have spent some time around Creston and did not have much in common with the people I met there. But then I remembered your website that I stumbled on to about a month ago, and that I liked what I read. I hope that you are still active in the area and can spare the time and effort to reply to me about your organization, the people and infrastructure available in the area or if you could forward this letter to anyone you might think would be interested in our search.
Thank You,
Sincerely,
Pat Cook
(509)630-3465
July 28, 2009 at 10:52 pm
marissa
i think we need to stop global warming because if it gets any worse something bad could happen.
September 11, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Shannon Cary-Stevens
Due to the fact that we can not up date this web site we have launched a new web site…. please visit us at http://www.earthcyclefarm.org.
Thank you and we hope to hear from you all very soon.
Shannon Cary-Stevens
September 11, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Shannon Cary-Stevens
Due to the fact that we can not up date this web site we have launched a new web site…. please visit us at http://www.earthcyclefarm.org
Thank you and we hope to hear from you all very soon.
Shannon Cary-Stevens
November 27, 2009 at 2:48 am
Tom Diaz
Merry Christmas
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