RE: [GBlist] farming or housing?

["Courtney Moriarta" <moriarta@nycap.rr.com>]

Chris,

I think the real answer to your question is a definite:  It depends.

Sorry, there are no clear yes/no answers to questions like this.  You
make some good points about the region you are in.  For another example
on the other side of the argument check out www.lundberg.com. 

Lundberg Family Farms has worked for decades to promote
environmentally-friendly practices growing and harvesting rice products.
They practice organic farming, they leave their fields flooded longer
than most commercial rice farms to allow migratory water fowl a place to
breed and nest, and they do not participate in the questionable practice
of burning their rice straw after harvest -- they compost it instead.
They even conduct an egg-rescue operation in the spring before plowing
the fields.  The eggs go to a local organization which incubates the
eggs and returns the ducks/fowl to the wild.

Legend has it that the author of "Cadillac Desert" (whose name escapes
me at the moment) visited the Lundberg operation after writing this book
and reconsidered several of his arguments regarding appropriate uses of
water resources, farming, etc.

If you think this approach sounds too "fringy" to have real impact, go
to your local grocery store and you will likely find Lundberg products.
They've been quite successful in creating their own niche in the
marketplace and I see their products all over the country in regular
retail markets.  Of course, they're usually the product you find in bulk
bins in your neighborhood co-op, too.

-Courtney

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Koehn [mailto:chris@koehn.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 5:55 PM
To: GB List
Subject: [GBlist] farming or housing?

I'd like to post a question in hopes of eliciting thoughtful response
from
this thoughtful group:

Is farming really a greener use for land than building houses?





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