10.01.09
Soil Conservation
We, as organic farmers and ranchers, think, almost constantly of ways to improve the soil by planting late season crops such as; oats, crimson clover, rye, or Austrian Winter peas, to be plowed under in the early Spring. This allows for regeneration of the soil’s nutrients (much the same way that God regenerates his fields by freeze killing Summer grasses, then flattening them with the weight of heavy, wet, snows and strong winds, so that they will come in full contact with the soil to be eaten by micro-organisms and worms, returning and replenishing nutrition to the soil, by rotting and decomposing them back into the organic matter that made them.
I noticed this morning, it was cloudy and rather dark still by 7:40am. My family had left for school already; my wife to college, my kids to grade school and to high school. I also noticed that nearly every light in the house was still on; for the seasons are changing and the days are shortening to the point that it is no longer light enough to see in the early morning when they are getting around.
I was raised in the Nixon, Ford, and Carter, era. President Carter started a great movement to conserve energy. I remember the orange stickers that were issued to cover the school light switches, that read,
“Turn off the Lights when leaving the room”.
Shouldn’t we, as conservation wary farmers, be aware also, that we are becoming very slack in our conservation of energy?
I turn the lights off all over the house, almost every day. Sometimes I miss turning off the outside lights until I see them burning in the middle of the afternoon when I come back from the fields. I try to drill into my family’s conscience that we have an electric bill that is eating our lunch and popping the bag, but they don’t seem to really take heed that a penny saved by not wasting energy, can be spent on better things. I would wager that the pennies saved in a year could buy a new couch. The Bible says, “It’s the little foxes that spoil the grapes”. Little things like, ‘not turning off the lights’, will slowly, but surely take a toll on your families income. Living conservatively is good for the Planet, good for society, and good for our children. If we are not good stewards of the land and not good stewards of our households that are small things, then why should God trust us with the big things?
I think we are all good stewards in our hearts, but maybe we need to make our minds aware of it. If we think collectively to make a conscious effort to conserve, our Planet will be a better place because of it.
whey.protein.side.effects said,
November 25, 2009 at 9:17 am
Very great site.
The info here is truly helpful.
I will give it to my friends.
Cheers
freem_ovies.online said,
December 5, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Very good concept, I like how you convey the message.
Alfonso Rodriguez said,
February 19, 2010 at 11:42 pm
I really like when people are expressing their opinion and thought. So I like the way you are writing
Basil Wood said,
February 21, 2010 at 5:39 pm
You have tested it and writing form your personal experience or you find some information online?
Administrator said,
March 24, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Everything on my blog is tested and seems to be reliable. I was born in Cherokee County Oklahoma and raised on a farm. My Grandma and Mama did most of the gardening work and I tagged along.
Everyone in the family had a job doing different tasks on the farm. If there was any sewing to do, Aunt Mandie would do it. If there was any carpentry work to be done, Uncle Jeff and Uncle Orval were on it. Dad did the electrical work around the place, Uncle James did the welding. The two of them and Uncle Otis also did veterinary work and knew what all medicines and things to use on the cattle, hogs, horses, dogs, chickens, cats, goats,and anything that happened along. Uncle Otis was a medic in the invasion of Africa-against the Nazis in WWII, he was really good to have around for doctoring things back up. Uncle Jeff and Uncle Orval were C.B.s in the Normandy Beach and Omaha Beach landings, they knew how to fix almost anything.
We had a big family, with Aunts, Uncles, Parents, and Grandparents, all living on the 210 acre homestead. Grandma passed much of what she knew about gardening to me in the years before she died. Mama worked along side her, hoeing, planting, picking, sharing stories, and canning for the whole family. They brought me up, planting by the sign. We butchered hogs by the sign, weened calves by the sign, Had teeth pulled by the sign, forecast weather by the camphor floating in a whiskey bottle, doctored with kerosene, sugar, and cob webs, broke the garden with a mule and did our own veterinary work. Living off the farm was a hard life, but it was so rich in family values, that no amount of money could ever buy that sort of education.
Thanks to the way I was raised, I’ve been a horse wrangler, a mule skinner, a welder, a licensed, union, journeyman electrician, a licensed plumber, a carpenter, a barn builder, a roof inspector, a construction/maintenance supervisor, and a licensed and certified school teacher. I’ve traveled through 40 States and held jobs in 16 of them. Right now – I’m just a farmer. I like farming the best. Most all of the relatives who raised me have passed on, including my Mom. Most all of the favorite old horses have long since died of old age, but the memories and knowledge left to me by my Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, will live as long as I do.
I try to teach my kids everything I know.
Administrator said,
February 15, 2012 at 2:35 am
New in 2012 !!! Oklahoma Horticultural and Agricultural trials of a new strain of okra we’ve developed on our Certified organic Farm in Moodys, Oklahoma may very well show that ‘Heavy Hitter’ is the heaviest producing okra variety in the World!
New field trial studies of ‘Heavy Hitter’ okra are being conducted through collaboration of Agricultural Agencies, University Extension Research Specialists, Organic Foundations, and private endeavors, in four separate regions across the State of Oklahoma in 2012. Offerings of this seed will most likely become available as soon as 2013, through results of this multifaceted research.
Soon, Heavy Hitter will be “THE” Variety to Own, if you are looking for a heavy weight contender to battle your neighbor’s, ‘Zeebest’ okra for the World Okra Title!.
Heavy Hitter cannot be beat for its deep-South, wholesome, organic flavor, tender pods, heat hardiness, and resistance to disease, hail or insect damage… Very simply put, Heavy Hitter is not Zee best….. It’s THE BEST!!!!
This new strain promises to top the okra seed market, producing 30 to 60 fruiting branches on sturdy, 2″ inch diameter stalks! Its massive root system makes it tolerant of severe drought conditions, such as those exhibited in 2011, when a single Heavy Hitter plant produced nearly 300 pods of marketable okra in one season!