investing in ground and nature.....

[stefk]

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS

Some figures to think or meditate.

Belgium, Germany, UK, USA, in these countries only 1% of the population work to feed the other 99% !!!!!!!!

99% of the population depend on 1% of the population for the most important function to maintain the life.

I find it crazy. With these figures, its normal that most people eat only junkfood, everyday, every week, every year.

[Triplethought]

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS

Some figures to think or meditate.

Belgium, Germany, UK, USA, in these countries only 1% of the population work to feed the other 99% !!!!!!!!

99% of the population depend on 1% of the population for the most important function to maintain the life.

I find it crazy. With these figures, its normal that most people eat only junkfood, everyday, every week, every year.

This is what I meant on another thread when people wax poetic about semi-retiring and growing their own gmo or organic food. My comment was our grandfathers worked really hard to get off the farm because it's a helluva lot work for not much money. Now days the factory farms are so much more efficient they can feed us all. Except those of us spoiled 1st worlders who insist they don't use any actual science to help manage or improve the crops. It's going to get even more lopsided as AI machines start taking care of weeds, nutrition, and harvesting the amount of labor is going to go down further. In theory it should be anti-inflationary right?

[stefk]

Here, I am thinking intuitively. With such figures, its quasi impossible to have quality food. I only imagine the quantities of chemical fertilizers they use for the crops. Its only intuitive. Therefore, for me, its better to have a food producing garden for you and your family, to provide quality food.

I go sometimes in Netherlands, you have there kilometers and hundred kilometers of greenhouses, how can you produce quality tomatoes throughout the year, in Netherland ? Excuse me, but I find it crazy. We live in a crazy world.

[Budge]

Nitrogen shortages.

"A shortage of nitrogen fertilizer is getting so bad that farmers won’t be able to get what they need for their fields in the near future.

That’s according to executives at CF Industries Holdings Inc., who spoke on an earnings call Thursday. If the owner of the world’s largest nitrogen facility is right and farmers have to scale back fertilizer applications, that could lower corn yields, pushing up the price of food even further. Food inflation is already a concern, with a United Nations gauge of global prices at a decade high.

Fertilizer is scarce right now because high costs for natural gas, a key raw material, have halted some production in Europe. Other countries like China and Russia are imposing restrictions on exports to try and safeguard local supplies.

The U.S. is a major importer of farm nutrients, importing 20% of its urea and 40% of ammonium nitrate from Russia alone.

Top Fertilizer Producers See Massive Price Surge Continuing

U.S. spot prices for potash and urea, a form of nitrogen fertilizer, have more than doubled this year, according to Green Markets, a company owned by Bloomberg. Analysts have raised concerns that farmers simply won’t be able to buy at these prices."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... fertilizer

[SOL]

Nitrogen shortages.

"A shortage of nitrogen fertilizer is getting so bad that farmers won’t be able to get what they need for their fields in the near future.

That’s according to executives at CF Industries Holdings Inc., who spoke on an earnings call Thursday. If the owner of the world’s largest nitrogen facility is right and farmers have to scale back fertilizer applications, that could lower corn yields, pushing up the price of food even further. Food inflation is already a concern, with a United Nations gauge of global prices at a decade high.

Fertilizer is scarce right now because high costs for natural gas, a key raw material, have halted some production in Europe. Other countries like China and Russia are imposing restrictions on exports to try and safeguard local supplies.

The U.S. is a major importer of farm nutrients, importing 20% of its urea and 40% of ammonium nitrate from Russia alone.

Top Fertilizer Producers See Massive Price Surge Continuing

U.S. spot prices for potash and urea, a form of nitrogen fertilizer, have more than doubled this year, according to Green Markets, a company owned by Bloomberg. Analysts have raised concerns that farmers simply won’t be able to buy at these prices."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... fertilizer

This will indirectly push more people (astute investors will start to move now) to move to the suburbs where they will believe it or not start growing a lot of their veggies etc. Biointensive farming is going to take off. With biointensive farming you don't need nitrogen.

[Triplethought]

This will indirectly push more people (astute investors will start to move now) to move to the suburbs where they will believe it or not start growing a lot of their veggies etc. Biointensive farming is going to take off. With biointensive farming you don't need nitrogen.

I believe you are wrong. Growing veggies in the suburbs will always be a hobby, especially for those who want to control inputs for their health. But the output of factory farms (who can use biointensive methods if necessary) and possibly vertical farms using automation and AI will be so far beyond what an individual can do that a personal suburban garden is pointless from a production standpoint. There are plenty of professionals willing to farm using non-GMO and organic and whatever other techniques. I say let them do it and still get good high quality food. All this will happen in spite of what is likely a temporary shortage of fertilizer.

Unless society completely breaks down of course. In which case all bets are off. But then you'll have to mind your garden with guns to keep roving bands from stealing your crops.

I suppose the "gen 3" of robots a century from now might make it practical to tend gardens in our own back yards. Until then it makes more sense to let the pros grow with automation at scale.

[stefk]

""But the output of factory farms (who can use biointensive methods if necessary) and possibly vertical farms using automation and AI will be so far beyond what an individual can do that a personal suburban garden is pointless from a production standpoint.""

What you say is true, with the AI, the vertical farms etc...., but you dont realize the quantities of veggies I produce alone, on 10 ares, I have too much, we are obliged to give to our daughters, our chickens are real eggs factories, we give eggs to the neighbours, I imagine what a family can produce on 1 acre, with a good designed permaculture garden. Its possible to have production with quality, its more effective as you think. Of course, for me its a hobby, a way of life as you say, its not for everybody, and everybody doesnt want to do it.

[SOL]

I believe you are wrong. Growing veggies in the suburbs will always be a hobby, especially for those who want to control inputs for their health. But the output of factory farms (who can use biointensive methods if necessary) and possibly vertical farms using automation and AI will be so far beyond what an individual can do that a personal suburban garden is pointless from a production standpoint. There are plenty of professionals willing to farm using non-GMO and organic and whatever other techniques. I say let them do it and still get good high quality food. All this will happen in spite of what is likely a temporary shortage of fertilizer.

Unless society completely breaks down of course. In which case all bets are off. But then you'll have to mind your garden with guns to keep roving bands from stealing your crops.

I suppose the "gen 3" of robots a century from now might make it practical to tend gardens in our own back yards. Until then it makes more sense to let the pros grow with automation at scale.

You forget one big factor. AI is going to level the playing field. Small guys will have the same power as big guys and those vertical farms might end up being a thing of the past. Everything can be miniaturized and automated, so one guy could control 1 acre or 100 acres with the help of AI and automated Farm equipment that will come in all sizes and shapes and the price will drop by such a massive factor that the edge the big player has over the small player will practically vanish. AI is at the starting stage as it matures it is going to destroy a lot of old players and old business models.

A new company called Future Acres proposed to enable farmers to do more with less through the power of robots. The company, helmed by CEO Suma Reddy, who previously served as COO and co-founder at Farmself and has held multiple roles and lead companies focused on the agtech space, has created an autonomous, electric agricultural robotic harvest companion named Carry to help farmers gather hand-picked crops faster and with less physical demand

Our vision with Carry was to develop a tool and system that could help alleviate these stressors and move the industry forward by providing a helpful operational solution capable of supporting workers, while also reducing costs. Carry is the future of harvesting and will make an immediate impact on the lives of those in the field each and every day."

The company's robot, Carry, uses artificial intelligence, automation, and electric power, to transport up to 500 pounds of crops during harvest. Via computer-vision-powered autonomy or through remote control operation, Carry autonomously follows farmworkers for a whole day's work thanks to a 7-10 hour battery range or 6-10 miles traversed terrain navigation. It works on all terrain and in all inclement weather conditions, increasing production efficiency by up to 30% and paying for itself in only 80 days, according to the company. Its machine learning and computer vision capabilities also allow the machine to avoid obstacles like trees and people. Much like shelf-scanning robots do for retail environments, Carry also collects data that can be used to make important farm management decisions.

Future Acres will roll out Carry to small- and medium-sized farms throughout the United States. It is backed by lead investors Wavemaker Partners, a global Venture Capital fund with $400 million AUM, and Wavemaker Labs, a robotics and automation-focused venture studio. It's currently raising $3 million in seed capital via equity crowdfunding site SeedInvest.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/robots-to ... he-future/

[stefk]

https://www.suasnews.com/2021/10/smart- ... es-and-ai/

Th permaculture is open mind, we could accept AI to help for the tiring tasks, without denying the philosophy of the system. A drone for the seeding, for chasing the birds, a spider for the weeding for example, could spare us a lot of time. AI for the design of the initial project woul also be possible. Yes, all is possible

[SOL]

https://www.suasnews.com/2021/10/smart- ... es-and-ai/

Th permaculture is open mind, we could accept AI to help for the tiring tasks, without denying the philosophy of the system. A drone for the seeding, for chasing the birds, a spider for the weeding for example, could spare us a lot of time. AI for the design of the initial project woul also be possible. Yes, all is possible

More importantly, those that have not eaten fruits and veggies grown naturally don't really understand the value of such system. For example, I can eat two boxes of strawberries that are supposedly organically grown. But once when in Ukraine I went out with a friend into the wilderness and we found wild strawberries I could barely eat 1 1/2 handfuls before i was full. The energy-packed in naturally grown fruits and veggies is hard to describe until you have tried it for yourself. By default, you will eat less because your nutrient needs are met at a faster pace.

Also, commercial organic food is mostly bastardized natural food and it is still full of pesticides

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbEOVxcMvNk

Grain feed meat regardless of whether the grain is organic is inferior to grass-fed and most so-called organic meat is grain-fed based.

IN COMPARISON TO GRAIN-FED BEEF, GRASS FED BEEF MAY HAVE:
An increased content of antioxidants which prevents or slows damage to cells in the body;
Larger amounts of Vitamin E which can boost immune function and help to prevent clots forming in the heart arteries;
A healthier profile of fatty acids including Monounsaturated Fat, Omega-6 Polyunsaturated fats and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). This fat profile of grass fed beef in varying quantities has a multitude of health benefits which could reduce heart disease risk and aid weight loss;
Up to 5 times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 can improve eye health, help with depression and anxiety plus promote brain health in all stages of life, including pregnancy.
https://nourishd.com.au/2021/05/grass-fed-vs-grain-fed/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQmqVVmMB3k

[stefk]

The last video, very interesting. For olive oil, I didnt know it was toxic when fried. We dont eat a lot of fried food, but we eat olive oil everyday with salads, yes my wife is portugese, and in Portugal its olive oil eveywhere and everyday. I have convinced my wife to use butter for the fried food, and it was hard, but she is OK with me. Thanks for sharing the video.

[SOL]

All oil's that have a low melting point are toxic when you used to fry foods. Olive oil is fantastic when consumed on salads or when poured over food. For example, I love to use olive oil when I slice mozzarella cheese and put a tomato slice and the bottom and top and in the middle one fresh basil leaf. Then I pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar on that combo. When all ingredients are fresh, the taste is to die for

For cooking butter is good as is Coconut and Palm oil both have high melting points. Using any other seed-based oil for frying is akin to liquid chemotherapy

[Triplethought]

All oil's that have a low melting point are toxic when you used to fry foods. Olive oil is fantastic when consumed on salads or when poured over food. For example, I love to use olive oil when I slice mozzarella cheese and put a tomato slice and the bottom and top and in the middle one fresh basil leaf. Then I pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar on that combo. When all ingredients are fresh, the taste is to die for

For cooking butter is good as is Coconut and Palm oil both have high melting points. Using any other seed-based oil for frying is akin to liquid chemotherapy

Butter has a low smoke point. If you clarify the butter (remove the milk solids) it's much better for cooking but still doesn't have a high smoke point compared to other things

[Triplethought]

The last video, very interesting. For olive oil, I didnt know it was toxic when fried. We dont eat a lot of fried food, but we eat olive oil everyday with salads, yes my wife is portugese, and in Portugal its olive oil eveywhere and everyday. I have convinced my wife to use butter for the fried food, and it was hard, but she is OK with me. Thanks for sharing the video.

Not to inject too much science but olive oil is relatively stable and just fine to fry with. Read the summary

https://actascientific.com/ASNH/pdf/ASNH-02-0083.pdf

[Triplethought]

https://www.suasnews.com/2021/10/smart- ... es-and-ai/

Th permaculture is open mind, we could accept AI to help for the tiring tasks, without denying the philosophy of the system. A drone for the seeding, for chasing the birds, a spider for the weeding for example, could spare us a lot of time. AI for the design of the initial project woul also be possible. Yes, all is possible

I would really like to grow my own food but I can't find any bacon seeds.