May I ask you a question? How healthy is your farming operation? I know this is a rather abrupt question but sometimes we really need to step back and ask ourselves some tough questions.
Here are a few more: Do you have a long-term goal or set of goals? Are you on track to meet your goals? How satisfied are you with your farming operation?
Agriculture at a crossroads
These are important questions because, as you know, farming is a fast game. Changes in agriculture are really accelerating. Just recall the changes we have seen in the last 2 years in weather patterns, fertility prices, and technology. When we add up all the changes we arrive at a very important point: Agriculture is at a crossroads. The path we take today has consequences even to the next generation and beyond. Before going forward on this concept, let's consider the words and wisdom of American poet Robert Frost:
The Path Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Industrial agriculture vs. biological agriculture
Wow, what a great poem. As I see it there are two paths or choices before us today and we must be on one or the other. What am I talking about? Farming systems and their underlying paradigms. Industrialized agriculture seeks to apply the principles of the industrial revolution to farming. As a couple examples we see specialization and assembly line production as core principles in industrialized agriculture. While much good has come from industrialized agriculture such as the green revolution and cheaper food for the starving masses so has much harm. While industrialized agriculture started out as benign and even benevolent it has morphed into something all together different.
In reality industrialized agriculture has become Toxic Agriculture. How did this happen? The touchstone of biology was ignored. Instead of asking if new technology or practices were good for soil biology and plant, animal, and human health the primary question became one of profitability for agri-business suppliers. Biological agriculture, on the other hand seeks to work with biology and to increase it. This is the path less traveled. Biological agriculture seeks to produce food, fiber, and forage in a non-toxic environment with adequate nutritional support to grow a quality crop.
So what role does International Ag Labs play in this matrix?
We offer specific advice, based off a soil test, to growers and producers to help you achieve your long-term goals.
- For large-scale conventional farmers we help you improve yields by applying the principles of biological agriculture.
- For existing biological farmers we offer advanced training on how to maximize yield and quality by applying the principles of Reams Biological Theory of Ionization.
- For organic farmers we help you bring production up comparable with conventional farmers.
- For market gardeners we help you increase flavor, nutrient density, and shelf life in your produce.
- For backyard gardeners we have a high brix garden site just for you.
- We consult on any crop anywhere.
What is the price of admittance for such specific advice?
A Soil Test with fertility recommendations.
In closing...
Back to the question at the top of the page -- "So how healthy is your farming operation?" We would be glad to hear from you. Please tell us about your farming operation.
God Bless,
Wendell and the staff at IAL
