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NFC: Re: Native Fish Conservancy Digest V2 #899

I like horses also. The wild mustangs of Nevada are now culled by
bringing them back into domesticity in adoption program auctions rather
than shooting them. It is a serious penalty to kill them now, but it
used to be a different story some years back, although recently. I'll
have to try the brandywine variety. It's about that time to start
planting. I would rather not dissapoint anyone here, but I don't
actually wear combat boots. I have a pair from when I was a kid
somewhere, I promise I'll root them out and, properly garbed, drive
around town playing heavy metal for the day. Looks like we can extend
the deadline for this however due to the recent progess being made.

> A little more food for thought:
> I have always had an interest/affection for draft
> horses, from sleeping with them as a babe to logging
> with them and just enjoying them, there is an
> excellent mag devoted to them, The Draft Horse Journal
> surprising as that might sound(good website). A few
> years ago one of the editors had an article done at
> Ohio State University on the economics of horse
> farming using the NE Ohio Amish and Mennonite farmers
> for their study and
> nearby conventional dairy farmers to compare with.
> 
> The study showed a number of things that were
> expected, that more of the Amish farmers participated
> in the farm operation, that they had smaller capital
> costs, smaller dairy herds and smaller checks. What
> wasnt expected was that the Amish farmers were able to
> retain a larger percentage of their milk checks, and
> most surprising that the Amish farmers had more free
> time to do with as they wanted then their neighboring
> 'modern' farms.
> 
> The media and the rest of us have adopted the image of
> drudgery sold by the tractor companys of working with
> horses, wheras the truth is that working with horses
> promoted a lifestyle that gave more leisure time. In
> order to pay for the tractors and other equipment the
> 'modern' farmers had to farm more land leading to more
> debt and more labor to clear it with higher interest
> payments taking more of the milk check before they
> could realize anything from it.
> 
> The other fact brought out involved members of the
> family who opted to stay in farming, the Amish and
> Mennonites as a matter of course start their children
> out in their own farms with livestock herds that they
> have grown out themselves as teenagers and begin
> viable farming operations wheras the 'modern' farmers
> had a high rate of farm failures due to credit
> problems  and lastly, the Amish and Mennonites farmers
> regularly outlived their modern neighbors.
> 
> Lastly, subsequent studies have shown less pollution
> of the land from fertilizer of streams and lakes
> adjoining horse farmed operations then the megafarms.
> 
> "Progress' needs to be looked at closely to see if it
> really is progress.
> 
> BTW, store tomatos are raised for shipping ability not
> flavor. The Brandywine tomato, an Amish heirloom
> tomato is my choice as THE best in the world, and
> whats in my garden.
> 
> jake