What Value, Manure?

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who was disturbed at the way today's factory farms manage the manure generated on these farms. This friend has a cottage on Lake Winnipeg, so he is very aware of the algae blooms on that lake. “These farm managers are businessmen, not farmers, and have no understanding of the value of manure” was his opinion.

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A BIG greenhouse

Everyone knows that if you leave your car outside in the sun with the windows closed it get hot inside – very hot even. The other day I was in a greenhouse with simple plastic cover and it was remarkably hot inside even though it was below freezing outside.

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Coal, oil or renewables – who employs the most people?

The news from USA in recent weeks has been alarming for the environment. The President does not believe in Climate Change, so his departments are to cease all activities linked to it. This includes research into changes to climate, such as weather patterns, temperature, humidity, and extreme weather events (floods, droughts, tornados etc.). It also means that a whole suite of research that would monitor the consequences of climate change on wildlife, crops, or even support development of mitigation of the impacts of climate change will be cancelled.

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Transition Gardening

While the message still does not resonate with many people, more and more people are beginning to grow food close to home. They are waking up to the fact that cheap and abundant oil that fuels our agricultural and transportation industries is rapidly coming to an end. That means that things must begin to change.

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What Does GDP Measure?

I stepped on the scale this morning and checked my weight. The scale says I am 180 lbs. Does that measurement alone say anything about my health? Indeed it says something, but by itself, very little. How seriously would anyone take a doctor who checks for weight gain, and, on the basis of that, assure us that we are in good health. Why is it then, that similar logic is absent when we examine the health of our economy, whether that be the economy of the world, or country or our community?

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