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Sustainable food trust.
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Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 15 6:37 pm    Post subject: Sustainable food trust. Reply with quote
    

Wasn't sure which section to put this under as it covers many.
I'm sure there are many here who already subscribe to this one but sure there are many here who don't & will benefit from this site.
Sustainable food trust.

bulworthy project



Joined: 27 Jun 2011
Posts: 188
Location: Rackenford, Devon
PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 15 6:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It is doing some fantastic work

oldish chris



Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank-you for the link.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Patrick Holden ex Soil Association,

I can see his farm from the yard here,

Sustainability comes in many forms,

He must use more fuel per acre than most surrounding farms.

oldish chris



Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ty Gwyn wrote:
Patrick Holden ex Soil Association,

I can see his farm from the yard here,

Sustainability comes in many forms,

He must use more fuel per acre than most surrounding farms.
Yes - some forms are actually sustainable! When I read it all carefully, I will ensure that I don't allow my normal level of cynicism to slip

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That's the trouble with farming from the other side of the hedge.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ty Gwyn wrote:
Patrick Holden ex Soil Association,

I can see his farm from the yard here,

Sustainability comes in many forms,

He must use more fuel per acre than most surrounding farms.
Possibly, although you should quantify that against output, fiscal & calorific to be fair. & he could be burning biodiesel in his tractor?
These guys (SFT) are trying to look at it from all angles IMHO & don't appear to have an axe to grind, other than the protection of food supplies & the environment for future generations. Something I would have thought we all here on DS would agree with.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rob R wrote:
That's the trouble with farming from the other side of the hedge.


A mile away in fact,lol.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tavascarow wrote:
Ty Gwyn wrote:
Patrick Holden ex Soil Association,

I can see his farm from the yard here,

Sustainability comes in many forms,

He must use more fuel per acre than most surrounding farms.
Possibly, although you should quantify that against output, fiscal & calorific to be fair. & he could be burning biodiesel in his tractor?
These guys (SFT) are trying to look at it from all angles IMHO & don't appear to have an axe to grind, other than the protection of food supplies & the environment for future generations. Something I would have thought we all here on DS would agree with.



That`s my point,the amount of fuel used for the output is way over odds,

He may well have bio diesel in his own tractors,in-fact the last load i purchased had a percentage of bio diesel,that`s the ruling nowadays,but most of the harvesting and cultivations are done by contractors,who love going there as the yields are so light,there is no strain on the machinery,and being paid by the acre,their laughing.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

But the truth is we can't sustain current production methods.
Your contractor might be laughing but the farmer (if he's organic) will have minimal fertilizer applications (a little rock dust & lime at most) & zero pesticide inputs. So although his tonnage per acre might be lower his profit margin is probably higher.
Although there are no perfect systems. There are many organic farmers struggling to maintain fertility because they can't stock enough livestock to produce the manure & grow enough cash crops to provide income.
IMHO the one thing that is missing from the equation in both conventional & organic systems is the waste we as a species produce.
Start treating that as a resource instead of as a waste & the circle's complete.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Who cares if we produce less? I've just read the Farmers Weekly and in that there are calls for growers to cut back acreage by ten percent because we're producing too much to hold up prices, likewise the pig producers are wibbling over oversupply and several articles on the dairy industries problems (we now have 1/3 of the number of dairy farms in Yorkshire compared to 2000 (the year and the number). Farmers have spent too long listening to these predictions of massive demand, trying to cut fixed costs by producing more, succeeding mainly in cutting profits. And that's before you even consider the environment.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Its basically the same in any industry,prices cannot be held up when cheap foreign imports swamp the market.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 15 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, but that doesn't suggest a volume based approach is the best one to take, as you'll never compete on that basis, especially if it's not even maximising returns per acre.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Mon Feb 23, 15 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Of course it does`nt suggest a volume based approach is best,

But that is the crux of the matter,very few UK industries can compete with foreign imports,and its import prices that keep UK prices down.

Rob R



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York
PostPosted: Mon Feb 23, 15 12:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hence the need for the SFT - promoting the benefits.

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