Week 10 notes
We had a "water cooler" conversation at work the other day and one guy said he wasn't worried about food shortages because he had enough land (70 acres) to hole up with his family. He thought he could forage & hunt. I told him he may be right but if the government needed his land for local food production they'd take it. "Over my dead body!" he said smiling. I told him I wonder how many people said the same thing when TVA said they'd dam up the rivers and flood their family properties, or when the Dept of the Interior (or whatever it was at the time) told folks to move so their land could become a National Park. He stopped smiling then. I would think if things got bad (well worse, as far as shortages) innovative people would start to farm their land for crop production - most of the land around here that's not being turned into subdivisions simply supports a few cattle - but I know our topsoil isn't as desirable as, say, Iowa or the Dakotas. I need to do some research on whether current food production in E. Tennessee could actually feed its population.
The rising diesel prices has our coop worried. We'll have to run the numbers again and see where we are going.
My project (the one that's supporting me 90% of the time at work) was supposed to have a review in DC this week but we decided to have a conference call instead. We'll ask for funding for next year to continue with Phase II of the project, but with things the way they are I don't know if we (or anybody) has a chance in hell of getting funded.
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4 comments:
Huh. I've been trying to figure out why they "emminetized" a bunch of land in north st. louis recently. I wonder if this has anything to do with it?
I would hope that they would try other techniques before taking over people's land for government farming. Maybe a tax break for people who grow vegetables on their land for the public?
I'm afraid if the people wanted food and needed food, there would be tremendous political pressure to seize property, but I too hope they would give free enterprise a chance first.
I've heard people tell me they could forage off their land also.
I grew up half in the country. I've done a little hunter gathering with my part native-indian grandpa, who grew up doing this.
But even he said the woods were different then when he was a kid at the turn of the century. And it was harder than it used to be.
When I go back to visit those places now, the woods are gone. Suburbs and pastures are taking over. The land is barren compared to the way it was, even in the 1960s.
When I go out onto property with folks who brag they can forage, I look around wonder what they'd be eating? I see edible plants, but mostly ones that would serve as herbs, not as main courses. I see plenty of insects, during some parts of the year. I know you could dig and make a meal of grubs in off seasons. There's always a rat or two you can scare up.
So I ask, "What would you forage?"And they answer, "Oh, deer and wild hogs wander here now and then. They always show up if I put out corn."
"How would you live out here?", I ask. "Oh, I'd just drive up when I'm hungry.", they say.
At this point I realize where they are coming from. And I don't feel hopeful.
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