burning off
Sep. 20th, 2008 10:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miriam_eRecently the farmer who owns the paddocks surrounding my little oasis visited to notify me that he would be burning the grass, but that he'd ensure it kept well away from the house. That evening I watched as the hillside lit up in death. It was pretty... in a horrible kind of way.
I should have asked the farmer why he wanted to burn the paddock. Though, I think I know why. The grasses seem to protect themselves from the harshness of full sunlight by producing a layer of dead, dry stuff. The grazers don't particularly like this so he burns it off, forcing the grass to sprout tender new green shoots in a desperate effort to survive. These juicy greens are much preferred by the grazing animals. The weird thing is that very soon the grass goes back to the same strategy and he hasn't gained anything really. In fact he has lost. Much of his soil's fertility literally went up in smoke. Any composting material was burned. The top centimeter or two of soil (where the real fertilising work is done by bacteria) was sterilised. What little ground cover there was is lost and the ground dries out and gets baked by the sun so that future rains tend to run straight off instead of soaking in.
I wonder if the farmer has noticed how much time his cattle spend in my place, dining on the permanently tender, green grass under the trees. The soil here tends to keep some moisture, as it gradually builds a fertile layer of humus, and the trees shield the grasses from the worst weather. The cattle understand and take refuge in here on excessively hot days, windy days, cold days, and rainy days. When it rains here the trees shield the ground from the pounding drops and continue to sprinkle water on the ground for some time after rain has ceased. I notice that most nights the trees pull moisture out of foggy air and deliver it to the plants beneath as a gentle shower too.
Is it any wonder that the grass really is greener on this side of the fence?
How many farmers must look at their land and never really see it? I guess they have been blindly destroying land for tens of thousands of years. Odds are not good that they will change their ways any time soon.
I should have asked the farmer why he wanted to burn the paddock. Though, I think I know why. The grasses seem to protect themselves from the harshness of full sunlight by producing a layer of dead, dry stuff. The grazers don't particularly like this so he burns it off, forcing the grass to sprout tender new green shoots in a desperate effort to survive. These juicy greens are much preferred by the grazing animals. The weird thing is that very soon the grass goes back to the same strategy and he hasn't gained anything really. In fact he has lost. Much of his soil's fertility literally went up in smoke. Any composting material was burned. The top centimeter or two of soil (where the real fertilising work is done by bacteria) was sterilised. What little ground cover there was is lost and the ground dries out and gets baked by the sun so that future rains tend to run straight off instead of soaking in.
I wonder if the farmer has noticed how much time his cattle spend in my place, dining on the permanently tender, green grass under the trees. The soil here tends to keep some moisture, as it gradually builds a fertile layer of humus, and the trees shield the grasses from the worst weather. The cattle understand and take refuge in here on excessively hot days, windy days, cold days, and rainy days. When it rains here the trees shield the ground from the pounding drops and continue to sprinkle water on the ground for some time after rain has ceased. I notice that most nights the trees pull moisture out of foggy air and deliver it to the plants beneath as a gentle shower too.
Is it any wonder that the grass really is greener on this side of the fence?
How many farmers must look at their land and never really see it? I guess they have been blindly destroying land for tens of thousands of years. Odds are not good that they will change their ways any time soon.
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Agriculture Extension Services
Date: 2008-09-23 01:27 am (UTC)It takes a while for farmers to break old habits and try something different. (If your livelihood was in the land you'd be a bit apprehensive about changing your practices too.)
When I worked for the Dept of Agriculture there was a lot of emphasise on Agricultural Extension Services - basically visiting farmers and teaching them about new and improved agricultural practices. Maybe your neighbour missed out - but the evidence from follow-up research is that in time the messages do start to get through.
The ABC program seems to be about biodynamic farming. It has its quirky New-Agey side - but it *does work* and it is *sustainable.*
Cheers, MFG.